I've never been a fan of outsourcing as it means losing control, despite what suppliers promise in their Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Outsourcing is part of (horizontal or vertical) disintegration. I need, want and believe in (self-) control, even while knowing that it's an illusion in certain circumstances. In 1983, a Harvard Business Review article wondered:...
GeoPolitical Futures: Hu Jintao By: George Friedman Date: 24 October 2022 “An extraordinary thing happened in China at the final meeting of the party congress over the weekend. Hu Jintao, the previous president of China, was sitting next to President Xi Jinping when two men approached from the rear. Hu rose and appeared increasingly surprised and then alarmed. A few...
Recently, I posted a (Dutch) question: why is competence no longer required in political management? My question does not imply that incompetence rules. No. The same phenomenon exists in businesses, whether privately owned or publicly listed. Last but not least, my question is gender neutral. In his 1969 book, The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong,...
Several decades ago, a high school teacher demanded to know the meaning of the abbreviation 'OHVZ' on my school tests. He was angry and I was flabbergasted. I told him it meant "Op Hoop Van Zegen", or Hoping For The Best. He had been convinced my abbreviation carried a hidden insult towards him. I suppose he and I both dealt with our mutual fear of failure in a...
A lot has changed since the 1976 hit song Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Elton John. Not for me, though. Saying sorry is still one of the hardest words for me. I keep telling people not to say sorry to me, unless they actually mean it. Saying sorry is just a habit for many people. There are several reasons why I prefer minimising the word sorry: The more you...
Recently, a friend made a comment on her fear of failure. A seed for a new blog had been planted. For several days I have been wondering how to address this blog. It is more difficult than I assumed. The difficulties already start with the possible causes: education, evolutionary psychology, male/female differences, and upbringing by parents?? I wasn't convinced. A...
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