Operations

Compensation and Benefits leaders are reponsible for aligning the rewarding systems with business strategy purposes while keeping workforce highly motivated along the whole Organization.
C&B Leaders are required to be Complet Professionals with global vision and knowledge.
As companies become global these professionals must demonstrate consensus negotiation skills acting as corporate staff. C&B Divisions are somehow independent from the natural matrix of Human Recources in Global Organizations, where rewarding models need to be designed for diverse geographical areas in which even, different operations may take place.
C&B managers require being close to the upper guidelines prescriptors, to understand the keys for success and to posses the skills to aim rewarding policies according to those finalities. This is one of the reasons why C&B Directors demands plenty of seniority.
Conpensation & Benefits Positions is obviously directly related to Budgeting Constrains and therefore to Finance Department. To properly understand the impact of bonus or variable payments in economical terms is essential.
The Rewarding Plans are concerned with short, middle and long term, so that understanding the expected evolution of the company and the leverage applied in every stage.
C&B leaders not only require analisys skills but also the determiantion and personal gifts to implement the plan in armony.
To establish objectives is not an easy task. Totransmit the merits intended by the company without incurring in conflicts is a hard job. Many companies fail when they incentive departmental or individual performance based on factorX ratio without considering the impact the way in which that guy or department is performing, in his/its collegue or on the company as a whole. However it seems complicated to reward just on corporate results basis maintaing the workforce turned-on.
The Communication of these plans is also a strategic matter. Sometimes they are supported by a Change Management Project or sometimes they claim the participation of Unions and here ruling Law is a preimium asset.
C&B leaders are well recognised inside the Organization. To achieve a Direction in a Global Company use to be necesssary to have worked in the field during 10-15 years with at least the half involved in international affairs. The natural previous step is a Manager in a similar company or a Direction in a smaller one. The next one, is a General Human Resources Direction.
Ii is not common yet to meet Managing Directors promoted from the Human Resources Arena but maybe this trend change some day, maybe as communicating people becomes the best competitive advantage possible…

We have been discussing about “lean” concepts applications in different environments. We have seen its application at sub-processes and processes and we have escalated the concepts to enterprises and systems, that is, networks of enterprises whose linked processes are designed and executed in a way that tend to maximize the value (for all agents),  today and tomorrow,  whilst reducing systematically the waste (no value). We have seen samples like Disney´s Parks or Soccer Stadiums, and we have debated on organization, key issues, etc. We have compared them with Ecosystems.

At the end, scale is just what it is, scale. And if these concepts have been successful for a sub-process, a process, an enterprise, a system…I don’t see why it cannot be a good base for implementing bigger changes as socio-economic systems like regions or countries.

Now is time to plan and act for many environments. Too much time has been lost for those trying to keep status quo but the need of change is here. Other option can be let the chaos in, to destroy and generate, after,  order from the chaos, but it use to be much more painful and  larger in time.

I would like to share a link where some successful cases are described. http://www.scmr.com/article/388563-Achieving_Success_with_Large_Scale_Lean.php

Recipes are relatively simple:

• Find the Customer and focus on the value. (there can be many;  citizens, consumers, investors…)
• Design, develop and adhere to lean operating models (not necessarily a macro one from the beginning but many micro-ones)
• Tightly integrate plan and execution and leverage the success
• Committed to collaboration with partners

jose luis fernandez borrero

He dado una vuelta por un centro comercial en el que ya hay muchas tiendas cerradas y otras liquidando para cerrar. El panorama sigue sin parecer bueno, hubo fuegos artificiales durante las fiestas pero ahora vuelve la realidad…

La pregunta es, cuando se para el consumo ¿Qué retailer está más preparado?

¿El que tiene menores gastos fijos? ¿El que tiene menores costes en productos?

¿El que tiene un mayor componente pull de demanda?

En un entorno tan desolador, ¿interesa librarse del stock a cualquier precio? ¿Qué señales mando a mis proveedores?

Considerando la red de proveedores ¿Qué modelos sufren más? ¿El más integrado? ¿el integrado tipo marca blanca? ¿Los desintegrados que compran y venden de forma discontinua? ¿Cómo se reparten las pérdidas?

