• “PRODUCTIVITY IS OFTEN FALSELY CONFLATED WITH CREATIVITY. When completing any task that requires mental energy, people often take the ease of producing ideas – i.e. those ideas most obvious – as a signal of their quality, and are more likely to stop the creative process… But most underestimate the value of persistence in creativity, called the ‘creative cliff illusion’… Studies now find that only by digging in more deeply do more novel, creative ideas finally emerge.” When work teams feel they’re running out of ideas, that does not mean running low on creativity, and longer or more brainstorming sessions should be pushed. DCG can assist in guiding thinktank process. Call us for courtesy consult. [HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW – 1/26/21]
  • ONLINE WORKPLACE CONVERSATION IS INCREASINGLY CREATING LEGAL LIABILITIES FOR EMPLOYERS. Nearly half the country’s labor force now work full-time from home (with up to 2/3 of S&P companies expecting this to become permanent). But as “political brawls and more managers lose control of their employees, work cultures are impacted by a curious mix of hyper-engagement & lack of empathy, with workers turning their cameras off, hiding behind avatars, becoming disrespectful, and aggressive conversations becoming as unruly as on the internet… Bullying by text on internal instant messenger platforms like Slack, where colleagues fuel discussions in vast chatrooms by adding emojis, for example, means frenzies grow… But treating workers like they’re online friends is dangerous, with a big legal difference between a troll who is an internet stranger versus one who can contribute to a performance review, and ‘harassment’ (especially in the view of older employees who feel less comfortable with the sort of constant digital chatter normal for younger workers) can easily be alleged.” HR policies that restrict online conversation to work issues is prudent. [NEW YORK TIMES – 1/24/21]
  • THE PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON CHILDREN, from increased poverty, family job loss and disrupted schooling (especially for minority & poor students) will linger for years. McKinsey Consultants project that many students will forego more than an entire year’s academic learning and socialization skills, resulting in “worse behavior in schools and, eventually, lower rates of high-school graduation & college completion.” With homes disrupted by parental mental distress, anxiety & depression (from employment/ food/ housing instability), inferiority of virtual instruction to in-person learning, even when laptops & good internet connections are available, and ‘recovery’ dependent on local budgetary and Teacher Union political positions, pandemic “repercussions will be severe and the inequality gap will continue to widen.”  [ECONOMIST – WORLD IN 2021]
  • “REIMAGINING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM is a social experiment” now underway in Los Angeles County with election of a leftist District Attorney who, first day in office, “issued Directives including an end to cash bail, blanket prohibition on charging Enhancements (using a gun, gang involved, multiple victims, prior strikes, etc.) and charging any juvenile as a adult” for any crime committed. Unsurprisingly, LAPD statistics immediately showed dramatic increases in violent crime – “almost as if criminals, knowing they’ll be free on zero bail while waiting trial, and face minimal sentence if caught & prosecuted which may or not ever happen, have decided the risk is worth the reward.” What could go wrong? [RED STATE – 1/26/21]
  • THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

 “The most important battle in our history is today’s coup d’état by the Big Tech villains who are becoming billions richer from the Covid quarantine while bullying for censorship and division.”  A brilliant non-partisan video by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is absolutely worth watching, irrespective of your political perspective.  https://www.bitchute.com/video/6bkyTeATC4RU/