optimal distinctiveness

The “New” Crisis of Meaning?

October 4, 2011

Tweet What’s up with the word “new” in the phrase “meaning is the new motivator”? From all corners of the interwebz conversation about ‘business’, I see mention of this idea that meaning at work is something new, something that we have just begun to desire. Seriously. It seems to come as a surprise, or as […]

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Make Distinctiveness Matter by Linking It To Organizational Purpose

June 14, 2011

Tweet Does it really matter if an organization is “distinctive”? When an organization’s distinctiveness (identity) is linked with the organization’s purpose (greater social goal), the organization’s unique qualities provide the unique resources needed to achieve that purpose. Organizational Distinctiveness is more than Positioning Managers often dismiss the concept of organizational “distinctiveness”, thinking that distinctiveness is […]

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Authentic Competitive Distinctiveness — It’s all in the details

May 19, 2011

Tweet There’s a great photo in the New York Times (May 19, 2011) of a whitepaper chart created to manage the Delta-Northwest Merger’s Long and Complex Path. The chart is full of of post-its, probably more than 200 of them. Each post-it reflects a point where the systems and processes of the organizations need to […]

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Their Need or Your Ability: Why does your organization exist?

March 31, 2011

Tweet Why does your organization exist? Was it created to meet the needs of some (external) community, constituency, or market segment? Or, Was it created to employ, utilize and engage your collective abilities? Did your organization emerge because of “who you could be together” or because of what someone else needed some organization to be? […]

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Can an organization be too different?: The Strategic Value of Optimal Distinctiveness

February 18, 2011

Tweet Can an organization be too different? I spend a lot of time with organizations that are trying to strengthen the perception that they are different, so that they can distinguish themselves from their competition. They want their customers to see that they offer something that no other organization can. Because being different is critical […]

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