¿Qué hacen los proveedores con los excedentes? ¿Tratar de saltarse el canal y llegar al cliente? ¿Buscar clientes alternativos? ¿Puede suponer eso una corrección severa en el sistema, en sus capacidades  y en la configuración de redes?

Los modelos de operaciones parten de una premisa básica, que hay demanda, puede ser continua, variable, etc pero si no hay…¿?

Haiti was a rich nature territory  as Dominican Republic keeps on being , before the greed of its rulers swept all its wonderful resources. Now it´s not more than a desert. During years hate has been the common sense between both neighbours. Haitians and Dominicans have fougth to death with their own hands simply for stepig forward the narrow line which separates them. Now Dominican Republic must forget this enmity assuming that earthquake, if had exploited some miles away, the morgue would have invaded the streets of its villages.

United Nations has recognised the tragedy of Haiti as the worst ever. The coordination of logistics matter never was so complicated. If we perceived some slowness and even some sense of abandon in the way in which the tragedy of Katrina in New Orleans was carried out, these feelings grow by times in the sad case of Haiti. Nowbody understands how is possible that medical support is practicing amputations where they woudn´t be necessary with the availability of  some basic medicines.

We know about the complexity and expensiveness of logistics management in the War Field to make possible the allocation of safe base camps, as well as the ongoing supply of meal and medicines in areas where shoots come from everywhere. So, we ask why, a week after the natural disaster, the  wounded people lack all about necessary to survive. Children walk over the ruins without fate nor destination. Who takes care of them?

This Tragedy requires a great dose of Leadership and everybody is looking at Obama. This should be the time for the Peace Nobel to show its Charisma and Determination facing an unknown tragedy up to day . He must excell in this Hell. He should demonstrate the capacity of his Administration to Coordinate the Operations, regardless the contribution coming from other Governments or Non Proft Organizations.   

Urfortunately the decision took on Friday, by granting temporary protected status to undocumented Haitians to allow the tens of thousands of Haitians expected to qualify to stay in US  and work and send home some money, falls extremely short.

The Reality shows figures of dead human beings up to  50,000 (today the First Minister spoke about more than 100.000 people buried)  and incomprehensibly, all essential services go on totaly knocked out, and the needs are far greater than current resources.

Medical Aids must be the priority as well as Drinking Water. Field Hospitals should be established in different allocations. Doctors and medicines are urgently required in the hell of Haiti.

In this aim, 100 millions of dollars have been promised by Obama to help Operations (the same total figure that United Nations estimated as necessary the first day after the earthquake). Yesterday, a nuclear aircraft carrier with 19 helicopters, a water purification plant, two operating rooms and tons of medical supplies docked at the site of the tragedy. From Baltimore sailed a hospital ship that arrived Thursday,  with 12 operating rooms, can cater for 1,000 patients and today 10.000 soldiers have arrived Haiti multiplying by ten the number of army  resources.

The time runs too fast in Haiti, Coordination sand Order save lives and these should be brougth by Strong Leadership. Today, even more than money, Plannification and Determination are angels for those who are still alive. 

You can read at today´s Businessweek an article regarding big car automakers.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_04/b4164000146966.htm?chan=magazine+channel_top+stories

They say Volkswagen is bent on displacing Toyota as the world’s biggest car company—and it just may succeed..

Some details about figures, market and product strategies and future scenarios are included in the article but what takes my attention is the Lion King´s life cycle.

Saying Toyota is vulnerable and saying is vulnerable in quality, is like when  today when Google looked unbeatable we find out that somebody is pointing  its  Achilles heel in one of  its strengths its ethic:  ”don’t be evil” which makes them leave China and maybe their dominant position…

Article describes it like Toyota is the one suffering negative headlines after a series of embarrassing recalls. Toyota’s CEO—in an act of extreme self-flagellation—has even said his company’s best days may be behind it.

Probably no other company focused in quality or ethics would “self flagellate” like this, but at the end of the day you are what you decide to be. Consequence and coherence to me is understood as a quality..

