The Ten Most Common Organizational Growing Pains

As organizations enlarge, they often experience a variety of growing pains that signal that something has gone wrong in the process of organizational development. The ten most common organizational growing pains are listed here:

1. People feel that "there are not enough hours in the day."
2. People spend too much time "putting out fires."
3. People are not aware of what other people are doing.
4. People lack understanding about where the firm is headed.
5. There are too few good managers.
6. People feel that "I have to do it myself if I want to get it done correctly."
7. Most people feel that meetings are a waste of time.
8. When plans are made, there is very little follow-up, so things just don't get done.
9. Some people feel insecure about their place in the firm.
10. The firm continues to grow in sales but not in profits.

It's not surprising that Apple is now the most valuable technology company in the world

1. Apple grew its sales by $22 billion last year. That growth alone is bigger than most companies you've ever heard of. It's also more revenue than the ENTIRE COMPANY generated four years ago.

2. Apple generated $65 billion of revenue last year. That's bigger than the GDP of Iraq, Croatia, Libya, Ecuador, and more than 100 other countries

3. And, yes, that $65 billion of revenue makes Apple officially bigger than Microsoft ($62 billion)

4. Apple's growth last year IN EUROPE ALONE was $7 billion. That's bigger than the GDP of Liechtenstein

5. iPhones now account for 39% of Apple's overall revenue. iPhones did not exist 4 years ago.

6. Apple sold 40 million iPhones last year. That's 110,000 iPhones sold per day.
  
And 4,583 iPhones per hour.
And 76 iPhones per minute.
And 1.27 iPhones per second!
The iPhone is now sold in 89 countries.

7. iTunes--Apple's online music, video, and app store--racked up sales of $4 billion last year. That's $1 billion more revenue than the $3 billion generated by one of world's biggest music companies, Warner Music Group

8. Apple sold $9.8 billion worth of stuff in its retail stores last year. That's bigger than Saks, Barnes & Noble, Ann Taylor, Tiffany, Dick's Sporting Goods, RadioShack, and Bed Bath & Beyond

9. Apple's retail-store sales grew by $3 billion last year. That's bigger than Tiffany's whole business!

10. Apple opened 44 new stores last year, ending the year with 317. Each store sold an average of $34 million worth of stuff, up from $26 million the year before

11. Apple's stores are mind-bogglingly productive: They each sell an average of $93,150 worth of stuff every day
 That's $3,900 an hour. And $65 a minute. 365 days a year, 24 hours a day

12. Apple's retail stores now have 26,500 full-time employees, or 84 per store. Each of these employees sells about $370,000 worth of Apple stuff each year

13. Apple spent only $1.7 billion on research and development last year. Microsoft, with smaller sales and vastly slower growth, spent $8.7 billion

14. Apple spent only $5.5 billion on sales, marketing, and general and administrative expenses last year. Microsoft spent $17 billion.

WONDERFUL SAYING..!!

"When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure."

Out with the Old, In(novate) with the New

‘If we’re smart, we don’t wait for a challenge.’

Innovation is a key driver of growth in this day and age where ‘stagnancy’, as a word and a concept, can be categorised as a curse in business; and it is incumbent on every business person to explicitly lead and manage it. Leading strategic thinkers are moving beyond a focus on traditional product and service categories to pioneer innovations in business processes, distribution, value chains, business models, and even the functions of management. Businesses are no longer caged by geographical and cultural boundaries; every other establishment has the potential to become a formidable growth machine.
This is where innovation at an individual level comes into play. For which purpose, an employee or a worker at an organisation, irrespective of designation, should be made aware of what the concept actually means. ‘Innovation is combining existing elements in new ways to create value for customers’ says David Wittenberg, CEO, The Innovation Work group.

According to Wittenberg, there are three key traits that needed to be developed into part of your personality as the first step towards innovative thought:

1. Curiosity – If you are curious you will have more elements in your toolbox and hence more exploitation of new combinations. Your customer base will increase because you understand what value to them is and you begin to finally give them that.
2. Independent thought – Make changes, on whatever scale. When you think different, you learn and apply a great deal more than you would have otherwise.
3. A Sense of humour – The definition of innovation is one that talks about new, untried combinations. ‘What is humour? Humour is a sudden recognition of an unexpected relationship.’ Innovation in business comes naturally to such people because they unconsciously practice it every day of their lives.

