New data from Seek New Zealand reveals high paying job listings are on the rise, with a 30 percent increase over the past year in jobs listed with a salary of over $100,000 per annum.
“We are, I believe, on the cusp of change. There is, at last, a realisation that there is something very strange about boards and senior management teams being so devoid of women,” says Korn/Ferry’s Australasian managing director, Katie Lahey.
The New Zealand Institute of Management has appointed Kevin Gaunt as chief executive of its newly integrated national organisation. Gaunt was formerly NZIM Northern chief executive. NZIM Northern and NZIM
Matt Carter, 2011 Young Executive of the Year, Southern Region, is presented with his trophy by Brian Soutar, NZIM Southern President. Carter is general manager, human resources and student services
A crisis or adverse event can hit any business at any time. It could be as serious as fire killing employees or less severe such as staff walking off the
• By Stephen Denning • Josey Bass • RRP $31.77 There is noting quite so compelling, enervating or informative as cracking good yarn, well told. And even when the subject
• By Robert Steven Kaplan • McGraw Hill • RRP $59.00 A successful life in leadership swings more on knowing the questions to ask, rather than on having the answers
Recent ructions in the Eurozone could give New Zealand the hurry-up it needs to strengthen links in the Asian region. If so, we’d better jump to. Asian economies are locking in trade with each other as the European and US economies falter.
Finance Minister Bill English some weeks ago said he saw signs the economy had turned corner. It had grown in seven of the past eight quarters and this year was
The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority’s chief executive Mike Underhill explains the potential untapped earnings for most businesses locked in energy waste.
As corporate New Zealand finally begins to pull itself out of a tough recession, the car and fleet lease market has noticed a shift towards smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. But Hayley Barnett finds it’s not all about cost cutting. Businesses are becoming aware that if they want to keep on side with their customers they need to prove they’re making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint.
When on holiday most of us expect bit of R&R and some great memories to take back home. What we don’t expect is to become caught up in medical emergency.
The man who heads energy drinks company Frucor has his own recipe for boosting corporate vitality. Fun plays a part – so do words like “trailblazing” and “straight up”. Why? Carl Bergstrom shares his ingredients for leadership success.
The management world is suddenly awash with tales about just how effective storytelling is as core leadership competency. The thinking goes something like this. Storytelling, like the opposable thumb, differentiates
The NZBCSD Vision 2050 project is gaining momentum. On August 30, over 20 chief executives reviewed the work completed by the Future Leaders group in respect of the Vision “pathways”.
The state of the executive body and mind are increasingly valuable corporate currency. Wellness programmes are more than ever woven into everyday executive life. Fitness of mind is the new priority. For a growing number it comes packaged in a 2500 year-old box of tricks called mindfulness.
The New Zealand Institute of Management is concerned about the impact and implications of the Government’s latest industry training and youth unemployment policies.
When the Maori party won four seats in the 2005 election its president, Whata Winiata, said the Treaty partner had come to Parliament. In 2008, with five seats, it partnered
Mighty River Power has made an impressive effort to understand and promote the value of strong partnerships with Maori business enterprises. What it has learned in the process is central to its commercially and culturally enlightened governance practices. This is the sixth and final article in Reg Birchfield’s series on responsible governance.
For most companies, the green agenda has been about assessing manufacturing and distribution processes and then finding ways to minimise their impacts on the environment. Instead, taking our inspiration from
My first job in publishing was at Fourth Estate, the then Wellington-based publisher of the National Business Review, run at the time by Reg Birchfield. The job was hardly upholding
The reputation game is changing. Reputation is more important than ever but cannot be controlled by slick marketing and advertising campaigns. ‘Citizen journalism’ and online forums are examples of the
Anew report launched in London has suggested that New Zealand’s economy could be an early casualty of an impending food market crash prompted by irresponsible speculation in food prices. The Broken
As result of uncertainties around climate change policy, most businesses remain unwilling to commit significant sums to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Companies have adopted “capital light” approach, where any
Z Energy has won the overall Energy Company of the Year award in the 2011 Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards. The company, born out of the sale of Shell’s service station
Auckland’s North Shore-based enterprise for the disabled, Abilities Inc, scored major environmental recycling coup last month. Environment Minister Nick Smith visited the plant to announce that the Government’s Waste Minimisation
New Zealand continues to tread water in terms of global competitiveness, the World Economic Forum’s 2011 Global Competitiveness Report has found. While New Zealand’s Global Competitiveness Index score has remained
In November each year Thought Partners, Wellington-based consulting company, hosts one-day OD Forum for leaders, organisational development/HR professionals and academics to share and develop practice. On 10 November, this year’s
When are the most effective post times for various kinds of social media? Social Media Today blog has some advice on optimal moments to let your fingers do the talking.