We  fully live into the era of communications, the real revolution lies in this century. Nothing has boomed over the past decade such as opening opportunities to interact with remote receivers via new common play areas that have led social networks and digital vehicles for knowledge management. What has been called 2.0-environments
The trend has reversed dramatically. If a few years ago, companies tried to retain their competitive advantage jealously hidding their know how as gold treasure, now that battle is lost at entry. Knowledge is almost Public by definition, innovations are more frequent, the life cycles of products are shorter every day, and the companies tend to specialize and collaborate on models of star spectra models, sharing its values and excellence. Companies have had to learn and adapt to this new trend, from an “look inside” culture to another exogamous, becoming exporters and taking advamtage of knowledge communities as the main attraction when both capturing market or seducing talent. The way to manage Empathy has become the symbol of identity and corporate image of companies.
Therefore, it is more necessary than ever to spend the time and energy required to design and implement the Corporate Communication Plan. This may mean, carried out with skill and determination, the best tool for obtaining competitive advantages for a modern Organization.
Communication plans should cover both environments, which in turn must keep a crystalline coherence.
a) The External Plan, where the Organization launches key messages to its stakeholders, with particular attention to their customers and prospects, in many cases also encompassed within what we call Corporate Social Policy. What we do matters every day more people and even more significantly, how we do it. Which philosophy and methodology we follow to guarantee respect for humanity and the environment.
b) The Internal Plan, in what is intended to convey the whole organization of the Company’s strategy is a share from the beginning to all its members and gives them the means to make more fluid cross-functional coordination, harmony and speed the execution of processes and a growing autonomy of decision in each job.
The former is a power of expansion, the latter, of productivity.
An informed customer is an active buyer. A motivated employee is a proactive pulse. Both are essential and communication makes this symbiosis, possible.
It is said that what is not communicated, it does not exist and that where there is no motivation, there will not be performance.

So, how elaborate a Communication Plan?

Any plan must contain:

1 .- Analysis of the Current Situation. Where we are. What are our strengths and our weaknesses. We evaluate their performance in relation to trends in the environment. What are the actions of our competitors.

2 .- Go closer to our audience. Who does not listen, does not communicate. Reveal who is our Target or Targets. What they expect from us. What do they lack. How we can help them.

3 .- Determination of Objectives. What we intend to improve. What do we want to communicate. What is the message.What we want to avoid. How can it be valid or enriching for all of them. Must it be addressed or open distributed?

4 .- Define the Budget. What financial resources we count for. What we hope to return, when?.

5 .- Design our Media Plan. Through what mechanisms will your message public. To do this we must study how to more effectively attract the attention of our target and assess their efforts in economic terms.

6 .- Evaluate the effectiveness of the Plan.

The communicative challenge of today’s businesses pass through enhancing in the most attractive manner possible, their presence on social networking, open systems, pooling their achievements, progress and even unknowns. Transmitting, Sharing.- This is the present and this is the future. So, Go Open!

Europe needs a strong unified position to face global challenges and maintain its positioning as a referent in the world. Otherwise its voice could be underestimated as already happened in Copenhage.
Looking at the future, the Main Objective of the Lisbon Treaty, entered into force past 1 December, is to empower EU International Position providing the Union with a stronger and more unified voice to the rest of the world.
For that propose It combines the functions of a New High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy with the Vice President of the Commission somultabeously. It consolidates as Official the figure of President of the Council beyond the semmianual nations government and It also creates a new External Action Service that seeks to facilitate the performance of this dual mission and provide more practical diplomatic assistance for citizens traveling outside the EU.

Leading the fight against Climate Change, developing an ambitious common Space Policy or ensure the security of Energy Supply, are other fundamental affairs in which the EU intends to excell from this agreement.

Operational Cooperation, Solidarity and Exterior Unified Representativeness are the leverage to achieve.
In this sense, State Members will be organised to work together in the prevention and protection from disasters both natural and manmade.
A new chapter is specifically devoted to energy in defining the core competencies and overall objectives of a common energy policy: the functioning of markets, supply security, efficiency and savings, development of renewables and European field networking. For the first time, there is a written principle whereby if a member country faces serious problems of energy supply, the others will help to source it.
The Treaty tries to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion in the Union.In fact, the principle of territorial cohesion is first time included among the objectives of the EU. It highligths the role of regions and the new definition of the principle of subsidiarity by which the EU will act only where results can improve those reached in the Member States, referring to local and regional levels.
In the Commercial Field, It extends the European trade policy to foreign direct investment. The instruments of intellectual property – trademarks, designs, patents, copyrights – are considered essential to promote innovation, growth and common competitiveness. So, the Treaty of Lisbon establishes and provides uniform protection throughout the entire Union.

