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Why cultural understanding is essential: Part 4
Douglas Magrath EducationIt is important for instructors and staff to understand the various cultures represented in their student populations. Culture might be defined as the ideas, customs, skills, arts and tools that characterize a given group of people in a given period. Culture is an integral part of any communicative language course; culture involves the interaction of words, function and reality. Language and culture are tied together. You can't have one without the other.
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How to avoid the perils of rump sessions
Bob Harris and DaVina Lara Association ManagementA rump session is described as a meeting before or after the larger meeting. In associations, a rump session might occur in the parking lot after the board meeting; a few directors hanging back to rehash what was decided. At other times it is a call between directors to discuss association business. It could be a meetup at lunch or the bar to talk about the upcoming board agenda. Some associations have adopted a policy: "Rump sessions involving the discussion of business matters are to be avoided."
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Board meetings: From pipeline to platform
William D. Pawlucy and Robert C. Harris Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWe’ve all used the term "pipeline." Most often, we use it when the association board asks, "Do we have enough future leaders in the pipeline to sustain our volunteer structure of board and committees?" The leadership pipeline for volunteers include the processes of identification, assessment, training, election or appointment, role fulfillment and succession. The processes must be taken in order to maximize volunteer impact. The pipeline is somewhat rigid. Often it ends with volunteer burnout or a sense of, "I’m out, I’ve done my civic duty."
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What’s trending this time of year? In a word, words
Bob Kowalski MarketingAs a new year starts, you’ve heard about plenty "of-the-years." They must be important. They get so much airtime and are shared ceaselessly on social media, a lot of times by the very brands that are being honored. Besides the newsmakers of the year, a few other off-the-beaten-path declarations make the media rounds. We apparently talk a lot, so much so that we have more than one Word of the Year. Or should that be "words" of the year? At least three dominant sources provide us the Word of the Year, but they don't agree on what it is. For one of them, the Word of the Year is actually "words."
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Credit where credit is due
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementI recently heard an accurate assessment of lazy people: they are always sticking their names on someone else's work. This occurs frequently in numerous situations: the politician's proposed legislation, prominent with his name but written by his unnamed staff. Or, the academic whose name is credited on the front page of the peer-reviewed journals is actually indebted to unnamed underlings who did the bulk of the study. This is really common in work settings where "work" is defined as the result of some committee.
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The new trend in hiring? Collaborative interviews
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAlmost gone, thankfully, are the days of brutal panel interviews with trick questions and ridiculous, no-win scenarios. Instead, questions like: "What animal would you be and why?" are being replaced with thoughtful inquiry, genuine interest and bilateral communication. Welcome to the world of the collaborative interview.
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How to beat the trend of social media detox and boost your marketing power
Lisa Mulcahy MarketingOne of the emerging social media trends of significance is the concept of "detox" — consumers who are unplugging from their social media accounts either partially or entirely. The numbers are significant: a study from Pew Research Center found that 26% of social media users deleted their Facebook smartphone app last year. How can you make sure that even those who detox keep up with your products, services and content online? Be their feel-good exception! Here are some strategies you and your team can employ.
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ADA looks for moonlighting dentists who secretly like to write
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareRemember Hermey, the elf who wanted to be a dentist? It’s safe to say you could easily find that beloved, stop-motion TV classic "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on just about any channel this month. Well, the American Dental Association’s award-winning blog New Dentists Now is looking for a few good...OK, not elves. But writers! Specifically, the New Dentist Now blog is seeking contributors interested in writing about their experiences and insights on the unique challenges facing dentists who graduated from dental school fewer than 10 years ago.
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New study finds 64% of employees trust a robot more than their manager
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWe can probably all agree that it’s great when robots perform those routine, mundane workplace tasks that we hate — because it frees us up to focus on management, leadership, and strategic planning. However, robots may also be encroaching in some of the latter areas as well. And employees might prefer AI-driven management. A report by Oracle and Future Workplace reveals 64% of employees would trust a robot more than their manager, 50% of employees have turned to a robot instead of their manager for advice, and 82% of employees think robots can perform some tasks better than their manager.
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3 winning strategies to hire for diversity of thought in your organization
Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementClients often tell me that they think hiring for diversity of thought is more important than demographic indicators. The problem is that some people use the term "diversity of thought" as a way of not seeking out more people of color and women from different backgrounds. I agree that diversity of thought is essential and, yes, everyone is different. However, if everyone looks the same you won’t get the diversity of experiences and perspectives that result in the kind of diversity of thought that gives rise to breakthrough products and services.
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