gothamCulture, Author at gothamCulture

How To Unlock Your Potential For Innovation Through Crowdsourcing

By gothamCulture

Published at May 23, 2017May 23, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Org Culture, Process Improvement

The human mind has an incredible capacity to learn, recognize patterns, and connect pieces of information together to find new ways to approach old problems.

Unfortunately, our problem-solving abilities are limited by individual knowledge and experience. When problems are large and complex, we might not have the right data available to have any hope of finding a solution if we go it alone. And when we get stuck, collaboration can be a powerful way to find the best solution.

By sharing knowledge and experience amongst a diverse group, we can often tackle complex problems that cannot be solved alone.

How to Use Pattern Disruption to Sustain a Culture of Innovation

By gothamCulture

Published at May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Change Management, Org Culture

pattern disruption to sustain a culture of innovation

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to lead a webinar about dancing bears in colorful ball gowns. I mean, who hasn’t? The subtext here (and arguably the more important focus) was to discover new methods of disruption and innovation.

In case you missed it, you can watch a replay of the webinar here (gated content).

If you’re in a subway, without your headphones, or reading this on a flip phone for some reason, let me offer this summary.

To Grow Leadership Skills, Get People Out of Their Comfort Zones

By gothamCulture

Published at May 9, 2017May 9, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Leadership, Talent Management

When I worked in the outdoor industry, I saw a lot of leaders forced out of their comfort zones. To survive in the backcountry, they had to use their physical and mental strength, keep an open mind, and rely on those around them for support.

Some fared better than others, and I found people’s individual identities and corporate positions didn’t determine their levels of success. Anyone could grow as a person and leader during a backcountry excursion, but only if he or she was willing to embrace the discomfort that accompanied the transformation — and you can do the same.

How Technology Can Save Your Company Culture During an Expansion

By gothamCulture

Published at May 2, 2017June 12, 2024 In Category Blog Tags: Growth, Org Culture, Process Improvement, Talent Management

technology can save your company culture during expansion

As any business expands — either domestically or internationally — it can be a challenge to maintain a consistent company culture. Communication might suddenly need to bridge time zones, and messages will need to stay consistent despite language or cultural barriers. An expansion can affect organizational design and the centralization of resources, potentially making employees feel detached.

Knowledge Management: Did You Know?

By gothamCulture

Published at April 27, 2017November 14, 2019 In Category Blog Tags: Data, Learning and Development, Process Improvement, Strategy

It’s funny how things go in cycles. What was critically important to us last year may not be a concern to us today. And things we used to take for granted, we now cannot fathom living without.

Think about the Internet. Most of us weren’t even aware of it until the mid 90’s, but where would we be today without it? Although I type here from the comfort of my office chair, my office is at home and I rarely need to venture into NYC thanks to technology. My office material comes from Amazon.com and my calls are handled over a VOIP platform. All driven by the web.

Knowledge management is a similar area you’ve probably never paid attention to. Maybe you haven’t heard about it yet, but knowledge management is already affecting how you live and work.

How to Care For Workplace Culture Through Its Awkward Teen Years

By gothamCulture

Published at April 25, 2017July 11, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Growth, Leadership, Org Culture, Startups

care for workplace culture through its awkward teen years

Building a business is like raising a child. We see them grow up over the years, go through hard times and good, learn from each success and failure, and eventually blossom into something more wonderful than we ever could have imagined.

One of the more challenging stages of the process is a business’ adolescence. It’s no longer a scrappy startup but not yet a full-grown business with established and consistent processes.

Pop The Bubble: Having Conversations that Make Us Think

By gothamCulture

Published at April 20, 2017June 12, 2024 In Category Blog Tags: Employee Engagement, Org Culture

I recently read an article about our individual ignorance (Why We Believe Obvious Untruths) that made me stop and think about the current state of our union. To say that we are living in two Americas is a gross understatement. And for society’s sake, we have to bridge this divide and learn to listen to each other (notice I didn’t say agree with).

How To Create Change When You’re Not In Charge

By gothamCulture

Published at April 12, 2017April 12, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Change Management, Leadership, Org Culture, Talent Management

What does the name Thomas Wilson mean to you?

Probably not much. But over a decade ago, this young man created a groundswell of change in a massive Federal organization that altered thousands of lives for the better; including mine.

How did he do it? And what can we learn from his story about creating large-scale change from the bottom up?

Is Your Organization Ready for a New Performance Management Process?

By gothamCulture

Published at April 6, 2017June 12, 2024 In Category Blog Tags: Org Culture, Process Improvement, Talent Management

If you’ve been in the workforce for at least three years, you have likely had at least one annual performance review (unless of course, you work for a firm that has abandoned the practice). As I began to draft this article, I was curious about what my colleagues had experienced in their annual reviews. Their stories are below:

Are They Employees or Widgets? The Results of People-as-Commodity Cultures

By gothamCulture

Published at April 4, 2017June 12, 2024 In Category Blog Tags: Employee Engagement, Leadership, Org Culture, Talent Management

Newsflash: People aren’t possessions. So why do we insist on treating workers like commodities?

Once upon a time, employees and companies enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship. Workers stayed with one company for their entire careers, taking pride in their output and putting their noses to the grindstone for the sake of the organization. In return, companies offered pension plans, training, development opportunities, and reasonable work hours.

While those days might seem like distant memories, the churn-and-burn mentality of the modern workplace isn’t sustainable.