Gower Publishing's Blog

20 Tips for Ideation Excellence

Gower Publishing — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:15:52 +0000

Generating and developing innovative ideas is a difficult process. How do you confidently kick-start the ideation phase of any innovative process to create new ideas and concepts effortlessly and without pulling your hair out? Gijs van Wulfen, author of Gower’s Creating Innovative Products and Services, has put together 20 step by step tips to guide you to ideation excellence.

Risk appetite: How hungry are you?

Gower Publishing — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:03:01 +0000

Only set up this week, David Hillson’s Risk Doctor video channel is a new venture that currently provides video overviews around risk appetite, risk attitude, risk management maturity, and risk basics.

Dr David Hillson is a seasoned risk management professional, a popular conference speaker, and award-winning author on risk. He is recognised internationally as a leading thinker and practitioner in the risk field. He recently received the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award for his work in developing risk management over many years. He is an Honorary Fellow of the UK Association for Project Management (APM).

David Hillson’s Gower books including those co-authored with Ruth Murray-Webster are; Exploiting Future Uncertaintly, Managing Risk in Projects, Managing Group Risk Attitude, Understanding and Managing Group Risk Attitude and the forthcoming; A Short Guide to Risk Appetite.

Further details of all these books can be found at: www.gowerpublishing.com/risk-attitude

What is your most used PM reference book?

Gower Publishing — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:31:10 +0000

In their most recent e-link newsletter, the UK PMI discused the idea of producing a top 10 list of PM books. If you are a member of the UK PMI and have a favourite few that you use when you need to check something out, please let them know at service@pmi.org. Please title your e-mail “Favourite PM book”. They will collate them and produce the PMI UK members top 10. We hope we will see some Gower Project Management titles amongst them! Our expert authors are drawn from the most respected academic institutions and industries worldwide – but here are three Gower classics to get the ball rolling!

Project Management 9^thEdition by Dennis Lock, Global Project Management by Jean Binder and Critical Chain by Eli Goldratt:

Which books would you choose?

Fantastic resources from Assessment & Development Consultants Ltd

Gower Publishing — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:35:29 +0000

Assessment & Development Consultants Ltd (A&DC), have just launched a new resources library on their website, www.adc.uk.com/content. The resource section is full of free downloadable content such as advice guides, white papers and case studies on areas such as Talent Management, Assessment Centres, Learning and Development and Leadership.

Nigel Povah, the CEO and founder of A&DC is also co-editor of Gower’s new book Assessment Centres and Global Talent Management.

Assessment Centre Study Group Conference, South Africa

Gower Publishing — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:26:29 +0000

Deon Meiring, contributing author to Gower’s new book Assessment Centres and Global Talent Management will be hosting a selection of workshops at the Assessment Centre Study Group Conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa, during 12-16 March 2012. Deon will be talking in depth about the key areas of the book and discussing the background and main issues that emerged from the research and case studies collated in creating the chapters.

You can find more information about the event, along with a booking form at www.acsg.co.za.

If you have a specific question, or require more information contact Judith Williamson on acsgsa@gmail.com or 083 304 6068.

Intellectual Property and the Film and Music Industries

Gower Publishing — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:10:40 +0000

Following Wikipedia’s Blackout in protest to the Intellectual Property and Online Piracy acts being debated in America, many have begun wondering what the future could hold for the business models in the film and music industries and whether these business models themselves are outdated.

Jane Lambert, has written a number of articles on her blog, that give a good background to IP policy and the film and music industries:

IPC Policy: Does Hargreaves say Anything New?

Injunctions against ISPs

Injunctions against ISPs Part II: the CJEU’s Judgment in Scarlet

Jane is the author of Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights

Innovative Data Sources and Analytics

jonathansnorman — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:10:01 +0000

Making sense of data, exploiting and using it to seize opportunities and inform decisions, is surely one of the aspirations on the wishlist of many, if not most, businesses. Ira Haimowitz offers some helpful advice in his blog on where and who to turn to for technical solutions to realise this need. Ira is author of Healthcare Relationship Marketing, published last year by Gower.

PMOs: a Benefit or a Burden

jonathansnorman — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:04:56 +0000

Peter Taylor (Leading Successful PMOs) is talking to the APM East of England Branch on Tuesday 24th January on the topic of ‘PMOs: a Burden or a Benefit’ which looks to go to the heart of the question of how to extract as much value from your PMO as possible. Gower are co-sponsoring an Award this year ‘PMO Leader of the Year’ which allows project teams to recognise the contribution of their PMO leader and which is open to all entrants.

When Were You Last Misled?

Gower Publishing — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:08:00 +0000

When Were You Last Misled?

By someone at work, promising help but failing to deliver; saying they were too busy to help you; promising to achieve a sales figure which they subsequently failed to make? They would all fit our definition.

Accidentally by a stranger you asked for directions? That too would fit – MisLeadership doesn’t have to be on purpose.

Deliberately by a tennis opponent disguising a drop shot, or card player fooling you into thinking they did not have the King of Spades? That would be misleading but is all part of the false situation of a game. Should it come under the MisLeadership umbrella?

Exploitatively, by someone selling you a house knowing it regularly floods? Now that would fit anyone’s definition – or would it? Perhaps it is a case of ‘caveat emptor’ – let the buyer beware.

Negligently by someone who forgot to warn you the petrol tank was almost empty? That is a tricky one. They presumably didn’t do it on purpose and perhaps it was your responsibility to check.

Intrigued? Read the introduction from John Rayment and Jonathan Smith’s ‘MisLeadership‘ here: http://bit.ly/yfS8yP

Top Tips for Managing the People Factors in Projects

Gower Publishing — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:18:49 +0000

Most projects have two factors in common i.e. they involve people and they bring about change. These two factors are fundamental to the success of any project yet they are given only scant reference in the ‘models’ of project management.

The psychology of managing people and change is increasingly emerging as a significant success factor in project management. In Wellingtone’s Project Management Blog Sharon De Mascia offers a plan to ensure you pay these factors sufficient attention.

Sharon De Mascia is the Director of a business psychology consultancy by the name of ‘Cognoscenti’. She is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and a member of the Chartered Institute of People and Development. She is also Prince2 qualified. She is a visiting Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University and a Supervisor on the global MBA at Manchester Business School. De Mascia is the author of Project Psychology published by Gower.