I am having a lot of learnings in this post-bacca diploma course in Organization Development offered at DLS-CSB (School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPaCE). And the class is having lots of fun too.

We are now currently in module 4 (btw, you can enter the course at any module, no pre-requisite module in this course). You receive a certificate in each module, a diploma when all 6 modules are completed.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNO STRUCTURAL INTERVENTIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS

Sept. 13- Oct. 18, 2008

This module enables participants to effectively plan and implement techno structural interventions. These are interventions that impact organizational systems and structures with a strong consideration of the human and social factors in implementation.

Systems and structures have the ability to modify and strongly reinforce behavior. However arriving at making changes in structure and systems would require a knowledge base in current organizational interventions applied in business.

It creates an understanding of processes of popular OD programs that influence organizational systems and structures towards greater efficiency and effectiveness. These are: Quality Circles, Kaizen, 5S, TQM, and ISO, Six Sigma, Lean Management and other information technology driven systems. This module is very useful for professionals involved in helping systems, operations and production oriented organizations.

Contents
• Quality Circles
• Kaizen
• 5S
• Total Quality Management
• International Standards Organization
• Business Process Reengineering
• Six Sigma
• Lean Management
• IT/MIS Applications to OD
• Organization Design and Redesign

If you are interested, just go visit their site. We love to have new classmates

Some simple ways of reducing costs in the office:

Power, Light and Water
* Turn off computer monitors when on breaktime or not in use.

* Turn off aircon, electric fan and lighting during breaktime

* Reduce aircon settings 30 minutes before end of working day. Turn-off aircon 15 minutes before end of working hours.

* Inventory all faucets, toilet water tanks, flush, pipes and fix all leaks.

* Water plants in the morning or late afternoon once a day only, with emphasis on reduction of actual water usage. Remove dead leaves and debris from pots of plants or on the soil for optimum water absorption.

*All toilet (CR) lights must be turned off when not in use

*Inventory of all lighting fixtures and remove unnecessary or redundant lighting. Choose the most cost-efficient lamps and bulbs.

* Close all possible air leaks in offices like open aircon slots, wall holes, unsealed aircon frames, wall cracks, etc to maximize aircon efficiency and reduce inflow of hot air into offices

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Supplies

*Think twice before printing documents. If document or data can be kept in hard disk, no need to print and file.

*Set printing of interoffice memos, document drafts and nonessential communication at least resolution to save on ink.

*Use back pages of obsolete documents or scratch papers for printing nonsensitive, draft or interoffice communication. These obsolete documents can also be used as mini notes or note cubes.

*Inventory all miscellaneous items such as old printers, computers, magazines, tables, chairs, etc and auction or sell

* If there is an email system in the office, just email broadcast corporate announcements such as holidays, new instructions etc, rather than printing for all copy furnished individuals. You may set “Return Receipt” if necessary to document receipt of email memo.

*Rethink your business processes to allow applications and approvals of certain things like leave of absence, proposals etc, through email instead of printing documents and routing to signatories. Saves paper and time.

*Shred (double) used papers or sensitive documents that can not be reused, then use these as packing materials.

*Reuse recovered paper clips, fasteners, folders and envelopes (brown or even mail envelopes from bills, letters, etc)

*Reuse non-essential or old pages received from the mail (example: service proposals, product info/brochures, old company profiles etc) as memo cubes or for draft prints. Color brochures and papers that can not be reused for printing may be shredded as packing materials.

*Screen your incoming fax. Limit non-essential, non-business or unsolicited fax proposals for this and that sundry items and services (loans, card applications, etc). You may also ask that proposals are sent via email instead of fax to save on thermal paper.

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If you would like to share some more ideas, post your comments here. Thanks!

Do you always feel a step behind in life? Do you wish you could find more time? Do you have trouble accomplishing all the goals and errands you have each day? Ineffective time management can be a frustrating plague that envelops your life. You feel like you have lost control over your circumstances. This frustration can hurt your relationships, career, and overall health. Achieve time management skills by listening to audio books on the subject. Taking the time to listen to advice from time management professionals can help alleviate the harmful stress of constantly feeling crunched for time. One of the most efficient ways to improve your time management skills is to base your life activities on a successful time management model. You will be hard pressed to find a time management expert that was born with perfect time management skills. They had to learn the coping skills that helped them to get on track. They are professionals and face the same emotional, mental, and physical demands in their life that you face everyday. Many of them have families and careers that pull for their attention. Therefore, they understand how unproductive time management can negatively affect your life.

You are probably wondering how you will find the time to listen to these audio learning resources when you can’t even finish your present daily chores. The key is to listen while you are doing some of those daily chores. You can listen while driving to the grocery store or cleaning your house. Work through the audio books whenever you have a moment to spare or if you are engaging in menial everyday tasks such as folding the laundry.

Get yourself on the road to time management by listening to “The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management” by Hyrum W. Smith. Hyrum W. Smith is a seasoned motivational speaker and creator of the highly successful Franklin series. This audio book provides ten steps you can take to increase your productivity and feel excited about your life.