The true test of success for an idea is whether or not it can make someone else’s life better. Ideas are never really ahead of their time unless technology cannot support them. Acceptability is a natural outcome of the comprehension of a benefit. If an idea is clear or is communicated well enough, the benefit is understood and the idea accepted. There is hence no real ground on which it can be called futuristic. This should not serve as a discouragement, not all changes can be ground-breaking. It is a fact that innovation is necessary either to ensure continuous small improvements (where methodologies like Six Sigma come into the picture) as well as when you face a problem. A problem is intrinsically a situation where there isn’t a learnt response. Learn how to identify a problem by being an observer. Your insight will follow, as will your strategic innovation project.

Middle-class India, as an ecosystem, discourages innovation. And thus follows the importance of having manageable processes in place to establish a culture of innovation in a business. Holding leaders accountable for encouraging innovation makes a tangible difference. According to Mckinsey research reports, 30% percent of the senior executives surveyed were accountable for it, through formal targets or metrics, in their performance reviews. They were more likely than the broader group of respondents to view innovation as one of the primary growth drivers, to manage it formally as part of the leadership team or through an innovation council, and to learn from their failures to achieve it.

On the same lines, innovation that goes unnoticed makes clear how important a professional network really is. You might just have the most revolutionary insight but lack the resources to implement it. There are a number of ways to grow in the business world; each of them requires you to put in the requisite effort yourself. You need to work hard to get to know the right people that would help you employ your capabilities in the right avenues that provide a scope for growth and an undistorted visibility. ‘Hope is not a strategy.’ Of course, networking does have its own ground rule – Make sure you are a value creator to the opposite party, not a value taker.

How sustainable should your innovations be? Is sustainability a smart option for businesses? Executives behave as though they have to choose between the largely social benefits of developing sustainable products or processes and the financial costs of doing so. But that’s simply not true. It is essential to realise that almost all businesses are looking only to increase profit under the guise of development of technologies that are intrinsically sustainable – in actuality, the intention behind doing so is that such technologies improve the bottom and top line returns as well. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Companies that talk about zero-waste are entering such an arena to cut costs and create goodwill – ultimately both of which add to the purpose of the company’s existence: profit. Waste management is evidently climbing up not just the political agenda for a reason different from environmental benefit.

So what is the moral of the story? If you haven’t gotten to it yet, it’s never too late to begin, simply because you can’t afford to not do so. All that is needed to get started is an insight, which is nothing but a discovery that comes after seeing what everyone else sees but thinking what no one else has thought. The procedure is not as tricky as it seems. Reliance Communications, for example, was born from an insight as simple as could be: people like to talk to their family and friends. One cannot stress enough on the criticality of being observant. Indian customers cannot be expected to be honest about your product if their opinion is not favourable, because of their cultural norms that do not advocate displeasing anybody. Observation is therefore the best bet to figure what creates value for that very customer. Value is, after all, the ratio of Benefits to Price: people pay for benefits, neither a product nor a service.

"If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances"

MESSAGE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB

The Guru Granth Sahib promotes a moral teaching that Sahib explains is about living a life of Truth, respect for others, and high moral standards. Followers of the Guru are considered to be members of the Sikh religion, and they are known as Gurmukh – which literally means “follower of Guru”.

Qualities promoted by Sri Guru Granth Sahib

All people of the world are equal

The Guru Granth Sahib promotes the message of equality of all beings and at the same time state that Sikh believers "obtain the supreme status" (SSGS, Page 446). Discrimination of all types is strictly forbidden based on the Sikh tenet Fatherhood of God which states that no one should be reckoned low or high, stating that instead believers should –“reckon the entire mankind as One” (Akal Ustat, 15.85).
Sri Guru Granth Sahib promotes the concept of equality by highlighting the fact that we are made of the same flesh, blood and bone and we have the same light of God with us – Soul

Women's Status

 

Guru Nank Dev Ji said "Sikhi does not teach you to raise you hand on a women it teaches you to respect them"
Sikhism also preaches that equal respect should be given to women.

Speak and live truthfully

Sikhs believe in the importance of truthful living, which can only be created by purity of mind and not through religious purification rites. They believe that impurity of mind leads to many other vices such as anger, lust, attachment, ego, and greed.

