(I-Newswire) March 14, 2010 - People today have more options than any generation in history in terms of how, when, where, and with whom to work, shop, share and learn according to Colin Coulson-Thomas speaking in Brussels at the annual HR Technology Summit: “New possibilities are being created all the time. Innovations are occurring in a variety of technologies. Whether or not the implications are trivial or profound depends upon what technology is applied to, for what purpose and how it is used.”
The author of “Winning Companies; Winning People” encouraged summit delegates to “Get real and think business benefits. The potential of many technologies is way ahead of many IT team’s ability to use them wisely. Just because something can be done does not mean that it should be done. Would customers benefit? Would the benefits be visible? Will more people buy from us because of it? Is it a differentiator or source of competitive advantage? Will it boost performance or save costs? Will we get bitten or loose out if we do not do it?”
Coulson-Thomas urged those with corporate budgets to “spend the money as if it were your own money. Ask the question, would you do this if it were your business? Relate your proposals and projects to key priorities. If new systems are going in, bend over backwards to fully understand them and ensure your colleagues and your organisation gain full advantage of any new potential that is being created. Too often a me-too approach is adopted, and huge sums are devoted to grandiose projects that contribute little to the bottom line and do not give competitive advantage.”
In contrast to costly mega projects Coulson-Thomas presented case studies to show how modestly priced support tools that enable average achievers to emulate the approaches of superstars can give quick paybacks: “They can boost performance, speed up responses, increase understanding, reduce stress, avoid risks, enable bespoke responses and cut compliance costs. They make it easy for people to do difficult jobs, free people from dependency upon particular locations and support mobile activities, relocation and outsourcing. Large returns on investment (ROI) can be obtained.”
In every area he examined: “There are a small number of top performers whose approaches can be captured. Support tools can enable all members of key work groups to adopt top performing behaviours, generating outstanding returns as everyone raises their game and the negative consequences of poor performance are reduced or eliminated by built in controls. Because winning behaviours are made explicit and better support is provided top performers can be freed to try out alternative solutions. Superstars can be enabled to push out the boundaries of achievement.”
Coulson-Thomas’ Winning Companies; Winning People research programme examines how people operate in areas such as building relationships, bidding, pricing, purchasing and exploiting know-how. Over 4,000 organisations have participated and some 2,000 of these have contributed to studies to identify critical success factors for key business development activities. The findings are remarkably consistent across sectors, professions, corporate nationalities and different sizes of organisation.
Areas examined range from communicating to visioning. Investigating teams distinguish the approaches of high performers or winners from the practices of low achieving losers to identify critical success factors and winning ways that can be built into processes and support tools. The results are summarised and examples of support tools given in ‘Winning Companies; Winning People; Making it easy for average performers to adopt winning ways’ by Colin Coulson-Thomas. The book and a series of related reports setting out critical success factors for key corporate activities can be obtained from http://www.policypublications.com.
According to Coulson-Thomas, “Critical success factors and winning approaches can be determined and built into processes and support tools. Even top performers are only very effective at less than half of the critical success factors identified for an area such as competitive bidding. The performance of every company examined so far could be increased by putting additional critical success factors in place.”
The second three day Annual HR Technology Summit was held at The Brussels Marriot Hotel. Delegates were senior executives, such as senior vice presidents, vice presidents and directors involved with technology for human resources. The summit was chaired by Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas who also spoke on adopting winning behaviours and state of the art technologies to obtain real benefits and maximise ROI.
Boardroom consultant Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas of Adaptation is also Chairman of Bryok Systems and Cotoco, and a member of the academic team at the University of Greenwich. He has helped over 100 boards improve director, board and corporate performance, and reviewed the processes and practices for competing and winning of over 100 companies. He is the author of over 40 books and reports, and has spoken at over 200 national and international conferences in 40 countries. He can be contacted via http://www.coulson-thomas.com.
About Adaptation Ltd:
Overview
Adaptation Limited is a specialist director, board and business development consultancy which develops and implements corporate programmes and processes to enable organisations to become more flexible and adaptable in creating and delivering value to their customers. Hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals have benefited from approaches, methodologies, programmes and courses the company has developed.
Adaptation helps people and organisations to transform their performance in areas such as winning business, building customer relationships, and creating and exploiting know-how. It has particular expertise in supporting boards, reviewing processes and practices for winning business, building new models of organisations and introducing more creative and fulfilling ways of working and learning.
The dictionary defines 'adaptation' in terms of change or adjustment to new circumstances, ie. a change in structure, function, process, role, attitude, behaviour, etc., that produces better adjustment to the environment. The company Adaptation has helped directors, boards and management and entrepreneurial teams in locations from South Africa to Siberia and from Canada to China.
Services
Adaptation services to corporate clients committed to fundamental change include:
Strategy Reviews and Strategic Business Development
Corporate Transformation
Corporate Learning
Business Restructuring and Redesign
Executive, Director and Board Development
Coaching of Senior Executives and Directors
Knowledge and Process Management
Winning Business Reviews
Business Development Services
Clients
Adaptation clients include multi-national, international, European, North American, Middle Eastern and Japanese corporations, international professional firms and consultancies, entrepreneurial businesses, Government departments and public bodies.
Assignments include over 100 winning business reviews, process vision holder roles, director and board development activities, the re-design of the management processes of a well known financial services company, reviews of re-engineering and change strategies and programmes, and various board and strategy reviews. A portfolio of Presentations, Courses and Seminars are based upon this work
Adaptation has developed a complete range of corporate transformation assessment and review techniques, and implementation tools and methodologies, including a suite of process re-engineering tools, for a well known international company. Several thousand consultants in a leading international consultancy firm employ a techniques/tools manual edited by Adaptation.
Publications
Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas of Adaptation led and co-ordinated the European Commission's COBRA project which examined how organisations across Europe use process management, new ways of working and learning, and emerging technologies. Resulting methodologies include "The Responsive Organisation: Re-engineering new patterns of work" and "The Competitive Network" published by Policy Publications.
Findings of surveys undertaken by Adaptation for national, international and Governmental organisations have been disseminated through over 30 research reports, thirteen books, including Winning Companies; Winning People and Developing Directors, a handbook for building an effective boardroom team, and over 300 Seminars, Workshops and other Events.
Courses
Learning materials, presentations and over 20 course modules based upon Adaptation’s work and investigations into critical success factors and what high performers do differently in areas that are vital for corporate success are available for those designing corporate, executive and management education programmes.
International collaborations
Adaptation has operated strategic partnerships, and has co-operated with world class institutions covering corporate transformation and process and knowledge management which operate world-wide and across all EU member countries.
Presentations and courses have been given in some 40 countries.
Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas of Adaptation has held professorial appointments in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, India and China
Further information
Details of Adaptation services can be found on www.adaptation.ltd.uk
Details of publications based upon adaptation’s work can be found on www.policypublications.com
Company Contact Information
Adaptation Ltd
Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas
Mill Reach, Mill Lane,
Water Newton, Cambridgeshire, UK
PE8 6LY
Phone : +44(0)1733361149
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