http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=2799043

HYATTSTOWN, Md. - Coins and bills spilled from an armored truck on northbound Interstate 270 Friday morning, and passersby stopped and scooped them up. Maryland State Police are investigating how the cash came out of the truck...Police have asked motorists to return the cash they picked up. The police also stated that there was no indication of Robbery.

Unfortunately, we have lost the sense of right and wrong. The Police were correct when they said it was not a robbery, however it was THEFT. Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/theft) defines theft as:

the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.

The motorists that picked up the money from the Armored car and kept it for themselves are common thieves.

The way that we interact with one another continues to evolve. We are also at the point that technology is so intertwined with our individual self that we have emotional problems when we are disconnected from the modern daily tools of cell phones, internet, e-mail, etc.

Consider the following from Intersperience's recent press release:

Intersperience research highlights people’s emotional dependency on technology

• 53% of Brits feel ‘upset’ when deprived of internet connection
• 40% of people surveyed feel ‘lonely’ when not able to go online
• Challenge of 24 hours without digital devices described as ‘nightmare’

London, UK, July 22 - A new study into the impact of online and digital technology on people’s lives in the UK found that more than half of the people surveyed felt ‘upset’ at the prospect of being deprived of an internet connection even for a short time.
The extent of people’s ‘digital dependency’ in their everyday lives was revealed by international consumer research specialist Intersperience in a new project entitled ‘Digital Selves.’The project, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 individuals from age 18 to over 65s, questioned people about their 'digital lives' including their attitudes and use of the internet, smartphones and other connected devices.

The project also involved qualitative research, including challenging participants to get through one full day without using technology. Giving up technology was considered by some to be as hard as quitting smoking or drinking, while one survey participant described it as “like having my hand chopped off” and another called it “My biggest nightmare.”

A significant number of people ‘cheated’ by switching on the television or radio as they did not regard them as ‘technology.’ Others agreed to the challenge but turned their mobile phones to silent, regarding being completely disconnected even for one day as “inconceivable.”

Many participants found it extremely hard to resist the temptation to go online, especially those for whom online communication represents a large part of their social interaction. A total of 40% of people felt ‘lonely’ when not engaging in activities such as social networking, emails, texting or watching their favourite television channels.

Younger people, who tend to be heavier users of social media and text messaging, found giving up technology the most difficult while older people (over-40s) generally coped more easily when cut off from digital connections. Only a minority of those surveyed reacted positively to the prospect of being without an internet connection, with 23% saying they would feel “free.” (end of press release)

The problem for our businesses is that trying to control access during the work day will continue to get harder and harder. Workers may even be less productive if they believe that lack of connection via technology is hurting them in some way. There must also be recognition on the part of managers that workers may seek out less face to face contact with customers and co-workers.

© 2011 Jim Lindell, Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc.
TEC Chairman - Wisconsin

It is estimated that the consumer is responsible for 70% of our national economy. If the consumer is not spending, recovery remains a distant goal. In Friday's NY Times, they published the embedded image. Note how the declines of consumer spending during each of the recessionary periods. The most current recession (which I would argue that we are still in) is the deepest decline in consumer spending. Our country will remain in the doldrums until this changes. Jim Lindell, Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc.

The State Investigator's report is out and should be read by those interested in Ethical case studies. The implications for us are numerous:

How employees react to measures and goals

How employees give in to peer pressure

How bosses abuse their power

How outsiders (parents) were willing to tolerate unethical behavior if it made their children appear more successful

How brave employees (teachers) stood up against unethical behavior

From the CL Atlanta website:
State investigators on Tuesday released the findings of a probe into the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating scandal that tarnished the system's once-stellar reputation. Led by former Attorney General Mike Bowers and former DeKalb County District Attorney Bob Wilson, the investigative team interviewed more than 2,000 people and reviewed more than 800,000 documents. Investigators identified 178 principal and teachers who they say were involved in cheating. (Source: http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/07/06/atlanta-schools-cheating-investigation-full-report) Note: you can obtain the full report in 3 pdf files from this location as well.

It is important to note in Vol 3 that the investigators highlighted why cheating occurred. They identified 3 primary conditions that led to widespread cheating on the 2009 CRCT (competency tests):

The targets set by the district were often unrealistic, especially given their cumulative effect over the years. Additionally, the administration put unreasonable pressure on teachers and principals to achieve targets;

A culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation spread throughout the district; and,

Dr. Hall and her administration emphasized test results and public praise to the exclusion of integrity and ethics.

"When will we ever learn, When will we ever..... learn" from "Where have all the flowers gone"

© 2011 - Jim Lindell - Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc.

I just stumbled upon (stumbleupon.com) a great website www.mindmeister.com. This site allows free (also subscription) and on-line and collaborative mindmap creation. Following is their public map of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

If you haven't tried stumble upon, I highly recommend it.

What could Changing Corporate Culture, Breaking Bad Habits, Paw Prints in the Snow all have in common? It is difficult to change culture, change habits or create new paths in snow. I was watching our cats walk through the snow and was amazed to see only one path of tracks. Each of the cats placed their paws in the existing paw print in front of them. There was only one track even though they had used the path many times. How similar to corporate culture and bad habits. The path of least resistance has us as employees or individuals doing the same thing over and over again. Many times we follow the path and are oblivious to the fact that we are even on a path at all. For corporations and individuals to change, we need to leave the existing path and forge out in a new direction. What does this imply?

# The path will be hard to tread.
# There may be no guideposts for us to follow.
# We will be tempted to go back to the old path.

On the bright side, if we are willing to stick it out, the new path will finally become routine. We will become familiar with the new process / policy / procedure / habit and it will be just as easy to follow as the old path. However, we need to remain in the new path for quite a while for it to become routine. Some people will suggest that a minimum of 21 days are necessary to change a personal habit. Corporate Culture can take years to change. It's time to strike out on a new untraveled path!

Copyright 2011 - Jim Lindell

When an organization conducts strategic planning, it usually assesses its competitors. Strengths of the competitor are to be defended against, weaknesses are to be exploited. Unfortunately companies do not always track the actions of their competitors. One very easy tool to use is "Google Alerts." A Google alert is a tool to automatically search for key words on the internet. This search can be done on different time frames and different sections (all web, blogs, news, etc.) of the internet. Based on the keywords that you submit, Google will send you an e-mail when a new item appears based with your criteria. For example, I have a Google alert for "cloud computing." This morning at 9:09 am I received an e-mail from Google with 5 new articles on cloud computing. One article was entitled "Huawei Unveils Cloud Computing Strategy for North America." If you want to follow your competitors actions, set up a "Google alert" on the competitor's name. To set up your own "Google alert", go to http://www.google.com/alerts and follow the instructions.

© Jim Lindell - 2011
TEC Chairman
www.tecmidwest.com
www.thorstenconsulting.com