Mission

Objectives

• If we aren’t having fun, what are we having? Please enjoy.
• Provide an interactive forum for holistic concepts of organizations in an effort to increase their reliability, adaptability and creativity.

Who should read this website?

Anyone with an interest in practical methods and theory to improve their organizations should find actionable articles here. They fit into any culture and are malleable enough to institute to varying degree depending on the situation.

Leis Network name

Welcome. The name Leis Network is really a play on words. A network has technological and organizational implications which are fundamentally different than typical hierarchies.  They exhibit advantages in communication and speed of execution.   They naturally foster innovation and engagement. Psychologically, they have natural synergies with morale, empowerment, and productivity which all command and controls hierarchies must constantly battle.

All organizations depend on social networks to function, regardless of their structure. And although networks are a powerful concept, they are only a piece of the puzzle that transforms an organization. They are a physical form of a larger holistic concept. We don’t want to just clarify the picture of an optimized firm; we want to add 3D video, thousands of watts of stereo sound, and an absorbing screen play with actors that engage the heart and soul!

The word ‘network’ also implies a group of people who share the same philosophies or ideas on a chosen topic or sphere of influence.  This website is a collection of practical and illustrative articles exploring efficiency and value creation for both individuals and organizations, utilizing a flatter, networked architecture to empower people and unleash productivity.

Hopefully the website will inspire your discussions and ideas.  You can become a member of the network.  You can contribute articles and comments to the website.  Please use the Jim Leis Contact page if you wish more information.

Our potential stakeholders are all employees (both Associates and Managers) with a curiosity about improving productivity, value, and daily enjoyment of their organizations.

We hope you enjoy the site and welcome your feedback.

Responsibilities to Stakeholders

To fulfill the charter to readers, the website will provide practical and illustrative articles on implementing the following precepts:

• Today’s organization must be nimble, creative, and value driven.
• The macro environment, driven by technology and globalization, demands a learning organization.  It is no longer viable to manage organizations built on the status quo.
• Smaller is better. Bureaucracies must be viewed with extreme prejudice. Empowered Associates in flatter organizations get things done with speed and excellence.
• Business is intensely personal.  It also implies our foundation for fulfilling the first Responsibility.  We wish to develop empowered, creative teams made up of diverse, engaged Associates in a cohesive atmosphere.  That is not difficult to do; it just requires a shift in mindset within a consistent framework.  Associate productivity and creativity remain a significant, unrealized potential in most organizations.  Required themes in Associate development:
• Do our actions pass an ethical test?  Even inconsistent application of ethics destroys morale and trust.  We must also encourage Associates to actively listen to their inner voice.
• Human Resources is everything. Unfortunately, separate Human Resource departments often condition Associates and Managers to believe it’s work that someone else periodically does to, or for you. Everyone is a Human Resource Manager.
• You are your habits.  So it is with organizations.
• Information technology remains an unrealized potential.  Organizations tend to harness only about 10-20% of current available technologies in terms of efficiency, excellence, communication and measurement. Many implementations are time wasters. Today’s technology well implemented can easily double productivity in most organizations.
• What gets measured gets managed.  It is impossible to accomplish the other mandates without instituting this one.
• Appropriate measurement is “more honored in the breach than in the observance.” There is a significant tendency to measure the wrong thing if we measure at all, or develop measurements that are not granular enough for practical use.
• Goals must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).  Unfortunately, any other goal is a dream. And like the one you had while you were sleeping, it’s about as useful.
• The art of developing and driving measurement throughout an organization is a cellular and organism exercise, not a top down exercise, which normally fails.

Someone said that ‘Life is like high school,” rather than college. We shall confront both the benefits and concerns of this statement as we explore together. We shall also challenge the conventional wisdom that habits developed by age 15 are mainly fixed in our life story.  For changing some of them are necessary to getting to the next level of actualization; both personal and professional.