Sunday 25 March 2012

Dr. Ichak Adizes and the Corporate Lifecycle

At the foundation of effective management for any organization is the fundamental truth that all organizations, like all living organisms, have a lifecycle and undergo very predictable and repetitive patterns of behavior as they grow and develop. At each new stage of development an organization is faced with a unique set of challenges. How well or poorly management addresses these challenges, and leads a healthy transition from one stage to the next, has a significant impact on the success or failure of their organization.
The Corporate Lifecycle
source Wikimedia Commons
Leading an organization through lifecycle transitions is not easy, or obvious. The same methods that produce success in one stage can create failure in the next. Fundamental changes in leadership and management are all required, with an approach that delicately balances the amount of control and flexibility needed for each stage. Leaders who fail to understand what is needed (and not needed) can inhibit the development of their companies or plunge them into premature aging.

The challenges that every organization must overcome at each stage of development first manifest themselves as problems that arise from the growth and success of the company and from external changes in markets, competitors, technology and the general business and political environment. This simple, unavoidable reality leads to the following five important insights about the nature of problems in organizations.

  1. Problems are normal and desirable. Problems are the natural result of change. The only place on the lifecycle curve where there are no problems is the place where there is no change, which is Death. If you think that good managers are those whose organizations have no problems, think again. Your reward for successfully resolving the problems that confront you today, is a set of new problems tomorrow that will be larger and more complex. If your company faces a high rate of change in your markets, technology or industry, your challenge is magnified. The faster the rate of change, the faster problems appear and grow.
  2. Your role as a leader is not to prevent problems or slow the pace of change. Instead, focus on accelerating your organization's ability to recognize and resolve problems. Your ability to work together as a team and quickly tackle any and all situations, or decide not to, is your ultimate competitive advantage.
  3. Some of the problems you face are normal and some are abnormal. Normal problems are those that are expected for a given lifecycle stage. Abnormal problems are those that are not expected (or desirable) in a stage of the lifecycle. Since you will never have enough time or resources to address all the problems you face, focus on abnormal problems. Many normal problems can be ignored since they tend to resolve themselves during the natural course of growth and development.
  4. You can drive your organization faster when you know the road ahead. Most of the issues you face are common to all organizations. There is no need for you to reinvent the wheel. You can save a lot of time and effort by thoroughly understanding the nature of all 10 stages in the lifecycle, and knowing what it takes to transition from one stage to the next. If you and your management team share a common understanding of this knowledge before problems arise, it will also help you attack the problems, instead of attacking each other.
  5. Prime is the Fountain of Youth for Organizations. One key difference between the lifecycle for human beings versus organizations is that living things inevitably die, while organizations need not. The "age" of a company in terms of its lifecycle is not related to its chronological age, the number of employees, or the size of its assets. Instead, the lifecycle age is defined by the interrelationship between flexibility and control. There is a fountain of youth for organizations called Prime. An organization that is in Prime has achieved a balance between control and flexibility. A Prime organization knows what it is doing, where it is going, and how it will get there. It also enjoys both high growth and high profitability. Once an organization reaches Prime, leadership must work to sustain that position.

Managing Corporate Life Cycles, 2nd Edition by Dr. Ichak Adizes.

Published by the Adizes Institute. © 2004, Ichak Adizes.

Management Systems in Shipping - What about QRM?

Having been always an eager student myself and using the opportunity that at present I am lecturing in Maritime Transport Management at Odessa National Maritime Academy, I try to find new effective tools and approaches in management for Shipping. Though there are many systems available and as well many training courses in them, there are not so many success stories and case studies of implementing the systems in the Maritime Industry.

My efforts are to show to the students ways how one would port recommended management tools into a Port Agency, Shipping Line, Shipmanagement Company.

One of the tools is called Quick Response Manufacturing. I believe its application has the future in Shipping, i.e. in services.





My regards to prof.Suri!

Saturday 3 March 2012

Классы судов российских регистров


Российский Речной Регистр (РРР)

Л Легкий (для плавания на малых реках, в верховьях крупных рек при высоте волны до 0.6 метра)
Р Речной (для плавания на средних и нижних плесах крупных рек, на каналах и спокойных озерах при высоте волны до 1.2 метра)
О Озерный (для плавания на крупных водохранилищах, в низовьях крупных рек при высоте волны до 2 метров)
М Морской (для плавания в устьях больших рек, на озерах, в морских заливах при высоте волны до 3 метров)
М-СП Морской - смешанного плавания (для смешанного плавания река-море при волнении не более 5 баллов, высоте волны до 3.5 метра, удалении от портов-убежищ не более 50 миль)
пр Прибрежный (суда внутреннего плавания, построенные с учетом возможности их выхода в прибрежные районы)
лед Суда, имеющие специальные ледовые усиления
ледокол Ледокольные суда
Э Экспериментальные суда

Суда, построенные под техническим надзором Речного Регистра или признанного им другого классификационного органа



Российский Морской Регистр Судоходства (РС)

I Суда для плавания в открытых морях с удалением от места убежища до 200 миль и с допустимым расстоянием между местами убежищ до 400 миль, а также для плавания в закрытых морях
II Суда для плавания в открытых морях с удалением от места убежища до 50 миль и с допустимым расстоянием между местами убежищ до 100 миль, а также для плавания в закрытых морях в границах, установленных Регистром в каждом конкретном случае
II-СП Суда для плавания на внутренних водных путях, а также в морских районах при волнении не более 6 баллов и с удалением от места убежища в открытых морях до 50 миль с допустимым расстоянием между местами убежищ до 100 миль, в закрытых морях до 100 миль с допустимым расстоянием между местами убежищ до 200 миль
III Суда для прибрежного рейдового и портового плавания в границах, установленных Регистром в каждом конкретном случае
А1, А2 Суда, оборудованные средствами автоматизации (1 и 2 - степень автоматизации механической установки)
КМ Суда, построенные под техническим надзором Морского Регистра

Thursday 1 March 2012

Foreign flags allowed into Ukrainian inland waterways

Feb 29, 2012, Ukrainian government signed decree allowing foreign flag vessels (particularly yachts, sailing and passenger vessels) to enter inland waterways of Ukraine. For the cargo ships it depends on the colours they fly.

In case the Flag State has no bilateral agreement with Ukraine for the inland waterway access, such an entrance can be still allowed on the single permit basis.


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