Statius Management Raising Standards http://www.statius.co.uk/atom/feed 2010-10-25T12:05:05+01:00 Welcome to Dragon Slaying http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/welcome-dragon-slaying 2011-10-21T16:25:59+01:00 2012-01-26T10:01:39+00:00 admin

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Dragon Slaying is Mark Woods’ long awaited book which introduces a practical theory of management based on both the need to understand the ‘trade-offs’ necessary to attain optimum performance and four fundamental principles, arguably irrefutable laws, of management:

 •    Understanding an organisation as a network of connected parts

 •    Understanding people and why they behave as they do

 •    Understanding variation; a real understanding of the key performance indicators and their predictive abilities

 •    Understanding how an organisation learns and improves

These four principles are inextricably interlinked and, as in any system, the strength of the whole rests not in the strength of the individual principles but in the strength of the relationships and the interactions between them.  

Mark is a practitioner so the book is practical, easy to read and packed with examples that explode a number of management myths.  The benefits in adopting the philosophy, ideas and approach set out in Dragon Slaying are:

•    You will have a clear and concise understanding of how your organisation adds and delivers value to clients, customers or stakeholders and of your key interactions necessary to do so

•    You will have directly aligned your people’s efforts to how the organisation adds value    

•    Your organisation will have more tolerance/compassion and less stress, and your people will make better decisions as measurement systems are used to predict future performance

•    Your people will be able to demonstrate that a change has resulted in a real improvement  

•    You will develop an organisation in which everyone’s efforts result in:

  • Improved performance
  • Less stress
  • Improved profit

The book is practical, easy to read and packed with examples that explode a number of management myths.  The benefits in adopting the philosophy, ideas and approach set out in Dragon Slaying are:

•    Better strategies;

•    Better systems;

•    Better measurement; and

•    Engaged people delivering better results

 

Dragon Slaying can be ordered on-line by following the links below

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

Mark is already planning the second edition which will include separate chapters with detailed organisation by organisation case studies.  So, as it says in the book, “don’t just be a passive reader, engage with us and become part of the story” and one of the case studies in the second edition could be yours.

Mark can be contacted on 07976 426 286 or, by email, at mwoods@statius.uk.com

 

 

 

 

]]> The Change and Continuity Conundrum http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/the-change-and-continuity-conundrum 2011-05-18T00:00:00+01:00 2011-05-27T14:31:30+01:00 admin The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) recently surveyed over 650 organisations worldwide and found that, whilst 75% had implemented major strategic change programmes, 84% of these projects had be

]]> The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) recently surveyed over 650 organisations worldwide and found that, whilst 75% had implemented major strategic change programmes, 84% of these projects had been implemented without considering business continuity.

Rather worryingly, these major change programmes included mergers, acquisitions, reorganisations, outsourcing of key processes and the introduction of new products – many of which were undertaken without any kind of thinking being applied to the ongoing resilience of the business.

Mark Woods, MD of Statius, commented “In business there are some risks you have to take but many of these risks are those can easily be accounted for and mitigated against.  The survey depicts a worrying and cavalier approach to major change; in these straightened times organisations may well be exposing themselves to more risks than they need to.”.

If you need to know more about change management or business continuity management, please call us on 020 8460 3345.

 

]]> Value customers - Value customer service http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/value-customers-value-customer-service 2011-04-28T00:00:00+01:00 2011-05-27T14:24:43+01:00 admin The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) has undertaken its first comprehensive research exercise examining the return on investment from customer service.  When asked which activities were mos

]]> The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) has undertaken its first comprehensive research exercise examining the return on investment from customer service.  When asked which activities were most likely to lead to the highest returns, eighty per cent of respondents said “gaining an understanding of the customer’s point of view”.  Seventy-four per cent also said that gathering and acting on customer feedback would also prove effective.

Statius’ managing director, Mark Woods, commented “This research fully endorses our change management approach as, in all instances, our first action is to establish an organisation’s “purpose”, that is, the benefits and capabilities that the organisation delivers to its customers – from the customer’s point of view; essentially, what the customers really value.  Everything stems from there.”  As an example, Mark went on to explain that Blockbuster Video rented videos.  Their “purpose” could probably be articulated as something like providing entertainment and education for people in their own homes.  But what they did was rent videos and DVDs.  They are no longer with us!  They focused on what they did, not on the benefits and capabilities they should have been delivering; their purpose.

A one page case study of how we helped Serco Docklands, who manage the Docklands Light Railway, get closer to their customers is available in the download section of our web site.

 

If you would like to learn more about how Statius could help you understand your customers, your purpose or how to gather better data from customers, please call Mark Woods on 020 8460 3345 or 07976 426 286 or email him on mwoods@statius.uk.com.

