Latest news with #organizations
Forbes
14 hours ago
- General
- Forbes
Why The Most Effective Leaders Are Forged, Not Appointed
Business colleagues meeting in modern conference room The most impactful leaders aren't always those with the most polished résumés or the longest tenure in the boardroom. More often, they are those who have endured adversity, adapted under pressure, and emerged with hard-earned wisdom. Their authority doesn't stem from hierarchy—it's rooted in lived experience. And in an era when 82% of organizations admit to placing the wrong individuals in leadership roles (Gallup), that distinction has never been more critical. Leaders who lead from experience offer more than strategy or instruction—they offer perspective. They build trust not through perfection, but through presence. They bring a depth of understanding that resonates far beyond directives, sparking the kind of loyalty, motivation, and resilience that organizations can't fabricate. Vulnerability in leadership isn't weakness—it's strength in its most human form. When leaders have the courage to share their personal setbacks, professional stumbles, or moments of uncertainty, they normalize imperfection and create space for growth. This is the foundation of psychological safety, which research consistently links to innovation, collaboration, and team performance. I recently connected with fellow author Kathie FitzPatrick - a Stage 4 breast cancer survivor and author of Achieving Greater Health and Beauty After Breast Cancer - who stated, 'Authenticity fuels psychological safety, which in turn fuels innovation and performance. It's especially important for women to feel safe sharing vulnerabilities. When team members are empowered to take risks and admit what they don't know, the entire organization becomes more agile.' Janice Omadeke adds in a recent HRB article, 'Over the years, we've learned that leaders who create space for true vulnerability foster environments where people feel welcome to be themselves.' Leadership rooted in lived experience fosters connection, and connection builds trust—the currency of high-performing teams. Vulnerability is ineffective without empathy. True leadership requires the ability to see others—not just their outputs, but their context, emotions, and challenges. Empathetic leaders don't rush to solutions; they sit with complexity, ask better questions, and lead with compassion. Empathy, when combined with experience, becomes a multiplier. Leaders who have faced adversity—whether in business, health, or life—tend to develop a deeper understanding of others' struggles. According to a report from Catalyst, employees with highly empathic senior leaders report significantly higher engagement. This isn't soft leadership—it's smart leadership. Empathy improves retention, resilience, and results. If you're a leader who wants to leverage personal experience to empower others, consider these core practices: 1 - Share with intention. Don't tell stories for sympathy—tell them for clarity. 2 - Listen as much as you lead. Experience is valuable, but it must be balanced with active empathy. Make space for others' journeys, not just your own. 3 - Model continuous growth. Leadership is not a destination. Show that you're still evolving, still learning—this grants others permission to do the same. 4 - Be real, not rehearsed. People don't connect to polish—they connect to presence. At its core, leadership is not about controlling outcomes—it's about influencing people. And few things influence more profoundly than experience worn with humility and shared with purpose. Leaders who have struggled, adapted, and grown are uniquely equipped to guide others through change, complexity, and challenge. Their credibility doesn't come from a title—it comes from truth. And in today's turbulent business landscape, that kind of grounded, experience-driven leadership isn't a nice-to-have. It's a strategic imperative.
Harvard Business Review
2 days ago
- General
- Harvard Business Review
Hybrid work
Evidence suggests that it's hurting collaboration, exacerbating social isolation, and weakening culture. Here's how to fix it.
