Hothousing vs.Greenhousing

“A 2009 Question - Hothousing vs.Greenhousing,
what approach will you be taking to deliver the best results ...”

Hothousing is a competitive environment where ideas compete, are rapidly evaluated and dismissed; the winning idea is then implemented.

Greenhousing is a nurturing environment where ideas are focussed and invested in; ideas are protected and given time to mature before being evaluated and taken forwards to implementation.

In Hothousing there is a very real danger that potentially successful ideas can be killed before they have had an opportunity to develop and prove their worth. There is also a risk that the rapid timescales involved in Hothousing mean that the problem is never really understood (often the problem you start working on is not necessarily the one you end up having to solve). There is also the risk that the evaluation criteria may be based more on the strong personalities of team members in the winning team than on the proposed solution. Early commitment is made to a solution and a course is set that then becomes very difficult to change if the solution starts to look a little shaky.

In Greenhousing specific ideas are focussed on and nurtured; given time to develop and protected until their true value can be assessed. This means that the assessments are based more on the merits of the solution than on the team presenting it. Also, if there are flaws in the solution their is opportunity to identify and remedy before any final decision is made. This approach can be seen as more risky because it requires investment and comitment to specific ideas that may not work out; however the approach does offer a greater degree of success and a better end solution than Hothousing. If you take a medium to long-term view then this approach does offer a greater return for the commitment.
Source: Random Thoughts

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Are you ready to change

I was recently asked to explain what hybrid coaching-consulting could offer, well at the root of (consulting & coaching) for change examines not only what one does, and why one does what one does, but who you are, and who you want to be. More so to change/learn, people need to embed new insights into deeper, often automatic, thinking processes. This requires them to pay attention to how they think as well as what they think. To change, people need to turn thought into action.

In theory learning will only last if the underlying emotional commitment is there – ‘do I really want to change?’ ‘what are the benefits for me?’ As people engage with new learning they will need to listen to their emotions and look at their attitudes, beliefs and values. Coaching is a powerful tool, that can help you crack open your most pivotal business issues and dilemmas, to achieve a breakthrough. The question is "are you ready to change ... "

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Management Consulting top Career Choice

Top Consultants Survey ...Management Consulting still a top careers choice among MBA students McKinsey, meet Google, the new runner-up in the race for the most desirable place to work for MBA students.

McKinsey remains the most popular place to work for MBA students in the 2006 University Survey MBA Edition, but the upstart web-wizard Google shot top the ranking from 129th to 2nd place this year.

Google is now a serious threat to McKinsey's 12-year reign as the most desirable employer among MBA students. Goldman Sachs is a very close third - only 0.01 percent behind Google. General Electric and Johnson & Johnson - two consumer brand household names - retain their top 10 positions, landing on 8th and 9th respectively. Other, more traditional MBA employers round out the Top 10: Bain & Co. (4), The Boston Consulting Group (5), Citigroup (6) and Morgan Stanley (10).
Key findings of the survey include:

New Top Industry: Management consulting grabbed first place again after spending one year as the runner-up. Financial Services dropped to second place.

Moving West: The West Coast is regaining its position as a business hub. Nike (12) and Walt Disney (14) break into the Top 15 for the first time while Starbucks (22), Microsoft (16), Harrah’s Entertainment (40) and Intel (25) are among West Coast companies that moved up on the ranking this year.

Men want family: For the first time, work-life balance is the top career goals among male MBAs (48%). Moving up from fourth place, it passed build sound financial base (37%), influence corporate strategies (31%) and reach managerial level (27%).

− More than work: Overall, work-life balance is strengthening its grip on the top spot for career goals, some 50% of the respondents chose it as a major career goal followed by build a sound financial base (37%) and influence corporate strategies (28%). This global trend is picking up speed again as the economy is getting better and students enjoy more job security.

New Goals: Students were for the first time asked to rank "manage projects", "contribute to society" and "become a specialist" as career goals. "Manage projects" and "contribute to society" were the most important goals of the new alternatives, finishing 7th and 8th - ahead of more traditional goals such as "start a business" and "develop new products".

More Money: MBAs want $88,000 in annual salary at their first job after graduation - a $6,000 jump compared to last year. Expected annual salary five years after graduation rose to $167,000 - a $10,000 increase from last year.

Money-Makers: Venture Capital is back in the top spot as the industry with the highest salary expectations ($103,200). Investment management finished 2nd ($98,100) followed by management consulting ($97,600).

Focus on Health: Health insurance is the second most important factor when students decide to accept or reject an offer from employers. Only annual base salary is more important.

IDEAL Image: Industry leadership, attractive location and financial strength are the three most important characteristics that MBA students associate with their top employer. Innovation is more important to men, while women value a strong corporate culture more.

IDEAL Offers: Competitive compensation is by far the most attractive offer an employer can make. Women however, value flexible working conditions more than men while men value long-term compensation potential more.

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