• “THE BIGGEST SINGLE DRIVER OF ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH INVOLVES SETTING EMPLOYEE GOALS” which clarify their role and motivate commitment which elevates their performance. DCG experience is that the most effective tactics in setting employee goals involve: (1) Linking them to the company’s strategic goals, objectives & priorities, which let workers see how they “fit into the big picture, encouraging accountability as they grasp the direct impact of their performance; (2) Jointly developing both short & long-term goals that are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Results-oriented & Time-bound – which allow employees a sense of accomplishment and serve as a motivator for ongoing development; and (3) Correlating individual goals directly with a formalized Performance Evaluation & compensation process. DCG have decades of expertise in this area and Q1 is an optimal time to implement. We can help. [McKINSEY – 1/19/20]
  • ‘BRAINSTORMING’IS A PROCESS WIDELY ACCEPTED, involving “positivity, openness, and building on others’ ideas to promote team cohesion and trust.” But four of every five creative professionals believe that the process is “largely unhelpful for solving a challenge and shaping ideas in the first place,” according to a WeTransfer study of some 20,000 creatives from nearly 200 countries, since brainstorm sessions don’t allow “a chance to prepare and form their thoughts.” 80% of those surveyed say they prefer to “trust their own instincts and research when evaluating an idea, with solitude and time spent far from the distractions of others.” The survey suggests that “dutiful meetings are a primary creativity killer and that brainstorming is a giant waste of time.”
  • 5G WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IS RAPIDLY MOVING FORWARD TO INCREASE DATA SPEEDS BY 100 TIMES, “boosting the potential of automated cars & factories, helping realize the promise of the Internet of Things… But the increased high-energy intensity transmission process has sparked health concerns from activists critical of risks for cancer, infertility and other serious ailments.” While preliminary research from U.S. Nat’l Toxicology Program found that “very high levels of electromagnetic radiation developed tumors in rats,” and action by some European governments are now limiting high energy levels and/or requiring site distances from homes, both FDA and a WHO Commission believe “there’s no reason to be concerned,” and the FCC, which “sees 5G as a national priority, has streamlined antenna approval processes.” Expect to hear more from activists as antennas arise in American neighborhoods.  [BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK – 1/25/20]
  • THE PARAMETERS OF PRIVACY PROTECTION ARE FAST LOSING GROUND. Newest A.I. software can compare any photo taken with a database of over 3 billion pictures, approaching five times the size of FBI’s photo database from passport & driver licenses. No federal laws for facial recognition technology yet exist, although a few cities (including San Francisco) have banned its use for law enforcement, but concern, as with much artificial intelligence applications, is that “its very power also makes it ripe for abuse,” with anyone snapping a photo able to find name & info. [CNET.COM – 1/21/20]
  • AMERICA IS EXPERIENCING A DRIFT TOWARD ‘MILLENNIAL SOCIALISM’ for many reasons, bizarre political infighting being just one. More relevant is likely the inadequate supply and cost of housing. Latest stats suggest that millennials averaging age 31 currently own around only 4% of real estate, versus over a third in 1990, a result predominantly of regulations which limit development and of low interest rates which have led to a surge in prices. Since this impact “makes it hard for workers to move to where the most productive jobs are, housing markets are perceived as not only inefficient but also as deeply unfair… with a generation of young people who think capitalism has let them down,” and no end in sight beyond dramatic – ‘socialistic’ – restructure. [ECONOMIST – 1/18/20]
  • MEANWHILE, MILLENNIAL NOSTALGIA has prompted Lego, the world’s largest toymaker, to expand their product line to “stressed out adults searching for modern day tranquility… with revamped instruction manuals to make kits foolproof… Zen in the shape of a brick.” Kits now include global landmarks (Eifel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Golden Gate Bridge), classic TV sets (Golden Girls, Central Perk Café from Friends), and newest kits like a DeLorean time machine, koi & shark models with ‘soothing movements,’ and a 7,541-piece Star Wars Millennium Falcon priced around $800. A new TV series ‘LEGO Masters’ is also premiering next month for AFOLs, ‘Adult Fans of Lego.’ [WASHINGTON POST – 1/16/20]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: In the last two decades, Secretarial & Admin Assistant positions have vanished at the same rate as manufacturing jobs – almost 40%. Wall Street Journal reports that of the admin positions remaining, three in ten now have a college degree, versus one in ten back in 2000.

          Your Amazon Echo is very likely “choked with dust and crumbs”: Clean it for better sound and fewer sneezes:   https://www.cnet.com/how-to/your-amazon-echo-is-choked-with-dust-and-crumbs-clean-it-for-better-sound-and-fewer-sneezes/