]]> Corporate Manslaughter Conviction http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/corporate-manslaughter-conviction 2011-04-07T00:00:00+01:00 2011-06-09T10:44:15+01:00 admin The first conviction under corporate manslaughter legislation intr

]]> The first conviction under corporate manslaughter legislation introduced in 2007 has now been made.

A geologist died when taking soil samples in a 12ft deep unsupported pit which caved in.  Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings were fined £385,000 and Mr Justice Field, the judge, told the court that the fine reflected the seriousness of the offence and would act as a deterrent for other companies who do not adhere to health and safety legislation.

At Statius we pride ourselves on professional and practical health and safety advice.  If you are in any doubt about the safety and welfare of your people or of those affected by your activities, please call us on 020 8460 3345.

 

]]> Hack Attack http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/hack-attack 2011-03-17T00:00:00+00:00 2011-05-23T11:32:51+01:00 admin The recent Sony hack attack has shown how vulnerable our increasing love affair with the online world had made us.

]]> The recent Sony hack attack has shown how vulnerable our increasing love affair with the online world had made us.  The explosion of information technology means that organisations are now exposed to completely new areas of risk that didn’t exist a generation ago. 

 
As a result, the subject of information security has percolated to the top of the management agenda for a number of reasons:
 
  • The loss of some very high profile data
  • Virus attacks
  • Computer hackers
 
We are all now very aware of the threats arising from mismanaging information security. Protecting information security is about how an organisation maintains:
 
  • the confidentiality of its information (C);
  • the integrity of its information (I); and
  • the availability of its information (A).
 
However, whilst there is a high information technology component to these issues, information security management systems also need to attend to the more old fashioned risks associated with issues like human error, staff security and, in some cases, even industrial espionage.
 
If you would like to learn more about how Statius could help you with your information security, business continuity or disaster recovery processes, please call us on 020 8460 3345.

 

]]> Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/corporate-social-responsibility-0 2011-03-01T00:00:00+00:00 2011-06-09T10:33:08+01:00 admin The new ISO 26000 standard, Guidance on Social Responsibility, was published late last year and gives guidanc

]]> The new ISO 26000 standard, Guidance on Social Responsibility, was published late last year and gives guidance on the underlying principles of the, often confusing, area of social responsibility. 

The aim of the standard is to help organisations integrate socially responsible practices into existing strategies, systems and processes.  The framework includes seven key areas. 

• Human rights
• Labour practices
• The environment
• Fair operating practices
• Consumer issues
• Community involvement and development
• Organisational governance

By using the framework to review the way in which an organisation behaves, the ISO 26000 Standard assesses to what extent an organisation transparently and ethically:

• takes into account the needs and expectations of customers and stakeholders;
• contributes to sustainable development;
• is compliant with applicable laws and consistent with international norms; and
• integrates and implements these behaviours throughout the organisation.

If you would like to learn more about how Statius could help you with your corporate social responsibility requirements, please call us on 020 8460 3345.
 

]]> Environmental targets achievable http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/environmental-targets-achievable 2011-02-22T15:43:27+00:00 2011-02-22T16:04:12+00:00 admin The UK can meet its environmental target to cut greenhouse emissions by 60% over the next 20 years, the Committee on Climate Change reports.  However, this will mean completely overhauling the

]]> The UK can meet its environmental target to cut greenhouse emissions by 60% over the next 20 years, the Committee on Climate Change reports.  However, this will mean completely overhauling the energy sector, with an annual investment of £16bn in the 2020s, and replacing 11 million petrol cars with electric or hybrid equivalents.

The committee chair, Lord Adair Turner, said “The case for action is as strong as ever: climate change science remains robust and suggests there are very significant risks if we do not cut emissions.  And countries acting now will gain economic benefits in an increasingly carbon constrained world.”

The full report can be downloaded at www.theccc.org.uk.   Alternatively, if you want to improve your environmental performance, please call our managing director, Mark Woods, to see how we may be able to help.  Mark is available on 07976 426 286 or mwoods@statius.uk.com.

 

 

]]> ISO 9001: One Million http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/iso-9001-one-million 2011-01-10T00:00:00+00:00 2011-06-09T10:47:52+01:00 admin Across the World, over one million ISO 9001 certificates have now been awarded according to the late

]]> Across the World, over one million ISO 9001 certificates have now been awarded according to the latest figures from the International Standards Organisation.  The survey, published in October 2010, reveals that there were 1,064,785 certificates, an increase of about 80,000 on the previous year, and that certificates are now held in 178 different countries.

