Apple's unusual corporate structure could be a problem

Build passion into your customer service | Changing a company takes years of effort | Apple's unusual corporate structure could be a problem Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version] November 29, 2016 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Google+] [SmartBrief on Leadership] [SmartBrief on Leadership] Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP] ⋅ [FORWARD] Leading Edge [Build passion into your customer service] The level of passion your service-level employees bring to interactions with customers is critical, writes Alaina Love, who describes her positive experience with Apple support. There are five tenets to service design as articulated by Thomas Stewart and Patricia O'Connell, the last being that "you're never done." [SmartBrief/Leadership] (11/28) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Changing a company takes years of effort] A corporate transformation can start off well but falter months and years on as companies lapse into old habits, write four McKinsey partners. Don't end transition programs too quickly or back off the details if you desire to create "a repeatable, replicable process that will drive better and better results long after the transformation is over." [McKinsey Quarterly (free registration)] (11/2016) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] 7 Helpful Tips to Get Your Business in Shape Ever feel like you take too long to do something that should be simple? Or feel like your business's processes just have way too many steps? Don't worry — help is here. [Download seven ways to up your efficiency today!] ADVERTISEMENT Strategic Management [Apple's unusual corporate structure could be a problem] [Apple's unusual corporate structure could be a problem] (George Frey/Getty Images) Apple is unlike most large corporations in that it structures itself by functional groups rather than by each line of business, writes Matt Yglesias. That is a difficult path to take, and it may be why non-core Apple products, like the Mac Pro, are receiving relatively little attention "because it's not anyone's job to make it happen," he argues. [Vox] (11/27) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Embrace Disruptive Innovation Traditional business is constantly being impacted by overwhelming and sudden shifts in the marketplace. This new normal is "disruptive innovation". Read this white paper to learn what disruptive innovation is and how your company can use cloud ERP to stay in the game. [Download the white paper >] ADVERTISEMENT Smarter Communication [The sound of silence can be insightful] Effective leaders know that there is as much to be gleaned from silence as there is from conversation, writes Scott Cochrane. Silence may mean that your team isn't producing results, is unhappy or isn't engaged with the work's purpose. [A Leader's Journey blog] (11/24) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Get with the flow. How payment processing affects cash flow. Cash flow is the lubricant of business. Without a healthy cash flow, business dries up. It stops. It can't function. Which is why it is vital to keep the revenues coming in as the expenses go out. But there's one aspect of cash flow that many of us are not aware of. It is how managing credit cards and other such non-cash payments affect cash flow. Turns out it has a huge affect. [Download the free guide today]. ADVERTISEMENT Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [Do what you can with what you have] Having too few resources should mean that you find another way to accomplish something, not to say "I can't," writes Steve Keating. Also important is checking whether you've prioritized your goals to make best use of what resources you do have. [LeadToday blog] (11/28) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Organized war games can help you innovate] Overcoming orthodoxy, especially when it is part of a celebrated history, is one of the biggest challenges organizations trying to innovate face, writes Adi Gaskell. Leaders should create an organized, constructive space for a team of dissenting voices whose sole responsibility is to point out flaws in the company. [The Horizons Tracker] (11/24) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] In Their Own Words [Simplicity is key for effective leadership] [Simplicity is key for effective leadership] Lilly (Brian Ach/Getty Images) Delivering a simple, consistent message is key for keeping your team on the same page, said John Lilly of Greylock Partners. "If you're going to change [the message], change it in a big way, and make sure everyone knows it's a change," he said. [The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers)] (11/23) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Daily Diversion [Geological features affected by faraway human activity] [Rainbow Bridge] (Flickr/Andy Morffew) Human activity can affect the long-term viability of geological features, argues a study that examined the natural Rainbow Bridge in Utah. Researchers found that the bridge is so sensitive it picked up vibrations from a nearby manmade lake, as well as an earthquake hundreds of miles away. [The Atlantic online] (11/28) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] It is impossible for anyone to begin to learn that which he thinks he already knows. Epictetus, philosopher [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Sign Up] [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters] [Advertise] [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience] Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions] [Update Your Profile] [Unsubscribe] [Send Feedback] [Archive] [Search] Contact Us: Jobs Contact - [jobhelp@smartbrief.com] Advertising - [Laura Thompson] Editor - [James daSilva] Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2016 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy] | [Legal Information] Â