One of the most time consuming and robust stresses we have in our lives is balancing our work and family lives. There is an unyielding pull between work and family. An optimal balance needs to be achieved for life satisfaction. Listen to “Balancing Work and Family” by Stephen R. Covey to help you balance these two important aspects in your life. This audio learning tool provides small, realistic steps you can do in your life daily to balance work and family. Many of the techniques are a culmination of interviews from mothers, fathers, employees, telecommuters, and many more.

Other great audio resources to download include “Time Management from the Inside Out” by Julie Morgenstern, “Making Time Work for You” by Rebecca L. Morgan, and “How to Master Your Time” by Brian Tracy. These time management resources can work wonders for the productivity in your life. They will help you to prioritize your life and accomplish more in less time. Observing and employing these techniques will help you to achieve more and feel confident about the status of your life.

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About The Author: Jillian Gregory writes for LearnOutLoud.com, an online portal for educational and self-development audio and video material which can be found at http://www.learnoutloud.com.

I am now currently enrolled in a Diploma Course in Organization Development at DLS-CSB (Space).

So far, I am enjoying being back to school again. The facilitator has provided us something very important, in my judgment, that could make diagnosing organizations easy. It is the 7S Framework of McKinsey.

• Strategy: the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition.
• Structure: the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom.
• Systems: the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done.
• Shared Values: called “superordinate goals” when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic.
• Style: the style of leadership adopted.
• Staff: the employees and their general capabilities.
• Skills: the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company.

In my research in the net, I have stumbled upon these great resources that you could also check out.

Mindtools - This is recommended as it has sample checklist questions that one can use in analysis, along with a free worksheet to log your observations/analysis.

Building Brands

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

From yahoo home page, this caught my attention.

In summary, here are the top 5 scams we may not know about

• Tax and Rebate Scams
• Cheap Electronics Scam
• Chatroom Scams
• Local Charity Scams
• Cancer Cure Scam

Read more from the source…

Also, from the Federal Trade Commission, look up the Dot-Cons . They have some tips on the most complained schemes by internet consumers.

http://jobs.up.edu.ph/
http://www.jobscity.net/
http://www.careerclub.com.ph/
http://www.sulit.com.ph/
http://www.jobs4philippines.com
http://mandaluyong.olx.ph/free-job-postings-at-manpower-philippines-iid-5551433
http://www.gov.ph/forum
http://www.cebu-ph.com/jobs.htm
http://www.jobs4philippines.com
http://ph.jobisland.com/
http://www.wegivejobs.com/index.asp
http://www.jobshosted.com/
http://www.filipinolinks.com/Job_Opportunities/index.html
http://www.phil-job.net/
http://www.adpost.com/
http://www.clickmanila.com/jobs/
http://www.gotpinoy.com/aboutgotpinoy.cfm
http://www.cebuclassifieds.com/detail.php?id=46314
http://www.jobstreet.com/
http://www.bestjobs.ph
http://ph.jobaa.com/
http://www.jobs4philippines.com/
http://philippines.zeezo.com/jobs.htm
I am not connected with any of the above links. Just sharing some resources. Som, you can post for free, while others would need you to pay to have an account so that you can post jobs.
… compiled by Tatay Austri. Thanks po!

Just surfing the net and I stumbled on this. Not sure if this program has reached the Philippines yet. Any news about it locally?

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The mission of the One Laptop per Child association is to develop a low-cost laptop—the “XO Laptop”—to revolutionize how we educate the world’s children. Our goal is to provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves. Why do children in developing nations need laptops? Laptops are a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to learn learning through independent interaction and exploration.

One Laptop per Child is a project about the transformation of education. It’s about giving children who don’t have the opportunity for learning that opportunity. So it’s about access, it’s about equity, and it’s about giving the next generation of children in the developing world a bright and open future.

Walter Bender, President, Software and Content

Do you have a standard new Employee Orientation in place in your company? You may want to take a look at these Tips for a Better New Employee Orientation.

You will find great pointers there.

This is my entry to the contest by WikiPilipinas in partnership with Filipinaimages.com

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The Iconography of the Modern Filipina

From WikiPilipinas, Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means “image writing”, or painting, and comes from the Greek εικον (image) and γραφειν (to write). (also Wikipedia)

Taking off from this definition, I must now endeavor to identify, describe and interpret the many images that the Filipina has assumed, voluntarily or involuntarily. My views are entirely mine; and myself being not one to qualify as a social scientist, anthropologist nor as a psychologist, readers must be warned to take them (my views) as just that: mine. (Then while you are at it, do take them with a grain of salt, it becomes more palatable that way

Using iconography is, in itself, insufficient to accurately define the Modern Filipina. I think so because images are just that – reflections of the original or attempts to contain a whole complex set of ideas, beliefs and definitions into something finite. Something that you can put a finger on, and say to yourself, “I think I understand/know/feel what the artist/writer wants to say/portray”. And as reflections go, they can be distorted: by the beholder’s limiting factors (prejudices, subconscious notions, culture, etc.); by the medium used to convey these images; and, I think more importantly in this case, by the persons conveying the images and their motives with which these images are formed and transmitted.

Read the whole article from my Scrapbooking Mommy site

Also, other notable entries from my fellow Filipinas

from Nice

from Delish Mec

from Vera

from Virginia

from Edelweiza