1.STRATEGY INSIGHTS
1.1 Outsourcing
Raconteur produce a wide range of thought leaderships and strategy articles .
A recent article promotes ten top tips for business outsourcing . The full article can be found here and the the Ten Tips are:
- Do not outsource your core
- Know exactly what to outsource
- Measure success but do not rely on Service Level Agreements
- Articulate the expected benefits and returns
- You cannot outsource leadership
- Own the work
- Ensure "expertise fit"
- Reflect on risks
- Build trust
1.2 Improving the quality of thinking - from the guru of lateral thinking
Edward De Bonos Six Thinking Hats process can help with the development of strategy and to solve problems and come to better decisions. The process works to ensure a wide range of perspectives are used whilst dealing with complexity and identifying issues and opportunities.
The approach considers 6 specific and deliberate states with each one being assigned a coloured hat . The idea is that choices are made about which state you are in and consequently what hat you are wearing . The aim is to facilitate deeper and wider thinking.
De Bone cites many succesful uses of the approach for improving outcomes in organsiations
The six perspectives are:
White Hat : the focus is on facts and information available only
Red Hat : concentrates on intuitive or instinctive statements based on emotional feeling
Black Hat : Brings caution and pessimism to bear looking for weakness and flaws
Yellow Hat : Takes an optimistic stance and focuses on benefits and opportunities
Green Hat : Pushes for creative solutions to problems and new ideas
Blue Hat : works to ensure good process control for the meeting
De Bono quotes : " When I speak to audiences 90% believe that climate change is the biggest problem the world faces, less than 2% say poor thinking"
“A mind stretched to a new idea, never returns to its original dimension.” Oliver Windell Holmes"
See Edward De Bonos excellent books on lateral and creative thinking here
“A mind stretched to a new idea, never returns to its original dimension.” Oliver Windell Holmes