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Art van Bodegraven

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President, Van Bodegraven Associates

1259 points

Practice Leader, S4 Consulting
Four decades in management consulting; twenty years in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
International experience; recognized industry leader
Track record of success with blue chip clients of all sizes in multiple industries
Focus on business relationships, supply chain strategy and operations, process re-engineering

WEB: http://www.s4consulting.com/

May 18, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 5 other people answered this question at this roundtable

The Status Quo: Defeat Your Biggest Competitor in Marketing and Sales [5/17 @ 1 pm]

Why do you feel most companies/people are stuck in the status quo?

The answer lies in simple human nature, the way many people's brains are wired. Very few are naturally inclined to naturally inclined to go skydiving when the terrain below is unknown.
We feel secure, individually and organizationally, in a comfort zone. We are reluctant to ... more

Status Quo Strategy

May 18, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 4 other people answered this question

What does "organizational behavior" mean to you?

Organizational behavior is organizational culture in action, in all dimensions of the enterprise. It is the reality of the culture, how the organization acts when it is not posturing for the public or the employee base.
The stated culture of an organization and the operational ... more

Human Resources

Organization Development

Organizational Behavior

May 18, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 10 other people answered this question

How and when should a leader encourage positive conflict?

The answer might vary, depending on whether "conflict' is a contest of competing ideas or a personal animosity. The latter is never positive, and requires serious relationship building and development of mutual respect (mutual admiration probably not being a realistic outcome). When severe and intense, ... more

May 15, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 10 other people answered this question

How do you and/or your company define success?

Success and its definition really begin with the mission/vision thing. It is meeting (or exceeding) the goals and aspirations contained therein. It might also be recognized when real-world circumstances mandate mission/vision refinement, and the new targets are met.
In all of this, profit (or economic ... more

General Management

Human Resources

May 14, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 3 other people answered this question

Is a PMP certification relevent to a career in supply chain management?

Of course not. It might be important to a career in project management.
Supply chain managers do need to be proficient in the basics of many skills (or make sure they are surrounded by the right talent). That's a given. But, over-focus onproficiency in mechanical ... more

Information Technology

PMP Certification

May 5, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 11 other people answered this question

Why do employees in an organization often resist changes?

Despite the -1, Belldon is on the mark as usual. Although many of the points raised earlier are empirically true, the real issue is why they are a business reality.
While, all of us can struggle with change and disruption from time to time, and ... more

Human Resources

Change Management

Company Culture

May 3, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 8 other people answered this question

Are liberal arts degrees a waste of time if you want to enter the business world?

Once again, it depends. A BA in 18th-century French Literature will probably not get you into a fast-track career path at GE. Despite the aura of high-level vo-ed surrounding focused courses of study, companies tend to look for specific skill sets and learning exposures as ... more

Human Resources

Career Planning

Liberal Arts Degree

May 1, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 7 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Navigating the Torturous Tension Between IT and the Business When Moving to the Cloud [4/30 @ 1 pm]

Is IT worried that the business side will use the cloud to cut them out of the picture?

Honestly, there are risks that users will try cloud solutions independently if they perceive that IT is not responsive to, or sensitive to, their needs. The IT responsibility becomes one of positioning as guides into the effective use of cloud capabilities to help solve business ... more

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

May 1, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 33 other people answered this question

If you can't give an employee a raise, what are other ways to reward them?

PS: Many of the suggestions offered are seductive, in that they involve one-time event costs rather than longer-term salary increases. But, they are not free, and they might not be as cost-effective as thought when the need to repeat them is considered. more

Human Resources

Employee Engagement

April 23, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 7 other people answered this question

What are some key strategies that you use to build customer loyalty?

Establishing whatever communications and feedback access has not much to do with customer loyalty. Ultimately, customer loyalty derives from the supplier or servive provider over-delivering (without giving away the store) , being consistently reliable, keeping one's word, focusing on making the customer successful, and being ... more

Customer Experience

Customer Loyalty

April 20, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 12 other people answered this question

What are some techniques to manage stress at work?

Recreational drugs and/or spiritous beverages are not good long-term solutions.
Looking for root causes can be useful. If those cannot be modified, mitigated, or eliminated, departing a toxic environment (while possibly risky) could be the right thing to do for quality of life and sound ... more

Human Resources

Employee Health

Stress Management

April 19, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 7 other people answered this question

In your opinion, can one share too much online?

Of course too much can be, and is routinely, shared online. It is a bit like the person at the next table going through the messy details of a divorce, using the outdoor voice, on the mobile phone (whether regarding business or personal items).
Much ... more

Information Sharing

April 18, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 5 other people answered this question at this roundtable

#TChat Radio: Employee Super Powers: Is There an Assessment For That? [2/22 @ 4 pm]

Can we spend too much time assessing rather than just getting on with the job?

The trite phrase of "paralysis by analysis" applies to all manner of assessments. That contrasts with the "ready, fire, aim" approach favored by many.
The secret, as usual, is balance - of having enough discipline to reach a 90% level of understanding, and of having ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Company Culture

Employee Engagement

April 17, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 5 other people answered this question

What does it take to be a leader in the digital era?

