How to reverse and overcome the obsession with busyness

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In the last blog, we learnt about the culture of busyness. Busyness refers to the pressure society places on individuals to constantly be active and productive, frequently at the price of their relationships and personal well-being. Because of the various adverse effects of busyness, organisations are looking for ways to combat the scourge.

According to psychologists’ findings, people tend to value something more when they work harder to achieve it. This tendency is popularly known as ‘effort justification’, and people feel more committed to a task when more effort is involved, even when the task is meaningless. While the employees go into an ‘automatic mode’, managers tend to make decisions based on institutional knowledge and culture, which are just bad habits.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the constant stream of responsibilities and tasks that we have to manage

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the constant stream of responsibilities and tasks we must manage. With the rise of technology and the increasing demands of work and personal life, it can feel like we are always busy and never have enough time to get everything done. However, there are ways to overcome this feeling of busyness and regain control of our lives.

Here are some tips to help you manage your time more effectively and achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life:

Prioritise your tasks and eliminate low-value work

One of the most effective ways to overcome busyness is prioritising tasks. Many organisations dump shallow work on the employees, such as reporting, unnecessary meetings, data work etc. This does not allow them to do deep work reducing productivity. Organisations should focus on employee-engaging activities rather than just keeping them on the clock. Make lists of everything you need to do and rank them in order of importance. This will help you focus on the most critical tasks and ensure you are not wasting time on less important activities.

A lot of organisations dump shallow work on the employees, such as unnecessary meetings

Learn to say no and delegate tasks

Often, busyness is a result of taking on too many commitments. Learn to say no to requests that are not essential or do not align with your priorities. This will help you free up time to focus on the tasks that are most important to you. If you have too many tasks to manage, consider delegating some of them to others. This can help you free up time and focus on the tasks that are most important to you. Delegating can also help you develop your team members’ skills and build trust in your relationships.

If you have too many tasks to manage, consider delegating some of them to others.

Set the right behaviour and take breaks

Companies can overcome busyness by setting the correct examples. Leaders should neither themselves nor let the employees burn the midnight oil. Taking regular breaks throughout the day can help you recharge and refocus.

Schedule short breaks throughout your day to stretch, take a walk, or simply relax

Schedule short breaks throughout your day to stretch, walk, or relax. This can help reduce stress and increase productivity.

Set boundaries by rewarding output, not just activity.

It is essential to set boundaries to manage your time effectively. This means saying no to distractions and interruptions that can derail your work.

Communicate your boundaries clearly

Communicate your boundaries clearly to others and set expectations about when and how you will be available. Employees are at risk of overwork and burnout by not setting boundaries and encouraging performance-based pay. Instead, output quality should be the measure for assessing compensation and rewards.

Practice self-care

Finally, taking care of yourself is critical to overcoming busyness. This means getting enough rest, eating well, and engaging in activities that help you relax and recharge. Prioritising self-care amongst employees can help you reduce stress, improve your focus, and increase your overall well-being. Organisations should follow a generous vacation allowance. Research shows that employees who are offered unlimited vacation end up taking less time off. And most of employees work during their vacation. Such incentives should not only be responsibility of the government but on the companies.

Taking care of yourself is critical to overcoming busyness

In conclusion, busyness is a common issue that many of us face in today’s fast-paced world. However, by prioritising your tasks, learning to say no, taking breaks, using technology to your advantage, delegating tasks, setting boundaries, and practising self-care, you can overcome this feeling and achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life.

What are your views? Let us know in the comments below.

What is globalisation?

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I don’t know if you have noticed, but many of the online master’s degree programmes we at Robert Kennedy College offer either have the word Global or International in them. Why do you think that is? Is it because of “globalisation”?

Business globalisation. Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash.

I know the word is self-explanatory, but we have to start somewhere, so let us begin with the meaning of globalisation. According to the BBC, Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected due to massively increased trade and cultural exchange.

How has this come about?

The first thing that happened was transport became cheaper and faster. We invented the wheel, then the steam engine, then the combustion engine, and so on. People and goods were able to be moved around the world almost overnight and in large quantities.

Then the communication boom. From snail mail to the telephone, it took a bit of time. Then came the era of mobile phones and the internet, and everything changed. The changes seen just in the last 25 years have been miraculous. The world has been brought closer together (Only in business. In every other way, the world is still pretty divided). Companies have become truly multinational and cross border trade – a mundane reality. At this rate, Gene Roddenberry’s vision in Star Trek of an Earth utopia could become a reality (fingers crossed here).

Advances in communication technology changed how we do business. Photo by Stellan Johansson on Unsplash.

Now, if you combine the two (travel and communication), what you get is globalisation.

