I was watching the evening news the other night and Brian Williams reported that unemployment was up, the stock market was crashing and the Fed was attempting to save the economy by cutting interest rates, all to fend off what he described as an imminent recession.

Worker productivity is higher than it has ever been as companies have tightened their financial belts over the last 18 to 24 months. Individuals have been, and continue to perform their duties as well as the duties of others, as positions have been eliminated and not replaced. 

The following five solutions are based upon our experience and observations of American business and some of the recent trends that have been emerging.  These solutions can be implemented within any organization, large or small, within any industry and are not dependent on or affected by organizational structure.

We still see organizations that are “squatting to rise,” and if they don’t make some adjustments quickly prior to the economy’s complete recovery, they may find themselves “cooked in the squat.”  This article outlines 8 action steps based on our observations and experience that if implemented, will enable organizations like those biscuits, to rise rather than being “cooked in the squat.”

During the last eighteen months executive turnover has become higher than it ever has been in history, throughout nearly all developed nations. According to our contacts in the U.S. and international executive search communities approximately 50% of that activity has resulted from voluntary executive departures, approximately 30% of that activity has resulted from involuntary executive departures, and approximately 20% of that activity has resulted from newly established executive positions.

One aspect of organizational culture and performance that is frequently overlooked, but nonetheless has a significant impact on company financial and market performance is that of Reasoning Style.  The manner with which organizations ­reason through challenges and opportunities appears to be one of the three largest factors related to financial performance and business expansion.

A universal and expensive challenge for each and every business around the globe is that of compensating employees for their efforts. This challenge is more complex in the United States than in most other countries due to the convergence of federal, state and local laws and because of the presence of many pay methods within U.S. business.