The survey also reveals sharp increases, almost 70%, in the food safety standard, ISO 22000, and a 40% increase in registrations to the information security standard IEC/ISO 27001.

If you are interested in registering to any of these prestigious standards, or any others, please call Mark Woods on 07976 426 286 or email him on mwoods@statius.uk.com.

 

 

]]> PQQ efficiency drive http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/pqq-efficiency-drive 2010-12-16T13:10:59+00:00 2011-02-22T16:29:31+00:00 admin Suppliers and sub contractors throughout the construction supply chain have, for a long time, had to complete a vast number of different PQQ forms from an ever increasing number of different bodies

]]> Suppliers and sub contractors throughout the construction supply chain have, for a long time, had to complete a vast number of different PQQ forms from an ever increasing number of different bodies, for instance:

•    Achilles

•    CHAS

•    Construction Line

•    Exor

•    Safe contractor

•    SIPP

•    And many others

It has long been suggested that this leads to considerable unnecessary and duplicated effort which costs time and money:

•    Buyers, and their assessment providers, have to read and evaluate the responses

•    Suppliers have to complete a number of similar, but subtly different, PQQs.

This approach is clearly hugely inefficient for all of the parties involved, the unnecessary bureaucracy diverting both buyers’ and suppliers’ resources and attention away from proportionate and effective risk management.

PAS 91 has been developed in order to, hopefully, simplify this plethora of pre-qualification questionnaire schemes currently available.

The cost to construction

Some of the key bodies in the construction sector have attempted to quantify the cost of this bureaucracy.

The Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group surveyed member from a range of sectors - plumbing and heating, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and lifts - and found that most companies belonged to an average of 2.3 schemes in a year but, for some, this increased to up to 20 schemes.   The level of subscriptions varied between under £200 up to many thousand pounds, the average being £1,500.  Consequently, they concluded that “just” the subscriptions for their members were of the order of £10 million.  The costs associated with the administrative burden averaged £4,000 per company.  Consequently, they estimated the total expenditure to be in the region of £28 million for the whole membership.

In a similar exercise, the National Specialist Constructors Council (NSCC), who have 29 member organisations representing over 7000 SMEs in the construction sector, reported some of their members completing over 100 prequalification questionnaires (PQQs) per year, each requesting essentially the same information.  They estimated that, every year, 5,000 contractors collect information on 180,000 sub-contractors and suppliers using more than two million paper questionnaires at a cost to the industry of £250 million. Their comment was “this is bad for business and the construction industry as a whole and NSCC fully supports setting a standard for prequalification”.

Purpose

BSI/PAS 91 is a publicly available specification that sets out the nature, content and format of a set of questions on core criteria essential to prequalification for construction tendering.  Its purpose is:

•    To bring a consistency to the scope and nature of essential pre-qualification questions;

•    To enhance the effectiveness for both the purchaser and the supplier of the construction tendering process (eliminating bureaucracy and duplication);

•    To increase the scope for recognition between various types of PQQ schemes.

It is, however, realised that the questions contained within the PAS may well be subject to further change over time.

Mark Woods, Managing Director of Statius, commented “we have been working with a couple of companies to assist them meet the PAS 91 PQQ requirements and, if this does come off and does get recognised across the sector, it will result in a major reduction in the effort contractors have to invest in the PQQ process”.

 

]]> We need a change in management thinking http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/we-need-a-change-management-thinking 2010-11-25T10:45:44+00:00 2010-11-30T12:14:04+00:00 admin One of our Associates, Stuart Swalwell, recently spent some time in Los Angeles with Bill Bellows, Associate Fellow at Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne and Leader of Enterprise Thinking, and is now dra

]]> One of our Associates, Stuart Swalwell, recently spent some time in Los Angeles with Bill Bellows, Associate Fellow at Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne and Leader of Enterprise Thinking, and is now drafting a paper outlining the differences between the Statius product, Optimisation 3D™, and Six Sigma.  In a sentence, Six Sigma is a set of tools and techniques that concentrate on meeting specifications whilst Optimisation 3D™ focuses on the continuous improvement of the organisation as a whole so that customers remain delighted by the products or services they receive.  It is hoped the final paper will be published towards the end of the year.

A number of complementary sister papers detailing Statius thinking are also in the final draft stage and, once agreed, they will all appear on a new section of the web site under the banner "Management Matters: Briefing Papers".

If you would like advanced final draft copies on the following subjects, please feel free to contact us on 020 8460 3345 or email Mark Woods at mwoods@statius.uk.com.

  • Call centre management
  • Housing repairs
  • Lean construction
  • Performance appraisal: management curse or cure?
  • Targets: management curse or cure?
     