To understand this better, let us take Apple Inc. as an example – Designed in California, Made in China. The iPhone may be designed in California, but everything that goes into the iPhone is global. The phone itself is manufactured in China with semiconductors sourced from Italy and Germany, memory chips and processors from South Korea, wi-fi and Bluetooth from Japan, and minerals from Mongolia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

While this looks impressive, what is really impressive is the Supply Chain Management that must go on behind the scenes. Apple sells upwards of about two hundred million iPhones a year globally, and they bring out new models of the phone every year. This means the material has to be sourced, the components manufactured, the phone assembled/manufactured and then shipped to ensure they reach the customers’ hands-on time. All this has to be carried out like clockworks across multiple countries. Let’s face it, none of us has any patients anymore, and if there is a delay, I am going to Samsung (Oops, I already have, but for a different reason).

How does Apple Inc. sell 200 million iPhones a year? Supply Chain Management! Photo by Kyle Ryan on Unsplash.

For all this to happen, the communication behind the scene has to be real-time, continuous and spot-on. The shipment planning has to be on-time and seamless. Because remember, you are operating across countries here.

There are a lot of positives to globalisation, such as creating jobs and new income in poorer communities, thereby giving them food and a roof over their heads, making a cheaper yet high-quality product for the customer, and keeping manufacturing costs low, thereby enabling the company to invest the money into some other aspect of the business (hopefully no into the pockets of the executives), just to name a few.

While it is hoped that working with companies from developed nations, the local business partner will be able to adapt the best business practices from the developed countries and raise the standard of living of its employees, the reality is companies still need to secure future contracts with the “big fish”, and the way to do that is by giving a lowball quote on future services. They get this done by cutting corners, cutting wages, and cutting the workforce by increasing the workload.

While this is more likely with companies operating in blue colure job segments, it comes down to the laws of the nation they are operating within at the end of the day. If the countries have strong labour laws and enforce them, then this is less likely to happen.

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash.

Then there is the question of what happens to the people whose jobs just got outsourced? Are they being retrained and upskilled, or are they just let go? Do companies pass on the cost-benefit of outsourcing to the end-user?

So, while outsourcing and globalisation can be great to the bottom-line of any organisation, companies must ensure ethical business practices of their partners because no one else will. Companies must also provide training and upskilling of their employees before outsourcing because a strong and happy workforce is the backbone of any organisation.

If you are ready to be an efficient and knowledgeable global/international business manager, consider joining one of our 100% online master’s degree programmes. Chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors today.

Understanding International Intellectual Property Rights

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After reading the title of this week’s blog, I am sure some of you might be wondering why I chose to write on this topic; the blog will be long, convoluted, and tedious. And you would be wrong. This blog is going to be short and sweet.

There is no such thing as International Intellectual Property (IP) Rights. The end. 😀 

Copyright is a type of intellectual property right

The fact of the matter is IP rights are territorial. Each country creates its IP rights through national laws, and the laws can govern conduct only within that nation’s boundaries. However, there are several international IP treaties that establish ground rules such as how long should copyright or pattern last, defining what constitutes a trademark, etc. What these treaties do for the countries that join them is provide standards and a baseline for all to follow, thereby providing more protection and confidence to creators and inventors seeking to safeguard their creations.

The most crucial minimum standard set up by these treaties is the principle of National Treatment.

Under national treatment, a country that grants particular rights, benefits, or privileges to its own citizens must also grant those advantages to the citizens of other states while they are in that country. In the context of international agreements, a state must provide equal treatment to citizens of the other states participating in the agreement. Imported and locally produced goods should be treated equally — at least after the foreign goods have entered the market. The same goes for services, trademarks, and copyrights and patents.

Principles of the trading system, World Trade Organization

It means that countries that have signed these treaties must guarantee the same IP protection to foreigners that they provide to their citizens.

One of the first international treaties to recognise creators’ rights was the Berne Convention in 1886 for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. It provides creators such as authors, musicians, poets, painters etc., with the means to control how their work is used, by whom, and on what terms.

I know this is cliché, but international IP rights have taken on new importance with globalisation. Most significant businesses operate beyond their local boundaries and are truly multinational.  Trade is global, and there is no iron curtain. So, it is understandable that companies or creators want to protect their creations and maximise returns on their investments. This results in IP rights playing a significant role in international trade.

Sellers of pure IP products such as movies, literature, art, software, etc., will usually only sell to countries with robust IP rights.

Movies, literature, art.. Pure IP products

Today, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency under the United Nations, is responsible for promoting and protecting intellectual property across the world by cooperating with countries and international organizations. However, even if a signatory country does renege on IP rights, there is still no way to enforce any punishment, as IP rights are territorial and have to be enforced by the county itself.

It is also a fact that five developed countries receive around 90% of all technology royalties and licencing fees. This means that for developing nations to have access to the latest technologies or medication, they will have to pay a premium. As a result, developed and developing countries have very different attitudes towards IP.