Control the five vices

Devotees of Guru Sahib believe they must control the animal instincts of Pride/Ego, Anger/Temper, Greed/Urges, Attachment/Dependency and Lust/Addiction.

Live in God's hukam

A Sikh believes they should live and accept the command of God easily and without too much emotional distress. They attempt to live in contentment and in Chardikala (positive attitude)

Virtues

The Sikh religion emphasizes several other virtues: Truth (Sat), contentment (santokh), Love (Ishq), Compassion/Mercy (daya), Service (seva), Charity (dana), forgiveness (ksama), humility (nimrata), patience (dheerjh), non-attachment (vairagya) and renunciation (taiga).
These believers attempt to avoid anger (krodh), egoism (ahankara), avarice (lobh), lust (kama), infatuation (moha), sinful acts (papa), pride (man), doubt (duvidha), ownership (mamata), hatred (vair), and hostility (virodh). In the Sikh religion, freedom from these vices, or Sahaj, is attained through tension-free, ethical living, grounded in spirituality avoiding self-mortification and other religious rites of cleansing.

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

As 2011 draws to a close, India will look back on the year with mixed feelings-from the highs of winning the much-coveted Cricket World Cup to the lows of trying to fight corruption. In a country as diverse as India, there is bound to be quotes that have inspired, shocked and some that just plain amused us.
Let’s take a look at the newsmakers whose quotes will ring in the ears of Indians for a long time to come. Some have been heartfelt like Virat Kohli on Tendulkar, while some have drawn much criticism like Rahul Gandhi’s comment on preventing terror, while still others have made the headlines for their sheer absurdity, like Mayawati calling WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange crazy.

1. VIRAT KOHLI ON SACHIN:

April 2, 2011: The Cricket World Cup came back to India after 28 long years. The win was especially because this is probably Tendulkar’s last time in the India World Cup squad.
After the historic win, when Team India went on a victory lap around the stadium, Virat Kohli carried Tendulkar on his shoulders much to the crowd's delight. On being asked by Nasser Hussain why he carried Sachin on his shoulders, Kohli said, “He (Sachin) has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, so it’s time we carried him on our shoulders.”

2. OMAR AND MEHBOOBA ON SLUGFEST:

Sept 19, 2011: That there is no love lost between the two is well-known throughout the country, them being political rivals. But when they started targeting their fathers, both celebrated in their own right, things took an ugly turn in Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti’s relationship.
It all began with BJP leader Sushma Swaraj saying Mehbooba praised Narendra Modi’s worth ethics. To which Ms Mufti’s retort was, “I feel the party (BJP) is frustrated, but I would request them if they want some Muslim leader on their side to prove their secular credentials, they must approach Farooq Abdullah who has praised Modi and even said he had seen Allah in Modi's eyes…Omar was a minister in the NDA government when Muslims were massacred in Gujarat.”
This obviously didn’t go down well with the J&K chief minister. Omar took to Twitter to retaliate saying, “I'm not surprised Mehbooba praised Modi, she can praise who ever she likes; I am surprised she'd deny knowing others heard her speech... At least her father had the sense not to deny calling Laloo, as home minister, to order Advani's release. He just did what Ostriches do.”

3. KIRAN BEDI ON POLITICS:

On August 26, 2011: During Anna Hazare and team’s rally for a corruption-free India, there were many attacks and counter attacks with the central government. But the quote that stayed on people’s mind was the one Kiran Bedi made at the Ramlila Maidan in the capital when Anna Hazare on a hunger strike. She ridiculed the politicians and the entire political system. Mocking them, she said, "Our politicians are hiding behind a mask. They don’t think and speak. There has been no lathi-charge till now because of Anna. We don't know what will happen after he goes. Till now, Delhi Police is with us, but if they get any demands, we don't know what will happen. We have been tolerating for the past 60 years, how much more do we tolerate?"
She famously donned a towel on her head and made strong remarks about how the political system was being unfairly used by our elected officials rather than as a platform to serve the nation with her "Sarkari naukri seva nahin mewa hain" comment.

