For most small virtual projects that require communication among 5 people or less, you probably don’t need to use any sophisticated project management or online collaboration software to manage them. Instead, you can just use a combination of free online tools such as Google Docs, Doodle, and Skype. Here are five simple steps to help you set up and manage a small project (the templates I use below refer to a graduate school course project that includes writing a final report & ... Read More
Japanese Perfection and Why You Need to be Specific in Your Requests
I’m reading a book called “Reframing Organizations” by Lee Bolman & Terrence Deal (Jossey-Bass, 2008) for an Organizational Behavior course I’m taking and I came across a hilarious section which refers to an encounter between two companies in the 1970s or 1980s. The first is an American company which needed ball bearings and the second is a Japanese plant that made them. Here’s what apparently happened: Although the book’s main point was more about the difference in company standards ... Read More