One of the single most important elements of industrial efficiency and technical progress is the concept of "division of labor." The original thesis behind division of labor was stated succinctly by Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations, with his classic description of the pin factory, where each task was divided into standardized steps to be completed more cost-efficiently by different people and machines. When an analogous principle is applied to nation-states we get the theory of comparative advantage, which underlies the benefits of free trade. Both division of labor and comparative advantage presume that people can perform separate tasks and then trade with each other for mutual benefit. Trading is critical. Without trading, among people and nation-states alike, progress is stunted.

Continue reading "Karl Marx, the Division of Labor, and Employee Engagement" »

Posted by Don Peppers | Permalink | Comments (0)

Although unemployment rates continue to remain high and some market sectors, such as real estate, have not yet rebounded, most corners of the economy continue to gain strength. As corporate financial performance improves, many CEOs are focusing on expanding product sales or diversifying into new markets.

That type of thinking is a common knee-jerk approach most decision-makers often make in the early stages of an economic recovery. Ultimately, however, it's a misguided methodology.

Continue reading "Customer Strategist Orkun Oguz:
Striking a Customer-Centric Strategy Through the Upturn" »

| Permalink | Comments (0)

The first afternoon at the World Business Forum, our after-lunch speaker was David Rubenstein, billionaire investor and founder of the Carlyle Group, former Carter advisor and generally very bright guy. His rapidly delivered speech was like a ticker-tape coming almost too fast to read, fact and stat, fact and stat, stat stat stat stat. Recession is way worse than most people think. Taxes will increase substantially following recovery. Government will continue too involved with business for a long time. NYC will no longer be the world's financial capital. The dollar will cease to be the world's primary reserve currency. On the other hand, he says, a downturn like this creates great investment opportunities, and lots of room for innovation. His was a rapid, bleak, but fairly balanced presentation. Sobering, disturbing, worrisome, and factual.

Jeffrey Sachs, on the other hand, gave what can only be described as a disappointingly shallow and politicized analysis of the world's problems in his "Economics for a Crowded Planet" talk.

Continue reading "Hellfire and Brimstone on a Tuesday Afternoon" »

Posted by Don Peppers | Permalink | Comments (1)