Developed or first world countries try to maximise the economic benefits they get for their creations/services through strong IP rights/laws, arguing that robust IP rights are necessary to protect their significant investments in developing their products. Hence, if a developing country has strong IP laws, it is generally considered an excellent trading partner by most developed countries.

On the other hand, developing nations need modern technology and medication to advance and compete with other countries and improve the standard of living of their citizens. Developing nations can view strong IP rights as a tool the developed nations use to either deny or restrict access to modern technology, preventing them from growing or, in some cases, even surviving, making them reliant on the developed nation.

So, who is right? We all fall on one side or the other, and both have valid points of view.

Understanding International IP is not easy. It can be convoluted and complex, and at the end of the day, it depends on the laws of the country you operate in.

Get a handle on international business and learn to make informed decisions with our one year 100% online master’s degree programmes. Chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer and the application process.

Business Strategy – The art of corporate war

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From the title of this blog, I am sure some of you might be wondering why I am channelling Sun Tzu.

Statue of Sun Tzu in Yurihama, Tottori, in Japan

Let’s start with the origins of the word ‘strategy’. ‘Strategy’ is originally derived from the Greek word ‘strategos’, which means the art of the general. In other words, the origin of strategy comes from the art of war, and specifically the role of the General in war. In the 2nd century B.C., when Sun Tzu wrote the ‘Art of War’, his writing’s message was plain – to win. 

Despite ‘strategy’ becoming an often-used buzz word in management, there still seems to be a lot of confusion between ‘goals’ and ‘strategy’. To explain this and in keeping with the war theme, let us consider Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. Imagine a time long ago, Alexander has decided to strive for immortality by creating a true world empire. He calls his generals together and states that his strategy is to build this empire. 

Statue of Alexander the Great in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece

I am not saying that he said that in those exact words because there is no way of knowing what he thought or who he consulted. Hypothetically, if he said that this was his strategy, then that is the wrong use of the term strategy. That was his ‘goal’ – to conquer the world. How he went about conquering the world was the strategy he used.

Now that we have established that ‘strategy’ directly correlates to a general’s role, let us understand what the role of a general is?

A general’s role is not to fight the war but to tell others how to fight the war. It is the general’s vision of how the battles are to take place that is to be carried out, and his orchestration of all the different pieces that will result in the failure or success of his vision. His role is to see the big picture, see what the unit commanders cannot, see the whole, and orchestrate all the units’ positioning to achieve his vision.

Business is also a kind of war, and the casualty of this war is the shareholder’s investment. The Chief Executives’ challenges are similar to that of the generals – to develop strategies that will lead to victory. 

So, how do executives develop strategies that will lead to victory?

In my opinion, four key questions need to be answered by your strategy to be classified as a good strategy.

Where is our market?

You must identify the battlefield that will provide you with the best advantage, like Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, recognised a field near Waterloo in Belgium to defeat the might of Napoléon Bonaparte. It is essential that an executive correctly identifies the markets that will maximise the profits or reduce costs for his goods and services. 

Field Marshal His Grace The Duke of Wellington

What is our unique selling proposition (USP)? 

During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoléon Bonaparte, for the most part, was the undisputed ruler of Europe. Logically, he should have strangled and run England into the ground. But England had correctly identified two of its biggest strengths – trade and the Royal Navy and used them to not only stay afloat but to ultimately win the war. So, identify the unique value(s) your product or service offers and how it will best benefit the identified market.

The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, by Jacques-Louis David, 1812

What are our resources and capabilities?

Resources refer to the things we have in our toolbox that can be brought to bear for our benefit. It may be capital – either human or monetary, superior technology, something intangible like brand equity, or tangible, like a diamond mine. How well you utilise what is in your toolbox for maximum benefit depends on your capability. During the Napoleonic Wars, England had a mighty naval fleet (resources), but that by itself is of no benefit as France also had a mighty fleet. What England had were great sailors and leaders like Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, among others, capable of wielding the resource (Royal Navy) more effectively.

Vice-Admiral The Right Honourable The Viscount Nelson

Sustainability

Once you have identified your USP and identified your capabilities and resources, how can you sustain in the markets you have identified – to continue to win over time. Even after Admiral Nelson’s death during the Battle of Trafalgar, England did not fall apart; they continued to martial their resources and continued to develop their capabilities to hold France across the Channel.

While the above points give us an idea of what strategy we should employ, they also indicate what we should not be doing. We should not operate in markets where we add no value or do not have the resources or capabilities to maintain sustainable growth. 

A good strategy, while letting us know what we should be doing and why, should also inform us where our boundaries are and what we should not be doing.

I am sure I don’t have to tell you all that this blog is in no way comprehensive and barely scratches the surface on business strategy or strategy in general. Please feel free to add value to it by sharing your thoughts and experiences on developing ‘strategy’. Happy to hear from you!

Please watch this space for similar posts. Strategy forms an integral part of most of our online master’s degree programmes. You can chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer, the application process, and for details on discounts we might be offering at this time.