High-impact entrepreneurs usually start their companies when they are between 26 and 45 years old and they are likely to work in partnerships. These are among the findings of new
Deb Boswell, a member of Kea North America, is general manager of Icebreaker’s Run Specialty Channel.
Corporate New Zealand’s persistent and self-defeating failure to appoint women to the boards of our major companies continues unabated. Board chairmen, the NZX and the Institute of Directors could sort this sorry state of affairs if they cared to.
Sarah Kennedy Sarah Kennedy succeeds John Lea as the next CEO of rural supplies company RD1. A veterinarian by training, Kennedy has just completed Sloan Fellowship at MIT. She has
Sometimes déjà vu is sinking feeling. Reading Anne Fitzpatrick’s article (“The rise and fall of our top women”, NZ Management August 2011) on the decline in numbers of women applying
Two reports released yesterday gave measures of the farm sector’s healthy contribution to the national economy. Fonterra’s report on its impressive financial results and record payout for the year had more sizzle than sluggish GDP growth figures from the official statisticians. Executive Update’s economics correspondent Bob Edlin reports.
Many private business owners looking to sell their enterprises would prefer a gradual sell down to an outright sale, but most lack a formal succession plan to achieve it, according to a survey by Deloitte and Moyle Consulting.
Despite weaker than expected GDP growth for the June quarter most economists expect the economy to continue to recover despite global risks.
Leaders who are serious about getting more women into senior management need a hard-edged approach to overcome the invisible barriers holding them back, says McKinsey & Co.
Research has found that some open office layouts designed to enhance creativity may in fact lead to subversive practices as employees seek to stake their territory in various ways.
To get an insight into the opportunities available with countries participating in the Rugby World Cup, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce has put together business profiles on each participant, containing information on trade agreements that exist, sector growth opportunities and top import and export industries from each country.
Global management consultancy Hay Group has identified the six most significant trends that it believes will affect managers, their organisations and employees over the next two decades, and the key competencies required of successful future leaders.
“We have in this country a capacity for egregious hypocrisy – we do it better than anyone,” says New Zealander of the Year Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, who has written a business plan for New Zealand – which doesn’t include winning the World Cup.
A programme that gives secondary-school students hands-on experience of health careers to encourage them into the sector has taken the top prize in the EEO Trust Work & Life Awards 2011.
The grass is no longer looking so green across the Tasman where business confidence has hit a new low and Australian executives face a continuing weak job market for the remainder of 2011.
The latest figures released yesterday from Paymark suggest that the spending boost expected to accompany the RWC will come as a welcome relief to retailers, with soft, choppy trading conditions across most sectors defining the last couple of months.
Picking the winner of the Rugby World Cup may be easier than working out the economic gains – or losses. Gauging how much GDP growth results from the tournament, rather than from – let’s say – the Christchurch rebuild will be tricky too, says Bob Edlin, Executive Update’s economic correspondent.
While traditional retail is facing serious and sometimes deserved challenges, most people do, and will continue to, enjoy going shopping in the real world. In fact, rather than witnessing retail ruin, a retail renaissance is in the making contends a global consumer trends spotting firm.
More than half of all New Zealand employees are saying they expect to switch careers within the next five years, according to a survey by global workforce solutions company, Kelly Services.
Boards wanting to lift their environmental performance should think about appointing independent, more experienced and perhaps legally competent directors. NZ Management reports on some compelling research findings
Everything about the furore created by the remarks of former Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Alasdair Thompson and his subsequent departure demonstrates substandard corporate governance.