 

]]> A virtuous health and safety circle? http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/a-virtuous-health-and-safety-circle 2010-11-22T11:26:19+00:00 2010-11-22T11:30:10+00:00 admin We all want our staff and workforce to go home safety to their loved ones at night and it does appear there is evidence that we are getting better at it.  In a recent article for Safety Manage

]]> We all want our staff and workforce to go home safety to their loved ones at night and it does appear there is evidence that we are getting better at it.  In a recent article for Safety Management, Mark Tyler, a partner in the legal practice Shook, Hardy and Bacon, wrote “we often hear the complaint that health and safety fines are too low, but little is heard about HSE prosecutions dropping by half over the last decade, to around 1,000 a year".

Obviously, there are many reasons for the number of prosecutions falling and Mark Tyler does go on to point out that “rationing prosecutions sacrifices fairness”.  He then goes on to argue that, in these days of budget cuts, administrative fines, as used in both the US and parts of Europe, might be a better way of managing the system for the following reasons.

  •  They offer streamlined investigations as the investigator is focused on the reasons (root causes) of contraventions
  • It is faster as there are fewer players involved in the process
  • There is an incentive to admit breaches as the case will be diverted from the criminal courts and the associated disproportionate legal costs
  • Legislators can set out, in advance, criteria for realistic levels of fines

Finally, he goes on to suggest that, if such a process were adopted, the fines imposed could be ring fenced to the HSE and be used to fund inspection and investigation.  He ends with “in these straitened times, is it such a bad thing that offenders have to bear a greater share of the costs of enforcement?". 

A virtuous health and safety circle?  Certainly food for thought.

 

 

]]> Corporate social responsibility http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/corporate-social-responsibility 2010-11-16T00:00:00+00:00 2010-11-22T11:19:53+00:00 admin ISO 26000, the guidance standard for corporate social responsibility, has now been approved.  The standard includes various definitions useful to CSR, and the issues that need to be addressed

]]> ISO 26000, the guidance standard for corporate social responsibility, has now been approved.  The standard includes various definitions useful to CSR, and the issues that need to be addressed when implementing a CSR system.  It also provides guidance on how to integrate CSR with other standards and how to deploy the thinking throughout an organisation.  The final publication date was set as November 1st.

 

]]> Business continuity http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/business-continuity 2010-10-25T12:38:23+01:00 2010-10-25T12:38:23+01:00 admin In view of the success of the business continuity standard BS 25999, the BSi is currently expanding the guidance documentation relating to the key subject areas in the standard.  The new docum

]]> In view of the success of the business continuity standard BS 25999, the BSi is currently expanding the guidance documentation relating to the key subject areas in the standard.  The new documents include guidance on developing human resource policies following an incident (PD 25111) and the development and implementation of business recovery practices (PD 25888).

]]> Association of Interior Specialists Integrated Management Standard (AIMS) http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/association-interior-specialists-integrated-management-standard-aims 2010-10-25T11:47:13+01:00 2010-10-25T12:26:06+01:00 admin The Association of Interior Specialists has recently launched a very impressive document detailing an integrated management standard for the secto

]]> The Association of Interior Specialists has recently launched a very impressive document detailing an integrated management standard for the sector.

The standard is specifically tailored to different sized firms and includes ideas and recommendations on effectively managing different activities within a business, for instance, business planning, financial control, employee development, health safety and welfare, the environment, quality, and project management.

Statius has a history of working with companies in the interior fit-out sector: Chorus, Meronden, Orostream, Spectrum Projects and many others spring to mind.  On reviewing the standard, Mark Woods, MD of Statius, commented “This is brilliant, I wish we’d written it!  It really is an excellent document that can be used to help interiors companies to focus on their customers' needs and deliver real value.".

If you would like any help implementing the standard, please call Mark on 07976 426 286 or email him on mwoods@statius.uk.com.

 

 

]]> Environmental seminars http://www.statius.co.uk/stories/environmental-seminars 2010-10-08T00:00:00+01:00 2010-10-25T12:05:05+01:00 admin Business Focus at Bromley College has won a number of contracts to build capacity within the south London region.  As part of these contracts, there is a requirement to improve the way in whic

]]> Business Focus at Bromley College has won a number of contracts to build capacity within the south London region.  As part of these contracts, there is a requirement to improve the way in which companies manage their impact on the environment and Statius has been chosen to deliver a suite of seminars.

The seminars are free as they are funded by the European Development fund and managed by the Solutions for Business programme.  There will be three sets of seminars, two being held at Bromley College and another to be held in Sutton at a venue yet to be determined.

For more information call Mike Ellis on 020 8295 7000.

 

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