management
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Why We Should Get Rid of Bonus-Based Pay There are several problems with basing a knowledge worker's pay on a bonus. In a team-based organization, management often doesn't know who did exactly what work; people concentrate on their own objectives rather than working together; and whether some targets are hit depends on too many factors. |
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The Benefits of Making Deliberate Mistakes Sometimes a mistake is exactly what’s needed to make progress. You require not just a mistake—but a deliberate mistake. Even if you don’t get what you really wanted or hoped for, you’ll probably learn something useful that will help you along your path. Read on to learn how to make good mistakes! |
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Overwhelmed at Work? How to Recognize and Avoid Secondhand Stress Secondhand stress is the stress that someone else experiences that becomes your own when you interact with that person. Frazzled colleagues, an uptight boss, and anxious coworkers are typical sources of stress that can pass to you. Read on for ways to avoid and defuse these stressful situations. |
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The Power Index: Why a Transition to Agile Is a Cultural Issue, Too In countries with high power indices, it’s more difficult for people in less powerful positions to talk to people in more powerful positions. A transition to agile exposes this power differential, which can be uncomfortable or intimidating. Read on for ways you can help people adopt agile practices. |
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Cancel or Save a Troubled Project: How to Decide If your project is going nowhere—or if it’s going somewhere, but it's rapidly downhill—sometimes there’s no choice but to scrap it. Of course, that’s easier said than done because the issue of sunk costs often kicks in. How do you assess whether the benefits will still outweigh the investment? |
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Four Truths Every Manager Should Learn Many managers seem to be in the wrong position. They don’t know or don’t care about management, and that leads them to do crazy things. It’s OK to be an unseasoned manager. Everyone starts somewhere. But you must be willing to ask for help and not think you have all the answers. Read on for advice. |
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The Subtle Issue of Dishonesty in the Workplace Dishonesty in the workplace sounds like a straightforward topic. But the line between honesty and dishonesty—and what makes any of us honest or dishonest—is sometimes a little blurry. What about taking a pen from the supply cabinet? Is that dishonest (and, if so, might you yourself be a thief)? |
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Have You Become Complacent at Work? Complacency refers to a feeling of satisfaction with the way things are, accompanied by a lack of awareness of potential or actual problems or dangers. Complacency signifies a missing spark. You can’t simply make it go away. Instead, you have to replace it with something equally powerful. |