I'm a writer, consultant and an Organizational Generalist. My main interest is helping my clients engineer solutions to the problems facing them.
Ohio
Joined December 2008
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I posted a new tool to my site. It’s called the Fitness and Stability Matrix, and you can access it at nickols.us/FitnessandStabili…
In the workplace, to perform requires us to change things and that requires control. Control Theory can teach us a lot about human behavior and performance. For a basic look at people as living control systems, see nickols.us/LCSABasicView.pdf
One of my favorite tools is The Goals Grid. It’s a simple 2 x 2 matrix but it packs a wallop. nickols.us/The_Goals_Grid.pd…
You know what a “skull works” is, right? It’s a place where knowledge works gets accomplished, documented, and shared. Here’s a link to my skull works. skullworks.com
I am a steadfast fan of Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), which is a view of people as “living control systems.” I have written numerous papers exploring its application to the workplace. You can find them at this link. gap-act.com
Some people are having trouble with the link to the Solution-Engineering site. If you are, try this one instead: nickols.us/solutionengineeri…
I am more a fan of engineering a solution than I am of solving a problem. It’s a big difference. For more of my views about the practice of Solution Engineering (and solving problems) click on the link. solution-engineering.com
For a comprehensive look at what is involved in achieving results, and how they are achieved, see “An Achievement Manifesto.” I suggest you read it one section at a time. There are five of them. nickols.us/AchievementManife…
If you don’t know what PCT is, you should. Here’s a brief, easy to read, introduction by its creator, William T. Powers: “PCT for the Beginner.” nickols.us/PCTForTheBeginner…
Thanks to the COVID pandemic, these are hard times, making everything more difficult, especially change management. Here are some ideas about Change Management in Hard Times. nickols.us/cminhardtimes.pdf
People often lament that the urgent displaces the important. Well, that’s the way it should be. Read on and see why. nickols.us/Urgent_vs_Importa…
In working with a client I had occasion to review with him three basic business priorities. The gist of our discussion should prove useful to others. nickols.us/ThreeBasicBusines…
This is far and away the most popular paper on my web site. “Writing Good Work Objectives.” nickols.us/work_objectives.p…
Food for thought for those with an interest in sustainability. “From Start Up to Shut Down: The Rise and Fall of an Organization.” nickols.us/StartUptoShutDown…
The July Knowledge Worker Column is titled "Behavior Control Theory." It is about behavior as control, now how to control behavior. nickols.us/BehaviorControlTh…
All organizations have a “performance architecture” consisting of three interacting and related domains of performance: behavioral, operational and financial. The more you know about them, the better. nickols.us/UnderstandingPerf…
Whether you’re a trainer, an OD specialist, a management consultant or even a manager on staff, sooner or later you’ll be asked to hook what you do to the bottom line. You need some kind of intervention logic. nickols.us/intervention_logi…