In the Development Support to unfauvored countries, the Lisbon Treaty establishes for the first time an independent legal basis for humanitarian aid, emphasizing its specificity and application of international humanitarian law principles such as impartiality and non-discrimination.

It explecetily states that the reduction and eradication of poverty are the main objective of the policy of the Union in the field of development cooperation. The Union must take this into account when implementing policies that could affect developing countries.
This policy honestly requires that development cooperation had its own entity avoiding not to be a mere supplement to the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Will the State Members acquire with Determination all these principles to strongly provide a common rights field and a finally project an unique loud voice to the rest of the world?
Is time to take decisions together before nervously reacting apart facing natural, social or economic breachs? Hopefully it was the closure of the never ending cycle opened in Rome in 1954. Hopefully Europe becomes, at last,an undisputed reality.

Hablamos de la tienda física o virtual en el sentido que puede ser tienda online.

De Wiki:

Es la forma o el canal mediante el cual el usuario (cliente) interactúa con el sistema (la tienda y la empresa)

 “El principal objetivo de una interfaz de usuario es que éste se pueda comunicar a través de ella con algún tipo de dispositivo y protocolo, conseguida esta comunicación, el segundo objetivo que se debería perseguir es el de que dicha comunicación se pueda desarrollar de la forma más fácil y cómoda posible para el usuario, sin embargo, las interfaces no siempre son intuitivas.

El diseño de la interfaz es crítico para el manejo del equipo, hay algunas muy bien diseñadas que incorporan controles intuitivos y de fácil manejo, en cambio existen otras que no se entienden bien y el usuario no acierta a manejarlas correctamente sin estudiar un manual o recibir formación del experto”

También en  Wiki, las clasifican de varias formas:

       Según la forma de interactuar con el usuario.

       Según su construcción

Una que me ha llamado la atención por su novedad y potencial es la interfaz de usuario cinética, en función del movimiento del cliente…

Me parece una aproximación interesante, por otra parte es importante notar que el sistema reacciona en función de la información y comandos enviados desde el usuario.

¿Tiene que ver esto con vuestras tiendas y vuestras empresas?

Esta noche ponemos fin, no sólo a un año muy duro para muchas personas que han visto cómo se quedaban sin empleo o se veían obligados a cerrar sus empresas, en muchos casos resultado del esfuerzo de media vida, sino que además, cerramos la primera década de aquel siempre futurible Siglo XXI.
Una década, trazada a groso con rotundidad, por el atentado de Al Qaeda a las Torres Gemelas cuyos ecos regresaron con estruendo en las tragedias de Madrid y Londres.

Una decada, cuyo ritmo ha bailado al arrítmico son, del más dusoso gobernante que se recuerda al frente de una democracia, George W. Bush, quién entendió que sus manos de plomo podían extenderse sin atender a las reglas del juego común. Decidió la invasión de Irak, mancillando la Soberanía de Naciones Unidas, causando la muerte de milies de inocentes, acción repetida ya sobre Afganistán, con el único objetivo declarado de atrapar a una sóla persona. Se proclamo de entrada país no sujeto, al arbitrio del Tribunal Penal Internacional y rompió sin escrúpulos la baraja del protocolo de Kioto. Nunca durante la época de gobierno de una estadista y desde los últimos 50 años, se había acumulado tanto odio sobre un mismo país por su acción behemente. Jamás habíamos sentido tanta impotencia por corregir un guión tan predecible como aterrador.
Sí, creo positivo,el surgir de un nuevo equilibrio sistémico, que rompe con vigor el pasado bipolar americano-soviético de los 80 y americano-europeísta de los 90, dando entrada  a nuevos contrapesos.  Por encima de todos China, seguidos de la India, Sureste Asiático y Brasil, buque insignia de un nuevo futuro prometedor para Latino América. Ahora la mesa, tiene más de dos patas.
Europa navega hoy, en escenario incierto, pendiente siempre de consolidar su verdadera voluntad de cohesión, cuya imagen pretende proyectar con mayor intensidad después de su nueva reestructuración jerárquica con el nombramiento de un Alto Mandatario y Un Alto representante de Política exterior. Conscientes de que sólo así podrán mantenerse como un sólido referente global. Y Rusia, fuera de plano. Quizás de modo intencionado.
No será esta década recordada por la creatividad ni esquisitez de grandes autores u obras, ni en el campo cinematográfico, ni en el musical ni en el literario, ni siquiera en el del management, quizás también por carecer de ese sabor añejo que siempre concede el paso del tiempo.
El deporte, siempre al rescate de la indefinición, en su continua fidelidad a la superación, nos deja nombres propios y logros demoledores en su práctica. Bolt, Federer, Rossi, Loeb, Tiger, Zidane, Kobe, Phels, Nadal, Ronaldinho, Alonso o Pau, de quién al comenzar la década se debatía  su capacida de triunfar al otro lado del Atalantis. Nuestro querido Andrés Montes sólo cuestionaba en público cuánto tardaría en ser All Star. Van 3. El tiempo y el mismo Pau le dieron la razón. Gracias Andrés, por todo.

