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Organisational Culture Design Part 2

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Organisational Culture Continued

We started this series looking at a number of aspects of organisational culture, such as aligning organisational and individual missions, time allocation for creative projects and personal development, and transparency. In this second part of how to design organisational culture, we will look at some additional components that will help to create a collaborative, creative and dynamic culture.

Components of Organisational Culture

Empower your employees. Linus Torvalds who is the initiator of Linux – used in the top ten fastest computers in the world and the Google Android system – stated what has now become known as Linus´ law “with enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow”. The Open Source software movement has revolutionised the world. No traditional company could keep up with Wikipedia; Microsoft Encarta soon had to pull out of that race. Open Source brings us Apache, which runs on 65% of internet servers, and Mozilla Firefox, which is arguably safer than proprietary software not only because it has such an extensive amount of people continually developing it, but also because the sunlight of transparency shines into its code. This can equally be achieved by fundamentally considering employee empowerment and then evaluating the ethos and principles of the organisation, the decision making processes, the underlying motivations and adapting them accordingly.

Develop a learning culture. For an organisation to learn, its employees must be continually learning. The learning capabilities of an individual and the team rest upon three key legs: aspiration; reflection: and systems. Seek individuals who have the aspiration to grow their skills, then feed this desire with learning opportunities and carefully rewarding key events. Setting aside time for the employee to undertake personal development will encourage this. Include learning schemes such as acquiring books and then having employees teach what they learnt to others, or reading, writing reviews and then implementing what was learnt. Regular reflection allows us to recognise where things went wrong and what was done well, enabling us to become more efficient and effective. Finally, teams are complex systems, with ongoing changes, decisions and interactions – this means careful consideration should be put into anything that affects the dynamics of the team.

Crowdsourced Performance Reviews. Most performance reviews are held once a year, they summarise the employee´s performance down into 10 categories which are rated from 1-5 and the manager may note some particular things that were good as well as areas for improvement. The issue with this is that, firstly the manager is not able to monitor every interaction made by the employee, all the things they done well, and all challenges overcome. It´s also not very useful having one person´s opinion of someone´s skills placed on an arbitrary scale of 1-5. Also the fact that these are only conducted once per year, with some who may carry out one or two follow up reviews through the year, lacks any real opportunity for effective monitoring and tracking. The solution is to make the performance review crowdsourced – the employees will have more power to reward performance. The model will move from a once a year activity to one which is updated every day, meaning it´s viewable in real-time, and as everyone will log the performance of each other’s´ activities, it is much more accurate, efficient and effective than one manager´s opinion about how the year went.

Encourage your employees to bring their hobbies and interests into the workplace. Without you knowing it, many of your employees could be prolific bloggers, do web-design, PC repair, enjoy writing, have experience of teaching, have connections to key countries where your business wants to expand, organise events for charity and the community, or do other such activities. All of these could be valuable to your business and your employees may relish the chance to share their passion. When hiring, ask specifically for hobbies and interests. For people who are already working in the organisation, ask them directly, it´s a great way to start talking to people, get to know them even better, and potentially find great opportunities.

 

Discover the Health Benefits of Surf Camps For Kids

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Many people seem to be considering surfing summer camps in addition to, or as alternative for, traditional summer camps. And why not? Surfing (or surf) camps offer all the important benefits traditional camps offer, such as the opportunity to make new friends and increase self-confidence and esteem, but surf camps offer something more: incredible health benefits for kids.

Not only is surfing a total blast and easily learned with a qualified instructor, but when kids go to surf camp, they get a total body workout from cardiovascular exercise to arm and leg strength to increasing their balance.

When kids paddle out on their surfboards toward the ocean to catch a wave, this is where they are developing upper body strength (including their arms and shoulders) plus getting a cardiovascular workout. Then, when they are doing the actual surfing, they are using their leg muscles and developing important balance skills.

There are several sites on the internet to find a surf camp. You can do a general search for “kids surf camps” on Google, or you can visit a site-specific search engine where you’ll find many available surf camps for kids and teens everywhere in the United States and abroad. (You might type “surf camp directory” into Google and see what comes up.)

It doesn’t matter if your child is a beginning surfer or experienced and learning to pick up tips from a pro, there’s a safe and fun surf camp out there for you…and the amazing healthy benefits can’t be denied.

 

The Maltese Archipelago, A Superb Holiday Destination

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Malta has been considered one of the jewels of the Mediterranean, its central location and mix of cultures makes it unique. There is no question that Malta’s heritage has been created from a mix of African and European and middle eastern cultural influences. This is what makes Malta so special, along with its interesting landscapes and geographical location. It is difficult to explain all the great things about Malta and what makes the island such a superb holiday destination. But if you want to find out and discover Malta you need to go there and explore, enjoy the wonderful Maltese atmosphere and make your own decisions as to why this is such a superb holiday destination.

There are many theories about the origin of the name Malta, some linguists believe that the ancient Greek word “Meli” meaning honey was the origin and this is linked to a particular species of honey bees that flourish on the island. Other linguists believe that the word Malta originates from the ancient Phoenician word “Maleth” which means Haven, in reference to the islands pretty coves and bays.

Malta is an archipelago comprising five islands, Malta, Gozo, Comino, Comminoto and FilFla and although it covers only 300 km2 of land, making it one of the world’s smallest nations it is also one of the most densely populated.

Malta’s location in the Mediterranean Sea has made it strategically crucial over the centuries. Invasions from Europe, Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East by powerful civilizations intent on securing strategic advantage have caused many cultures to be adopted in the islands. Powers such as the Phoenicians, the Greeks, Romans, Knights of St John, Knights Templar, the French and the British Empire. Each of these five islands in the archipelago boasts of stories past linking to various invasions, these are well documented and notable in the ancient buildings and their design.

Over the centuries Malta has been subject to many different rulers with their cultures and convictions, making it a significant mix of different heritages. There are megalithic churches which have been classified by UNESCO as Earth Heritage sites, and these are a constant reminder of the evolutionary processes that have taken place on Malta. These megalithic churches can be found throughout the islands and are well worth a visit. There are even Maltese legends which postulate that Giants built the churches as their towers. All these megalithic churches share common architectural features.

Malta also has many attractive coves, beaches, bays and dive sites around the coasts making it an ideal holiday destination for those interested in snorkeling and scuba-diving. Because of the relatively calm nature of the Mediterranean Sea this also makes diving in Malta usually safe.

If you are interested in off-road driving the Maltese landscape and terrain will provide you with many opportunities to experience off road driving. There are a number of off road schools and this makes off roading particularly exciting when you know that the vehicle you are driving is not yours!

There are many fine restaurants in Malta and as with the historical cultural influences there have been many culinary influences here. Spanish, Moorish, Sicilian, and British influences and dishes can be found in many of Malta’s restaurants. Seafood is a particular specialty and any visitor to Malta should try swordfish steaks which are delicious.

In conclusion, Malta is a fine holiday destination and something to suit everyone can be found on the islands. Go, visit and explore, you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.