Geeky Gadgets
3 days ago
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Papra Open-Source Document Manager : Say Goodbye to File Chaos
What if managing your documents felt less like a chore and more like a seamless extension of your workflow? For businesses drowning in a sea of digital files, the need for an efficient, adaptable, and cost-effective solution has never been more urgent. Enter Papra, the open source document manager that's transforming how organizations handle their information. Unlike rigid proprietary systems, Papra offers a flexible and customizable framework that enables businesses to take control of their document management processes. Whether you're a small team or a sprawling enterprise, Papra promises to simplify the chaos of file organization while enhancing productivity and collaboration. In this coverage, DB Tech explore how Papra's open source technology redefines document management with its unique blend of functionality, accessibility, and innovation. From its intuitive design to its powerful automation tools, Papra is more than just a storage solution—it's a platform designed to evolve with your business. You'll discover how its features, such as advanced search filters, customizable workflows, and seamless integrations, address the challenges of modern document management. Could Papra be the key to unlocking a more efficient and future-proof way of working? Let's delve into what makes this platform a fantastic option for businesses navigating the complexities of the digital age. Papra: Open source Document Management The Importance of Efficient Document Management Managing digital files effectively is a critical challenge for businesses in today's data-driven world. The sheer volume of documents generated daily makes quick and reliable access to information an essential requirement. Without an efficient system, businesses risk losing valuable time and resources on manual searches and disorganized workflows. Papra addresses these challenges by offering a suite of features designed to optimize document management, including: Organizing files using categories and tags for better structure. Allowing fast retrieval through keywords, metadata, and advanced search filters. Eliminating inefficiencies caused by time-consuming manual processes. By reducing administrative burdens, Papra allows teams to focus on strategic priorities, improving productivity and operational efficiency. Customizable Solutions for Diverse Business Needs One of Papra's standout features is its high degree of customization, making it adaptable to the unique needs of any business. Unlike proprietary software that often enforces rigid workflows, Papra's open source framework enables users to tailor the platform to their specific requirements. Key customization options include: Seamless integration with existing tools and platforms to create a unified system. The ability to design custom workflows that align with your business processes. Creating personalized templates to ensure consistent document formatting. This flexibility makes Papra particularly valuable for businesses with specialized requirements or those planning to scale operations. By adapting to your processes rather than forcing you to conform to predefined structures, Papra ensures a smoother and more efficient workflow. Papra : The Open source Document Manager Watch this video on YouTube. Here are additional guides from our expansive article library that you may find useful on open source document management. Prioritizing Simplicity and Accessibility Papra is designed with usability in mind, offering an interface that balances simplicity with advanced functionality. Its intuitive design minimizes the learning curve, making it accessible even for users with limited technical expertise. Key usability features include: Clearly labeled menus that simplify navigation and reduce confusion. Drag-and-drop functionality for quick and effortless file uploads and organization. An interface that combines ease of use with robust capabilities for advanced users. This focus on user experience ensures that businesses can adopt Papra without the need for extensive training or ongoing technical support, making it an ideal solution for teams of all sizes. The Open source Advantage As an open source platform, Papra offers several distinct advantages over proprietary software. These benefits include: Significant cost savings by eliminating the need for expensive licensing fees. A collaborative development community that continuously enhances the platform. Access to a growing library of plugins and extensions for added functionality. The open source model ensures that Papra evolves alongside technological advancements and user feedback. This adaptability makes it a future-proof solution, capable of meeting the changing needs of businesses over time. Enhancing Workflows with Automation Papra goes beyond basic document storage by incorporating automation features that streamline workflows and reduce repetitive tasks. These automation tools include: Automatic categorization and tagging of documents to save time and improve organization. Version control capabilities that track changes and maintain document integrity. Additionally, Papra integrates seamlessly with other business tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems and project management software. This