The essential attributes of genuine leaders today are the same now as they were last week. A few details have evolved, but leadership is leadership. Knowing business, knowing one's particular business, knowing one's field - those requirements don't change, whether the age is digital or ... more

General Management

Human Resources

April 17, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 15 other people answered this question

What are some tips to making PowerPoint presentations less boring?

Pictures. Embedded videos.
Sentences instead of paragraphs, phrases instead of sentences, key words instead of phrases.
Lots of voice-over with added points & examples.
Changes of pace with flip charts, engaged Q&E, table exercises, conversation
Reinforce key takeaways
Self-deprecating humor
Comfortable confidence in delivery & ... more

April 12, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Finding Fit: Candidate Selection, Rejection & Communication [4/10 @ 4 pm]

How do you create a hiring process that works with your employer brand in mind?

It is not a mechanistic process, for sure. Candidates must display a fit with the resident culture, which is not the same as hiring clones who think, talk, and act alike. It is a matter of determining authentic attitudes, in every (even trivial) interaction during ... more

Human Resources

April 12, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 7 other people answered this question

What are the best practices regarding firms that have implemented tools or initiatives to make processes more efficient?

There are many useful tools and techniques, depending on an individual situation. But, a common denominator for sustained success in process redesign and implementaton is the foresight to invest in building the right cultural foundation. That is, creating a culture that is aligned, change-seeking, and ... more

Information Technology

Business Process

Process Efficiency

April 10, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 5 other people answered this question

What are your opinions on logistics consultants?

Good point. Credentials are not nearly as important as real-world testimony about documented outcomes.
Selection criteria are numerous. When the obvious surface qualifiers have all been met, the real differentiator might be to find a consultant who is much more focused on you, your organization, ... more

Information Technology

Logistics Consulting

April 9, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 6 other people answered this question

In your opinion what is the purpose of business?

Businesses have manifold objectives; without profit, none can be realized. So, given that profit is the first objective, the other sensible responsibilities might be:
- Rewarding shareholders for the risks they have undertaken by investing
- Compensating all elements of management and staff fairly for ... more

Business Ethics

Mission Statement

April 6, 2012

Art van Bodegraven answered this question

What is the single most helpful tip you've been able to implement while blogging to produce awesome content?

Point #1 has a couple of components. One is understanding the larger audience that will be exposed to the possibility of reading the blog; next is knowing , as appropriate, what subset of the larger audience you really want to reach.
#1.5 might be to ... more

Content Creation

April 5, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 2 other people answered this question

Data Mining: Although still in it's infancy what insights are you most excited to gain from this advancement?

You're kidding, right? Data mining has been with us for decades. And, the analytic concepts employed originated centuries ago. The technology community has been working to establish and maintain standards for 15 years or more.
What has changed is the escalating capability of enabling technology ... more

April 3, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 12 other people answered this question

On an employee performance review rating scale of 1-5 (1 - poor, 5 - excellent) should the company remove "5" if no one ever receives that rating?

Keep the 5, shift to a 1-10 scale, use words, wherever, but don't eliminate the top ranking.
Do consider that your managers might be clueless about how and why to rank performance at any level, and educate or replace, as indicated.
Recognize that a normal ... more

Human Resources

Employee Engagement

Employee Performance

Performance Review

April 3, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 5 other people answered this question

Do you think icebreakers are useful?

Taking Greg's point a step forward, always skip the un-necessary if there is no ice to be broken.
When participants in a program, exercise, whatever, have deep negative feelings or semi-permanent bad reactions to unsatisfactory relationships or a history of mutual cultural antipathy, an ice ... more

Human Resources

March 30, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 6 other people answered this question

Do you think employees should decide who gets bonuses? Have you implemented this practice within your organization?

The initial impulses for first responses are "No!" and "Never!". It is not about control ( or command and control), but about a higher order of interests, purposes, and objectives for enterprise management.
That said, it is appropriate and useful to continually take employee input ... more

Human Resources

Company Culture

March 29, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 8 other people answered this question

What three elements should a company focus on when building a good corporate culture?

Values and value delivery; trust, reliability, and competence; total people focus, both customers and associates. Those all act to support the mission/vision and the accomplishment of performance objectives, including shareholder value. more

Human Resources

Corporate Culture

Employee Communications

Employee Engagement

March 27, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 6 other people answered this question

What are the differences between business intelligence and analytics?

There is a hierarchy involved. Data is not information. Information must be derived, through analysis, from data. Information is not intelligence. Intelligence must be derived, through analysis and interpretation, from information.
Only when intelligence has been developed can effective actions be applied, imho. more

Information Technology

March 23, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 13 other people answered this question

Enterprise software users prefer Excel... what can vendors do about that?

And the problem with people using a simple, available, time-tested tool is . . .? And, the incentive to vendors to re-invent the wheel in order to make a battleship as nimble as a speedboat is . . .?
Easy interfaces might be nice, but ... more

Information Technology

Enterprise Software

March 21, 2012

Art van Bodegraven and 8 other people answered this question

What are signs that an IT project may be heading toward disaster?

Johanna is really on-point. Also, the characterization of business projects as IT projects is a bit of a red flag, but is a convenient shorthand when IT components are the business project drivers.
Massive expenditure over a long-ish time frame without clear milestones and deliverables ... more

Enterprise Resource Planning

Following 3 Topics

Enterprise Resource Planning

Supply Chain Management

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