4. OM PURI ON POLITICIANS:

Aug 28 2011: Joining Team Anna against the government was actor Om Puri. His speech was almost something out of one of his movies, complete with melodrama. When he spoke to the crowd at the Ramlila Maidan, he came across as someone who means business. But that feeling soon died out when he took back all his words. Still, his quote will be remembered its sheer force in moving a people. He took a dig at the politicians, calling them Nikamme, ganwaar (illiterate and unfit to govern). He said, “For five years they (politicians) loot the country. Ask them what their background is…"

5. NAIPAUL ON WOMERN WRITERS:

June 2, 2011: That VS Naipaul is a controversial figure goes without saying. One of the most outspoken authors of our time, he doesn’t think twice about voicing his opinion. This year the supposed "greatest living writer of English prose" targeted women writers. According to him, women are no match to men’s writing abilities.
In an interview at the Royal Geographic Society, Naipaul was quoted saying that no woman writer could be his literary equal. He went on to say, "I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not. I think [it is] unequal to me."

6. AMITABH TO KBC FANS:

During an episode of KBC, Amitabh was at his usual witty best. In response to a contestant's hopeful sister with dreams of meeting Abhishek Bachchan, he quipped, "Madam, aisa hain ki woh sannlagn ho gaye hain kisi aur ke saath aur is mel ka parinaam kucch mahinon mein aanewala hain!"
Translated, he gently reminded her that his son is married to another, and the product of their marriage is to announce itself in a few months.
Aishwarya recently gave birth to a baby girl.

7. MAYAWATI ON JULIAN ASSANGE:

Sept 6, 2011: Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati manages to make it to the headlines, one way or other. If it isn’t the congress party, Rahul Gandhi in particular, that she directs her barbs at, it’s anyone else who dares question her authority. In this case, Julian Assange. He had it coming when Wikileaks said Mayawati sent her private jet to buy her favourite sandals from Mumbai.
In retaliation, Behenji called Assange insane and that he needs to be sent to a mental asylum. Speaking at a press conference, she said, "There is no iota of truth in the cable leaks. The cables are all a blatant lie to tarnish the image of my government. He should be sent to a mental asylum by the country he belongs to and in case there is no place for him he should be sent to UP (Uttar Pradesh). We will put him in the Agra mental asylum."

8. NASSER HUSAAIN ON INDIAN FIELDERS:

Sept 2, 2011: Former England skipper Nasser Hussain does have a knack of saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Agreed you’re entitled to your opinion, but when what you say is hung onto by millions of avid cricket fans, you might just have to be a bit more responsible than the average Joe.
Hussain has, once again, rubbed the Indians the wrong way with him calling some Indian fielders "donkeys" during the one-off Twenty20 match between India and England. He made this comment after Parthiv Patel misjudged a Kevin Pietersen catch off Munaf Patel's bowling. He said, "I would say the difference between the two sides is the fielding. England are all-round a good fielding side. I do believe that India have few...3 or 4 very good fielders and one or two donkeys in the field still."

9. RAHUL GANDHI ON TERRORISM:

July 14, 2011: It goes without saying that in a year, there has to be at least one quotable quote from the likely future PM of India, Rahul Gandhi.
A day after yet another serial blast rocked Mumbai, Rahul said it was impossible to eradicate every single terror attack in the country but the UPA government had been successful in controlling most of the attacks. He said, "It is very difficult to stop every single terror attack in the country. Terrorism is something that is impossible to stop all the time. But 99 per cent of terror attacks had been stopped due to strong vigilance and intelligence efforts." Rahul may not have intended to court controversy, but what you say does matter especially if you’re seen as the next PM of the nation.

10. PRASHANT BHUSHAN ON KASHMIR:

Sept 27, 2011: Team Anna has been making the news for all the wrong reasons, although they claim it’s a vendetta by the central government. But what Prashant Bhushan said on a sensitive topic like Kashmir cannot be prompted by the government. After he voiced his opinion on Kashmir Anna Hazare was quick to add that it was Bhushan’s opinion alone, and not of the entire team.
His thoughts on the separation of Jammu and Kashmir didn’t go down too well with certain section of the society, namely the Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena. Two people beat him up inside his chamber in the Supreme Court. Bhushan had said, “Remove army from J&K, end AFSPA and try to get the Kashmiris on our side, but if they want to have a separate state, then in my opinion, there should be a plebiscite and if they still have to be separated, then they should be allowed to.”