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magazine
05
No pressure, no result
Far from muddling one’s thinking, being under
pressure helps workers come up with creative
solutions to difficult problems. So says the
University of Exeter’s Business School.
Its analysis of problem-solving in the
subsidiaries or regional offices of 27 large
multinational companies (MNCs) found a direct
link between the pressure staff are under to solve
a problem and the creativity of their solution.
Researchers point out that small teams are
more effective than large ones in problem-
solving, finding that the greater the number of
staff involved in coming up with a solution, the
less creative it is likely to be. Nor does seeking
information from outside one’s own unit produce
a more creative solution.
Boundary Capabilities in MNCs: Knowledge
Transformation for Creative Solution
Development
was written in collaboration with
University College Dublin and the National
University of Ireland and published in the
Journal
of Management Studies
.
AGENDA
Greener IT procurement
TCO Development
has launched a guide
to the sustainable
purchasing of
computers, laptops,
tablets, smartphones,
headsets and
monitors.
A Guide
to Sustainable IT
Purchasing with TCO
Certified
provides
advice on how to
implement sustainable purchasing practices
and encourage greater environmental
and social responsibility from IT brands.
TfL pilot shows the way
Tube travellers take at least 18 different routes
to get from King’s Cross St Pancras toWaterloo,
according to new analysis by Transport for London
(TfL). In a four-week trial covering 54 stations
in Zones 1-4, TfL collected 509 million pieces of
depersonalisedWiFi data from 5.6 million mobile
devices making 42 million journeys. TfL hopes that
collecting this type of data on a permanent basis
will give it a better understanding of how people
move through stations, enabling it to help customers
with route planning; allow staff to address disruption
or crowding more quickly; and prioritise transport
investment to improve services.
Panasonic commemoration
Fifty-eight Panasonic projectors were used in the
recent 100th anniversary commemorations of
the Battle of Passchendaele. In the two-day event
hosted by the BBC and The Department of Culture,
Media and Sport, the façade of Ypres’ historic Cloth
Hall was illuminated with projection and light
displays as a backdrop to a special live performance.
Forty-nine 20,000 lumens PT-DZ21K projectors
and nine 30,000 lumens PT-RZ31K laser projectors
were used to project content created by Creative
Technology.
The elephant in the
boardroom
Trend Micro is describing GDPR as the elephant
in the boardroom, following a survey highlighting
confusion over what constitutes ‘personal data’.
Even though 88% of respondents are confident
their data is as secure as it can be, 79% are
unaware that a customer’s date of birth counts as
personal data; 56% don’t consider email marketing
databases as personal data.
Decision-makers overwhelmed by admin
Business managers are being overwhelmed by admin, with 80% of decision-makers and 90%
of C-suite executives surveyed by LeasePlan saying they have to catch up on work outside
office hours. Extra time is needed for administrative tasks (59%), email communication and
management (50%), vehicle management, such as fuel expenses and claims (32%), and taxing
and insuring company cars (32%)
.
Adobe and Microsoft
partnership
Adobe and Microsoft have expanded their
strategic alliance to increase workforce
productivity and improve process
efficiency. Microsoft has made Adobe
Sign its preferred e-signature solution
and Adobe has made Microsoft Teams
the preferred collaboration service for
Adobe Create Cloud, Document Cloud and
Experience Cloud. In addition, Adobe is to
make Microsoft Azure the preferred cloud
platform for Adobe Sign.
•
Freelancer holiday woe
Two thirds (68%) of UK freelancers and contractors
take less holiday than the average full-time UK
employee entitlement of 28 days. Research by
Qdos Contractor, the contractor tax adviser of The
Qdos Group, shows that only 32% of freelancers
and contractors take 22 days or more holiday
annually. A separate survey by Reportlinker shows
that freelancers have more pressing concerns
than holiday entitlement. These include lack of
retirement benefits (cited by 27%), low financial
security (19%) and lack of job security (18%).
Fresh ideas please
Businesses are stifling employees’
creativity, warns RADA in Business, the
commercial subsidiary of the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art and provider
of communication skills training.
Its study of 1,000 workplaces found that
81% have failed to create a culture that
encourages new ideas and experimentation.
One in four employees says fresh ideas are
needed to overcome current problems.
Just over 1 in 5 employees (21%)
believe no one wants to hear their ideas
and 18% complain that even when they
put their ideas forward, they are rarely
implemented. One in six (16%) says
new ideas are treated with suspicion and
criticism and 15% believe bosses actively
discourage innovation.