interconnected ecosystem allows information to flow effortlessly across platforms, enhancing overall efficiency and collaboration. A Comprehensive Solution for Modern Document Management Papra exemplifies the potential of open source technology in addressing the complexities of modern document management. By offering a platform that is both customizable and user-friendly, it meets the diverse needs of businesses while promoting efficiency and collaboration. Whether your goal is to organize digital files, streamline workflows, or reduce operational costs, Papra provides a robust and adaptable solution. With its focus on accessibility, innovation, and continuous improvement, Papra enables businesses to optimize their document management processes and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape. Media Credit: DB Tech Filed Under: Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Harvard Business Review
3 days ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
In Turbulent Times, Consider 'Strategic Subtraction'
Today, companies around the world face increasing economic and business uncertainty thanks to the volatile geopolitical environment and the rise of AI. In challenging contexts like this, it's tempting for business leaders to engage in ' subtractive ' tactics, such as cutting costs, streamlining operations, and eliminating waste. To be sure, subtractive actions can be a powerful way of dealing with emerging situations where resources are tight. However, they're shortsighted if the goal is only to improve efficiency at the cost of other objectives, such as resilience and visibility. Rather than simply using subtractive tactics to make indiscriminate cuts, strategic subtraction can help you innovate in a way that positions your organization to withstand the tumult and even rebound. This article introduces a 'triple test' to help leaders gauge how any subtractive move will affect three essential performance goals: efficiency, resilience, and prominence. We then map out six distinct subtractive transformations you can apply to meet all three objectives in concert. The Triple Test for Subtractive Strategies The effective use of subtraction requires a holistic approach that considers multiple performance dimensions beyond efficiency. Begin by asking, 'How can we innovate in turbulent times by subtracting to improve efficiency, strengthen resilience, and elevate our prominence?' For any innovation to thrive in 2025's complex landscape, the use of subtraction must include three interrelated business performance goals: Efficiency: Minimizing resources, time, and effort Resilience: Adapting to disruptions and maintaining core functionality Prominence: Ensuring visibility and appeal to stakeholders Relentlessly slimming a system for pure efficiency can leave it brittle and invisible, eroding long-term value instead of creating it. For example, when firms pursued 'just-in-time' inventory as the ultimate cost saver, many discovered during the Covid-19 shock that a penny shaved off warehousing was quickly lost to plant shutdowns, empty shelves, and public frustration when the fragile networks snapped. It was evidence that efficiency unsupported by resilience invites operational paralysis and revenue loss. A starker lesson came from Boeing. Many years of aggressive cost-cutting on the 737 Max program trimmed design hours and testing budgets. However, the subsequent crashes created more than $20 billion in direct costs and torpedoed decades of brand equity, showing how neglecting trust, reputation, and stakeholder confidence can turn short-term savings into an existential bill. Subtraction that doesn't pass the full triple test of efficiency, resilience, and prominence can turn today's lean victory into tomorrow's catastrophic liability. Six Core Subtractive Transformations So, how can businesses leaders go beyond efficiency improvements and use subtraction to innovate? Our experience in helping over 100 companies and organizations identify innovation opportunities in turbulent times suggests six distinct ways to apply subtractive thinking while balancing efficiency, resilience, and prominence. These can be applied to processes, systems, products, and services: Elimination: Remove components, steps, or options entirely This involves complete or selective removal of elements that no longer serve essential functions. Elimination can target entire components, specific process steps, low-value options, unnecessary rules, or redundant handoffs. For example, when IKEA finally discontinued its globally iconic paper catalog in 2021, it removed an entire cost-intensive print channel. This action saved the company an estimated 33,000 tons of paper each year. Efficiency rose through lower production and distribution spend; resilience improved because all product storytelling now updates instantly on digital platforms; and the move burnished prominence by signaling a decisive sustainability stance that resonated with younger shoppers. Substitution: Replace complex elements with simpler alternatives This involves swapping out complicated components, processes, or systems with simpler alternatives that serve the same core function more elegantly. An example is Rwanda's national health service, which replaced unreliable mountain-road couriers with U.S.