Corporate New Zealand’s persistent and self-defeating failure to appoint women to the boards of our major companies continues unabated. Board chairmen, the NZX and the Institute of Directors could sort this sorry state of affairs if they cared to, reports Reg Birchfield.
“It’s no more complicated than having guests come to dinner,” says Martin Snedden, chief executive of Rugby New Zealand. “From the moment they walk in your door until the moment they leave you have to look after them. You make sure that they have a good time. And most of the time if you do that they are left with a warm fuzzy feeling. That’s all that we are asking New Zealanders to do for the Rugby World Cup.”
As executives become more senior, they are less likely to receive constructive performance and strategic feedback. They can get it by calling on their junior colleagues.
In these days of upsized and king-size portions, it seems ironic that just gram or two of certain ingredient should be cause for such concern. But reducing sodium intake has
The future of human resource management is up for debate. Is it or isn’t it relevant any more? One school thinks HR managers are destined for executive greatness. Another thinks they may have already missed the boat. Andrew Mackmurdie, Hay Group’s regional practice leader Asia-Pacific and Africa, talks to Reg Birchfield.
•By: Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff •Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press •RRP: $35.00 Getting baby boomers’ heads around both the applications and implications of social media and its facilitating technologies
That New Zealand Police is still considered the country’s Most Reputable Government Department doesn’t really surprise its new Commissioner Peter Marshall. “I see great work done every day at all
Solid Energy chief executive Don Elder can be believed when he expresses surprise at his company’s sprint to top slot as NZ Management’s Most Reputable State Owned Enterprise. Not because
Air New Zealand Rob Fyfe, CEO At Air New Zealand we’ve worked hard to turn the traditional airline model on its head and centre our business on people, rather than
The Salvation Army is NZ Management’s Most Reputable Not-For-Profit Organisation again this year. And like the reaction of NZ Police, the Army’s Commissioner Don Bell is “delighted but not surprised”.
For a raft of reasons, most of them rooted in global engineering consultancy Beca’s professional accomplishments, the company’s outstanding track record of commitment to excellence is being recognised. Reg Birchfield talks to Richard Aitken, chairman
Taking out both 2011’s Most Reputable Company gong and the supreme award, Most Reputable Organisation, on top of Company of the Year in the 2010 Top 200 awards, Beca’s star is on the rise and rise. What is it about Beca that is earning these accolades?
The double act of being a successful coal-based energy company and a responsibly governed enterprise takes constant commitment. Christchurch-based state-owned enterprise Solid Energy sees the commitments it is making, particularly to protecting New Zealand’s natural environment, as solid evidence that it takes responsible governance seriously.
•By David Parmenter •Publisher: Wiley •RRP: $78.99 New Zealand is not over-endowed with management thinkers and writers. For that reason alone, it’s good to watch home-grown author in this genre
What’s so great about Beca? Taking out both 2011’s Most Reputable Company gong and the supreme award, Most Reputable Organisation, on top of Company of the Year in the 2010
If the recent furore over gender pay equity seems like a blast from the past then the EEO Trust Work & Life Awards offer a refreshing vision for the future. As this year’s winners again prove – empowering individuals to give their best is what really puts the “force” behind “work”. How? Vicki Jayne counts the ways.
September 7 Recruitment and Selection. Christchurch. Organisation Development Institute. www.managementsouth.co.nz 7-8 Business Process Management. NZIM Northern. www.shortcourses.ac.nz 12-13 Building Relationship Versatility. Christchurch. NZIM Southern. www.nzimcentral.co.nz 13 Solutions Based Thinking. Auckland.
Joseph Grenny and colleagues have spent 20 years studying what makes leaders influential. They wanted to understand what enabled leaders to change hearts and minds independent of their formal authority
The trend of growth in employment has flattened out, according to the latest analysis by the Department of Labour’s research centre, but is expected to pick up moderate momentum again in the next three quarters.
The numbers paint a bleak picture for employers. Of every 10 employees, four are not good hires, eight aren’t engaged in their work and six are actively seeking new employment. These are the disturbing statistics from research undertaken by recruitment company Hudson.
