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Raising SME Manager Skills
Written by John Berry on 1st May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
Management is a science. Few managers – accidental or otherwise - would dispute that claim as they struggle to motivate their staff. Management is non-obvious and must be learned. Here's a discussion about approaches.
Industrial Strategy Boosting Technical Skills
Written by John Berry on 1st May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
4 min read
Theresa May has announced that the UK is going to counteract the effects of Brexit by launching an industrial strategy. This strategy is to contain a ‘shake up’ of technical education. But what technical education do we need?
On Business Restructuring
Written by John Berry on 3rd May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
7 min read
Business restructuring is the catch-all phrase used to describe the series of actions that a firm or other organisation might take to re-organise its affairs following some management decision to change the course of the business. This article discusses how to go about an incremental business restructure.
The Importance of Employee Commitment
Written by John Berry on 4th May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
1 min read
Managers often crave staff engagement. But commitment is a lot more straight forward and potential much easier to use.
This video contrasts employee engagement and commitment, arguing that commitment is fundamental to management. It goes on to suggest that commitment can be achieved though managers giving development opportunities to staff.
Up-skilling the firm to match change in customer needs
Written by John Berry on 20th November 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
The firm had been offering modelling of telecommunications systems. It had the necessary software tools. and a well-trained, experienced workforce. But the market was changing. New questions needed huge additional skills – skills in building massively more complex methods. Here's how those skills were achieved.
So, what jobs to recruit to next?
Written by John Berry on 10th January 2018. Revised 25th March 2020.
6 min read
So what jobs to recruit to next? Increasing staff numbers is a scary prospect. No manager wants to get it wrong. You can't guess. You've no precedent. You can't ask a friend because all firms are different. You must model the company and evaluate each option for its effect on the company and it's KPIs. And it becomes all the more difficult when considering indirect roles like sales people, marketers and other support staff. They could drive the firm to light speed. It's always a tough call.