-based drone startup Zipline's battery-powered drones in 2016 to address blood-delivery issues in rural areas. A 2022 study in The Lancet Global Health reported a 67% cut in expired blood units as a result. The light, all-electric fleet required less labor and fuel (boosting efficiency), eliminated the need to traverse hazardous flooded roads (resilience), and the move elevated the country's global reputation for healthcare innovation (prominence). Consolidation: Combine multiple functions into integrated solutions This encompasses both compression of processes and integration of multiple functions, components, or touchpoints into unified systems that deliver the same value with fewer moving parts. For instance, Estonia's e-Residency rolls multiple bureaucratic tasks into a single digital ID. Using this system, entrepreneurs worldwide can launch and run an EU-based company entirely online with one smartcard login. Paperless filings reduce administrative burdens (efficiency), a cryptographically secure backbone guards continuity (resilience), and the program earns Estonia prominence by positioning it as a tiny nation punching far above its weight in digital governance. Hiding: Conceal complexity while keeping it accessible Organizations can lighten cognitive load—without sacrificing functionality—by selectively hiding complexity in everyday workflows, processes, and products. Tuck away non-essential elements from the primary interface while preserving access when needed. For example, an employee-onboarding portal might reveal only the next required step while keeping full policy documents accessible with a single click. Or consider an AI-powered transcription and collaboration tool. Its 'Highlight' feature masks 100% of the transcript until you need it. The AI meeting tool now autogenerates a bite-sized summary from user highlights, tucking the verbatim transcript beneath a single click. Teams spend less time scrolling (efficiency), the records are preserved for audits (resilience), and the feature positions Otter as a user-centric productivity champion (prominence). Pausing: Temporarily suspend system components Pausing involves strategically suspending features, processes, or services that can be reactivated when conditions change instead of eliminating them altogether. For example, using Netflix's one-click ' Pause Membership,' subscribers can freeze billing for up to three months instead of cancelling outright. This mini-sabbatical saves churn and winback costs (efficiency), keeps account data intact for seamless reactivation (resilience), and signals empathy toward customers that distinguishes Netflix in the subscription wars (prominence). Abstraction: Create interface layers that shield users from complexity This involves building simplified interfaces that translate user inputs into complex backend operations, making sophisticated systems accessible without requiring users to understand the underlying intricacies. AWS abstracts complex infrastructure management, allowing developers to focus on deployment without dealing with physical servers (efficiency) while accelerating innovation (resilience). The platform's simplified interface masks enormous backend complexity, positioning AWS as the go-to solution for scalable computing (prominence). How to Make Subtraction a Default Strategy Leaders can make subtraction a core capability by adopting a few practical strategies—not in isolation, but as part of a broader shift toward doing better by doing less: Build subtraction into core processes Rather than treating subtraction as a one-off decision, it should be embedded into how teams plan and prioritize. Leaders can introduce 'stop-doing' reviews alongside traditional goal-setting exercises. In these reviews, teams examine their workflows, tools, and deliverables and identify what no longer adds value. Elimination helps cut extraneous steps that contribute little to outcomes, while consolidation removes unnecessary handoffs or approval loops. Hiding can be used to remove low-value offerings or services that confuse customers or dilute strategic focus. By building these forms of subtraction into annual or quarterly planning, organizations improve efficiency and maintain strategic alignment without expanding complexity. Introduce subtractive design challenges Subtractive design challenges shift problem-solving away from accumulation and toward essential value. Rather than asking teams how to improve a process by adding new elements, ask how the same result can be achieved with fewer steps, features, or constraints. Consolidation allows teams to condense workflows into fewer steps without loss of quality. Substitution invites smaller, more elegant solutions that are easier to use and maintain. Abstraction encourages replacing complex interfaces with simpler alternatives. Each of these approaches supports efficiency by reducing operational drag. They also support resilience, since simpler systems are less prone to failure and easier to troubleshoot. Design challenges make subtraction a creative constraint rather than a limiting one. Celebrate subtraction done well Subtraction is frequently overlooked, which makes its benefits easy to ignore. Leaders can encourage recognition by asking teams not only to log what they've stopped doing, but also to celebrate that as an achievement. This simple habit turns subtraction into an acknowledged source of value worthy of praise. Techniques such as elimination and