While technical and trade skills are widely acknowledged as critical areas of skills shortage in Australia and New Zealand, new data from the Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey reveals that there is also a significant skills shortage in leadership and management.
A significant – and welcome – lift in pastoral sector profitability, reported by MAF this week, is enabling farmers to restore bank balances, as Executive Update’s economic correspondent Bob Edlin reports.
Finalists have been found in NZ Management’s Most Reputable Organisations survey which identifies this country’s reputation leaders in four categories: private sector companies, state-owned enterprises, government departments and not-for-profit organisations.
Traditionally, marketers have targeted affluent consumers, because they control so much of the spending power. Not surprisingly, you will find them online. A recent released study shows they spend an average of 20 percent more time online weekly, compared to the general population. They watch about half as much television and listen to the radio less than half as much as well.
When are the most effective post times for various kinds of social media? A Social Media Today blog has some advice on optimal moments to let your fingers do the talking.
Boards wanting to lift their environmental performance should think about appointing independent, more experienced and perhaps legally competent directors. NZ Management reports on some compelling research findings.
Everything about the furore created by the remarks of former Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Alasdair Thompson and his subsequent departure demonstrates substandard corporate governance. By Jens Mueller.
“New Zealand women are highly skilled by world standards. But, many are employed in stereotypical roles with lower levels of pay and are not following male colleagues to more senior positions,” says Ministry of Women’s Affairs chief executive Rowena Phair. “Male graduates earn seven percent more than women one year after they start work and that difference continues to grow.”
CEO and founder of Icebreaker; Chair of Better by Design
Despite our low level of economic growth, around a third of New Zealand’s directors are managing to secure higher fees because of the increased levels of accountability they are facing. The latest survey of directors’ fees undertaken by remuneration and performance consultants, Strategic Pay Ltd, shows they have increased by 4.9 percent between 2009 and 2011.
Two recent reports obviously were in Labour leader Phil Goff’s mind when he questioned Prime Minister John Key in Parliament about poverty and the rising cost of living. First, the
Hamish McBeath, general manager of Pacific Coilcoaters, was announced as NZIM Northern region’s Young Executive of the Year at recent function in Auckland. Held in conjunction with NZIM’s mid-year graduation
Courage, conviction, hard work, perseverance and integrity are the keys to achieving your goals “even in the face of what can seem like insurmountable obstacles”, Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye
Super green” consumers – those engaged in the highest numbers of environmentally-friendly activities – are top earners with penchant for luxury items, according to US report from Scarborough Research. “Today’s
The recent release of the black comedy film Horrible Bosses provides an extreme version of scenario many workers can relate to. It’s also something that New Zealand organisations should be
Although the commercial property market is in recovery mode, tenants still hold the balance of power when it comes to office accommodation and most are using it to secure incentives
A note to say that I have gained great deal over long while from various articles by Reg Birchfield in Management and the articles on leadership in past and recent
When it comes to social media, even the experts learn something new every day. Unfortunately, there are lot of myths that can derail almost any social media marketing plan, says
The role of the chief information officer (CIO) is now more strategically aligned with an organisation than ever before and CIOs must equip themselves with diverse range of skills that
There is leadership issue out there which, while some may consider me less than qualified to address, is nevertheless dear to my heart. Women! There simply aren’t enough of them.
Patriotism speaks volumes – and volumes we have, with around one million New Zealanders abroad who can help drive our economy ahead, says Anna Gestro, Kea’s North America regional manager.
This positive imagination of New Zealand’s cultural diversity in 2050 is one example of the outputs from two-day Future Leaders session held recently in Auckland as part of the NZBCSD
The story of the New Zealand Institute of Management began soon after World War II. The next chapter of this tale is now being written for a world vastly different from the one in which NZIM was originally forged. Reg Birchfield, a Life Fellow who has been involved with NZIM for almost 40 years, explains the emergence of NZIM Mark II.
Peter Hughes moves on after 10 years at the top of the Ministry of Social Development at the end of September. He takes with him – to the academic School
