Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips An old lesson holds true today: getting the tools and people to the job site is half the job. Twenty-five years ago, I was involved in a fence-building project. Members of the community gathered to start from scratch and erect a 50-meter-long fence. I was one of the first people there and […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The MOI Model has one more part – the jiggle. Use it to restart the group when you hit the flat or descending part of the MOI curves. The MOI Model has three parts – motivation, organization, and information. Recent posts have discussed how more of these helps until we reach a […]

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by Dwayne Phillips In my industry job, I see people making phone calls to obtain answers to questions right now. I never say that in 28 years of government. Here are some thoughts on the practice. I worked in government for 28 years. I have since worked in private industry for two years. A current […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The vast majority of people need some type of information. There is, however, a limit to  information that leads to effectiveness. Adding more information after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness. Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The vast majority of people need some type of organization. There is, however, a limit to  organization that leads to effectiveness. Adding more organization after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness. Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The vast majority of people need some type of motivation. There is, however, a limit to  motivation that leads to effectiveness. Adding more motivation after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness. Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three […]

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by Dwayne Phillips In government, prestige is proportional to the number of people working for you and the size of your budget. Efficiency is doing the same or more work with fewer people and less budget. Hence, government managers stay away from efficiency. Here is a little-known fact about being a manager in a government […]

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by Dwayne Phillips After writing about how to do something, apply a reality check. I write a lot. I have written several books that explain how to do things like manage projects and other human endeavors. There are lots of nice, neat formulas and techniques that I describe in the books. Towards the end of […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Time and again I have seen people make a terrible mess, work hard to fix their mess, and be proclaimed a hero. I still don’t understand why anyone would reward such a person. In the mid-1980s I started managing projects. I looked about to see what my peers – other project managers […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Well meaning managers often start new activities. The activities are not sustainable, and the well meaning manager gains a reputation as a liar. I am a grandparent. I have one grandson who is now 23 months old (I have to put up a new photo of him sometime :-). Grandparents engage in […]

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