Una década en la que la economía expolotó de gula, se quemó en sus propias leñas. Abriendo el  debate teórico económico-político sobre la solidez del módelo capitalista frente a los sistemas volcados en gasto público. Friedman y Samuelson. Testigos de todo un siglo y referentes para siempre de dos polos conceptuales. 
Queda así como principal novedad de esta década las excelencias de la tecnología 3G y la revolución comunicativa que han supuesto las Redes Sociales. Un fenómeno que determinará con toda seguridad el modo en que personas y empresas colaborarán aún, con más determinación, en el futuro. A través de una mayor autonomía profesional y la capacidad para articular las Organizaciones al trabajo por proyectos. El reto será saber orquestar conociemiento. La habilidad por coordinar entes y entidades en pro de la consecución de objetivos comunes.
Y por qué no, la esperanza, para muchos ingenua,depositada en dirigentes como Obama o Lula para que, con su personalidad y saber hacer, abran una nueva vía de cooperación y concordia internacional. Que así sea.
Feliz año 2010 y próspera segunda década.

More shadows than lights in Copenhagen. The outcome of the summit of global warming was triggered a week especially cold in the Danish capital. Many are left with the same feeling once frost is given by the session closed without reaching binding agreements  in the reduction of CO2 emissions. Obama’s words “There is no time to talk. It is time to act” have been left alone in that, words. Boycott from Bolivar Group (Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua) to the final text has served as an oxigen ball for the Chinese Government, the most pressed of all of them and certainly that has deployed a more defensive strategy. The presence of more than 300 members belonging to the Chinese expedition in Copenhagen is a reflection of the fears with which Beijing went to the appointment. No movement could escape his control.The multitude and diversity of countries invited to the event, perceive that the key elements of the final text were exclusively agreed in a private meeting between the presidents of U.S. states, China, Brazil and India. The European Union was not invited to the nucleus negotiation. Probably for being erected as the champion for ambitious objectives, the biggest polluters prefered to sit without it. Perhaps it can be said also that how Kinssinger never know who picks up the phone in Europe, the eternal dilemma, even although we released the European High Representative.
It is not all bad omens in Copenhagen. The convening power of appointment has been expectacular. 187 countries represented by their Presidents. Nothing to do with Kyoto, led by a vice president like Gore and surrounded only by ministers in the best cases, a much smaller group of countries. For the first time, all countries regardless of their level of development had a say in a summit on climate change. It clearly denotes the feeling of the governments of a considerable social pressure in regard to this matter.
Therefore, not all leftovers in Copenhagen. First, the first signature of senior leaders from a text that could be the best prologue to the milestones that may actually materialize in Mexico 2010. On the other hand, the creation of an annual donation of 30,000 million by the richer countries to poorer countries identified as main victims of climate change. Finally, a major development, the creation of a fund of 100,000 million dollars which will go to those countries that reduce deforestation. The mechanism, known as REDD responds to the urgent need for urgent measures towards curbing deforestation currently endured fierce our tropics.
At this point,
What conclusions from these negotiations?
Is it an important step despite its non-binding or just a new page passed?
What you believe to be Europe’s role in the international arena in 10/20 years?

Thanks.