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RSSArchive for May, 2008

Are you OK with fudging?

No this ain’t some odd sexual reference. (If you thought it was, what does that say about you? And what does it say about me for thinking you might?) Fudging in this context is manipulation which goes against standard, e.g. changing a value of something ‘illegitimately’ to see if you get the result you’re looking for. [...]

May 28, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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The Implications of the Product Life-Cycle (Part One)

Did you know that organizational shape and behavior tends to reflect it’s company’s products? I suspected this but it was recently confirmed in this HBS Working Knowledge paper. So when this subject was suggested by Katy Ling I thought it might be interesting to reflect on this phenomenon, and what it means to Technical Professionals. The [...]

May 28, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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Brilliant Basics: Converting ideas and opportunities in technology to business value

Nobody has the monopoly on good ideas. You may find yourself in a situation where you have a good idea that can revolutionize your organization, if only ‘management’ could see it. You’re bursting at the seams to speak to someone who can sponsor the idea and make it happen. For the bright technical professionals who [...]

May 23, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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Getting the Most from Email Communication in Business

Brilliant Basics: Getting the Most from Email Communication in Business

The Internet has brought unprecedented access to information, and to each other. Using email, we are now able to contact friends, family and colleagues worldwide at the same time and from the same place, at low cost and effort. The trouble is, (for the same reasons) other people can contact us, often unsolicited. Spam is [...]

May 22, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 2
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How to Stimulate Technical Innovation

I recently wrote about creating technical innovation in a regimented world. The main thrust of this post covered the issues in building a framework for creativity in organization’s that are very risk-averse and structured around established methods. The framework I discussed is a potential management mechanism for moving ideas from early stages to business initiatives [...]

May 22, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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Are there Lightworkers in your department?

This is a continuation of the topic of Lightworkers and Darkworkers currently buzzing around on a few blogs; I wrote about Darkworkers here. Lightworkers, as defined by Steve Pavlina here,  believe their primary role is to serve the greater good of humanity, and act in general terms selflessly. This doesn’t mean Lightworkers will starve to [...]

May 19, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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Update May 19 2008

Hi Folks, I apologise for not publishing anything for a week. I am in the middle of a house move and apart from my equipment being packed across several boxes, my internet connection to the office took longer than expected. However, I’m now back into the seat and will be publishing a number of articles [...]

May 19, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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10 Worst Workspaces

I just found this interesting post (below) on the valleywag blog, naming the 10 worst workplaces, according to their own research. I don’t think the research was done scientifically (so read it with a tongue-in-cheek). However, it does raise an interesting subject; does your workspace encourage you to work hard, give 110% and enjoy your work? Numerous [...]

May 12, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 0
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SimonStapleton.com: Why do I do this?

From an early age, I was interested in computers. In the late 70s and early 80s, a revolution was underway – the home computer revolution. Like many spotty kids at that time, we loved to play the games on our Commodore or Spectrum, but I also liked to program games of my own. I think [...]

May 01, 2008 | simonstapleton | Comments 4
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