Tuesday 12 July 2011

New Bluegem logo

Thanks to Adam Boreham at Reaction Visual Media Ltd, Bluegem now have a new logo. Jane and I feel that this new, fresh look really encapsulates what Bluegem is about and where we are heading.

Thursday 7 July 2011

The Impact of Equality & Diversity on Business Results

JC Penny recently worked with Rutgers University and the University of Houston to look at the impact on their stores retail sales in relation to the diversity climate experienced by managers and staff. The researchers found that mean sales growth increased 10.23 percent at retail stores where both subordinates and managers believed that there was a strong pro-diversity climate, compared with just 3.25 percent growth at stores where subordinates and managers both held a negative opinion of the diversity climate. This illustrated the real impact on the bottom line that a proactive approach to Equality & Diversity can have. The researchers suggested that if the diversity climate could be improved at the 130 lowest performing JC Penny stores it could translate to a $44.6 million increase in sales.  To discuss how you can develop a positive diversity climate in your organisation call 08444 827280.

Are You a Collaborative Leader?

In the July/August issue of Harvard Business Review there is an interesting article centred on the question of “Are you a collaborative leader?” by Herminia Ibarra and Morten T Hansen. They outline the need for collaboration in business in the Social Media age, but also caution against trying to collaborate and reach consensus on everything.  Key elements to doing this well from top CEOs include role modelling collaborative behaviours, seeking to connect people both within and outside the organisation and knowing how and when to keep teams from getting bogged down in discussion. To illustrate the article the authors draw upon the strategies of executives from companies including GE and Akamai.  To discuss how you can develop leadership behaviours in your organisation call 08444 827280.

The BluegemLearning Blog


Welcome to the new Bluegem Learning & Development blog. Over the coming weeks we will be posting updates, thoughts and reviews of topics relating to Bluegem and other areas of business interest. I hope you enjoy and please let us have your comments.