pausing help make these removals deliberate accomplishments. Eliminating a redundant task can improve efficiency by reducing time wasted and deserves recognition as a meaningful contribution. Pausing low-impact projects keeps future options open while concentrating on current efforts—another strategic decision worth celebrating. Recognizing and honoring subtraction reinforces the idea that removal with strategic intent is a sign of progress, not neglect. Using Gen AI to Support Subtractive Transformation Generative AI tools can help you identify subtractive opportunities that humans might miss. For example, for illustrative purposes, we prompted Google Gemini 2.5 and Claude 4 to craft the following subtractive ideas for a large healthcare provider in India using the six approaches described above: 'Generate actionable subtractive-innovation ideas for [Company Name] that deliver equal or better value with fewer steps, lower cost, or less complexity while simultaneously maintaining or boosting resilience and maintaining or improving prominence/visibility. For each of [the six approaches], suggest at least one concrete idea.' The output has been lightly edited for clarity: Elimination: Eliminate physical outpatient follow-ups for stable chronic conditions using teleconsultations to boost patient convenience (efficiency), ensure care continuity (resilience), and position [Company] as a tech-forward provider (prominence). Consolidation: Consolidate patient touchpoints (appointments, reports, payments, pre-assessment) into a single mobile app to streamline the patient journey (efficiency), centralize communication (resilience), and enhance digital accessibility (prominence). Substitution: Replace traditional paper-based patient intake with voice-activated digital forms, reducing data entry errors (efficiency), improving record accuracy (resilience), and showcasing innovation leadership (prominence). Hiding: Implement smart triage systems that hide complexity from patients while ensuring they reach appropriate care levels, reducing wait times (efficiency), maintaining care quality (resilience), and improving patient satisfaction (prominence). Pausing: Introduce flexible appointment scheduling that allows patients to pause and reschedule appointments without penalty, reducing no-shows (efficiency), maintaining doctor–patient relationships (resilience), and demonstrating patient-centric care (prominence). Abstraction: Create a single patient portal that abstracts all healthcare interactions behind a unified interface, simplifying access (efficiency), ensuring continuity across services (resilience), and positioning [Company] as a digitally advanced provider (prominence). By explicitly directing the AI model to consider subtractive options of various types, organizations can overcome the human tendency to add and discover more elegant solutions that balance multiple performance goals beyond just efficiency. . . . In an era when every competitor is racing to add more features, channels, data, and spend, the real differentiator is the courage to remove. Subtraction is neither austerity nor minimalism; it's strategic design. By carving away the non-essential, leaders create the white space where breakthroughs can grow and position their organizations to be first off-the-blocks when the rebound arrives.
Harvard Business Review
4 days ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
Market research
Latest Use this framework to mitigate the risks. Save Share From the July–August 2025 Issue Here's how marketers should prepare for the inevitable. Save Share From the July–August 2025 Issue Color symbolism guides are a helpful starting point, but there are many factors that go into how your logo is perceived. How to sell your product when generative AI becomes the consumer. Six strategies for getting people to love—and buy from—your AI chatbot. A successful go-to-market strategy requires good communication from the C-suite. How user-centric product design can enable both. Save Share From the May–June 2025 Issue In a world full of distractions, your best strategy may be to embrace them. Save Share April 21, 2025 An analysis of over 110,000 online reviews shows that persuasiveness depends on how frequently the item in question is likely to be purchased. Save Share February 18, 2025 Frequent reviewers have more stringent standards, which can lower scores for high-quality products. Here's how to fix that. Save Share January 09, 2025 A survey of 937 organizations found that many remain stuck in a counterproductive approach to making deals. Save Share December 18, 2024 The future belongs to the products that adapt to new contexts and create sustainable value over time. Save Share December 18, 2024 A study of 275,000 customers found that the option to pay in installments increased revenue — but was used most by financially constrained shoppers. Save Share November 26, 2024 The five dimensions to consider—and how AI can help Save Share From the November–December 2024 Issue Consumers change and grow. Your offerings should, too. Save Share From the November–December 2024 Issue Retailers can use discounting to generate sales without damaging a brand's reputation. Save Share September 25, 2024 A team of academics studied what happened when Yelp and Wayfair labeled products made by Black- and Latinx-owned businesses. Save Share August 13, 2024
