Lots of interesting items come across my screen every week.  Here are some that didn't make it into the blog this week, but which may make interesting reading for you this weekend. 

This week I'm pointing you to articles about how to manage your stars, innovation, CEOs out talking to customers, information sharing and knowledge retention in intelligence agencies, and new ways to opt back in to the workplace.

From HBS Working Knowledge: The Key to Managing Stars? Think Team
"A new study by Harvard Business School's Boris Groysberg and Linda-Eling Lee on star knowledge workers, specifically security analysts, addresses these questions. As they explain in a forthcoming article in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, it is true that a star's past performance indicates future performance—but the quality of colleagues in his or her organization also has a significant impact on the ability to maintain the highest quality output."

Wally's Comment: This is the latest of many studies that have found that, no matter how bright the star, he or she will perform better in a place where there's a team orientation.

From CEO Forum: Innovation Watch
"With consumers demanding more and more choices in most markets, the ability to bring a consistent stream of new products to market has become a more important competency than ever before. Trevor Carroll, Managing Director, Electrolux Home Products, Australia and New Zealand, describes how his company approaches the task."

Wally's Comment: There's good stuff in here on the importance of design teams actually viewing the product in the places and situations where it will be used.  And it's not just design teams that are hitting the road.

From the Wall Street Journal: CEOs Are Spending More Quality Time with Their Customers
"Top executives like Mr. Otellini find they are working more closely than ever with their customers, and listening and responding to their requests for product customization or service and training. They are becoming involved even in the nitty-gritty of contract negotiations."

Wally's Comment: CEOs should be a key outward face of the organization and not just to securities analysts and journalists.

From Defense News: U.S. Intel Agencies Modernize Info Sharing
"The U.S. intelligence community, which is struggling to share information as its corps of midlevel analysts thins, is turning to programs familiar to any teenager, senior intelligence officials said. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is building online libraries and launching variations of Wikipedia and MySpace on its intranet to distribute data, said Tom Fingar, deputy director of national intelligence for analysis."

Wally's Comment: Think about the knowledge transfer issue at your place.  You might find some help in this article.  It includes technological solutions to knowledge retention that I mentioned in my white paper.

From the New York Times: After Baby, Boss Comes Calling
"But now it is time for another phrase, “opting back in,” a term that not only describes Ms. Stepnowski’s decision to return, but also reflects the growing acceptance by business of a nonlinear career. It’s a movement that’s still in its infancy. And it is hard to separate lip-service by companies from true commitment for the moment. But should it take hold — should the stopping and starting, the ramping down and revving back up of a career become the norm — it would transform the workplace.

Numbers are driving the trend. There has been a 6 percent falloff in labor force participation among married mothers, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But those women are not leaving permanently. They stay out an average of 2.2 years, according to research by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, the founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, whose book 'Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success' (Harvard Business School Press) is just out. Then they try to opt back in. “Ninety-three percent of off-ramped women are trying to get back on track,” Ms. Hewlett says, and while 74 percent do find work, only 40 percent find work they call satisfying. "

Wally's Comment: Technology and a changing workplace and attitudes are making it easier for women who want to take time off to have children to return to a career.

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Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

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