Jon D Harper

Video meetings in a remote world have been the lifeline for connectivity at work… and can also be a primary contributor to burnout. But, with a slight adjustment in how you schedule meetings, you can regain some sanity!

My days typically consisted of 10-20 meetings per day over 10-hrs… back-to-back. We’ve all been there, shutting off the camera, and muting between bites or slurps. And then there’s the brave face of intense concentration while your legs are bouncing because you just… Show more

Video meetings in a remote world have been the lifeline for connectivity at work… and can also be a primary contributor to burnout. But, with a slight adjustment in how you schedule meetings, you can regain some sanity!

My days typically consisted of 10-20 meetings per day over 10-hrs… back-to-back. We’ve all been there, shutting off the camera, and muting between bites or slurps. And then there’s the brave face of intense concentration while your legs are bouncing because you just drank another 20-oz of water during the meeting. You begin wondering when you’ll ever have a chance to escape to the restroom, and then again to fill up your water or grab a snack! But alas, there are some simple things you can do to gain back control of your day, meetings, and sanity!

As a student of behavioral psychology, I wondered how I could use it to help me from Zoom overload. That was a twist, you wouldn’t think this narrative was driving towards a behavioral psychology reference, but in fact, it’s a powerful way to take control of your day. Yes, turning off your self-view on video helps with self-critique but what is it about back-to-back meetings that have really harmed us? The answer, you have no more mental and physical natural breaks - no hallway interaction, no bathroom breaks, no exercise walking between floors. You feel trapped to your desk, if you’re lucky to even have a real desk at home!

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The ‘art’ of recruiting in Baseball was enlightened to a science by the book Moneyball by Michael Lewis. And while certain skills, traits and other variables may indicate a good ball player, the player was nothing without the right ‘position’ within the right ‘team.’ And voila… predictive analytics in a Human Capital environment was born!

Jon was the keynote speaker at the ASQ meeting in Dallas and spoke on how to utilize Innovative Process Excellence (IPEx) within HR to create a science-based approach… propelling HR to become strategic drivers of the business.

Abstract:
How to incorporate Innovative Process Excellence within Human Resources through the use of Lean Six Sigma. Utilize statistical analysis to mature the HR organization to become a strategic business partner driving the business versus reacting to the… Show more

Jon was the keynote speaker at the ASQ meeting in Dallas and spoke on how to utilize Innovative Process Excellence (IPEx) within HR to create a science-based approach… propelling HR to become strategic drivers of the business.

Abstract:
How to incorporate Innovative Process Excellence within Human Resources through the use of Lean Six Sigma. Utilize statistical analysis to mature the HR organization to become a strategic business partner driving the business versus reacting to the business. The true desire of HR leaders is “to have a seat at the table versus being on the table,” the basic use and education of Lean and Six Sigma tools can dramatically mature the organization to accomplish their goals. Show less

Employees are so much a vital component to business that many companies, including Wal-Mart, state that Employees are their most valuable asset! So, how can an employee be so valuable to a company and yet we hire so many, fire that many more, and are so frustrated with them constantly?

What if… what if you didn’t have to, what if… what if you were able to have an organization of employees that work in complete harmony, moving the business forward rather than for individual glory? This… Show more

Employees are so much a vital component to business that many companies, including Wal-Mart, state that Employees are their most valuable asset! So, how can an employee be so valuable to a company and yet we hire so many, fire that many more, and are so frustrated with them constantly?

What if… what if you didn’t have to, what if… what if you were able to have an organization of employees that work in complete harmony, moving the business forward rather than for individual glory? This sentiment is real, it’s not puffery and it doesn’t take much effort… seriously, you can really have this in your organization… it just requires thinking of the hiring process in a new paradigm!! Show less

The issue with employee motivation is not ‘what it’s used for’ but ‘how’ the theory of behavioral motivation is applied. In my experiences and conversations, the predominant method utilized is ‘negative reinforcement’… or worse. Surprising isn’t it, you would have thought I would mention positive reinforcement is the predominant method in this day in age… I mean, we’re in a socially correct era, and everyone wants to be a Level 5 leader, right! But, that’s just it, people ‘want’ to associate… Show more

The issue with employee motivation is not ‘what it’s used for’ but ‘how’ the theory of behavioral motivation is applied. In my experiences and conversations, the predominant method utilized is ‘negative reinforcement’… or worse. Surprising isn’t it, you would have thought I would mention positive reinforcement is the predominant method in this day in age… I mean, we’re in a socially correct era, and everyone wants to be a Level 5 leader, right! But, that’s just it, people ‘want’ to associate themselves with a more enlightened method, but typically resort to what they grew up experiencing or observing. Only a few organizations understand the impact and application of true organizational behavioral theory… and only a very few organizations actually ‘teach’ managers the differences in motivational theories.
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What is American Express doing to their brand image by partnering with Walmart? Does this not kill the ‘premium’ name?

Innovation often elicits the thoughts of creativity, ping pong tables… Apple. But innovation is simply the creation of value, whether it is new to the world, or simply an improvement on something existing. But too often we get hung up on what innovation ‘is’ and forget that innovation is simply the result of a ‘thought’ that has created value by being ‘developed’ through a process! Yes, innovation is a process, just like process improvement, closing the books, fulfilling an order or even hiring… Show more

Innovation often elicits the thoughts of creativity, ping pong tables… Apple. But innovation is simply the creation of value, whether it is new to the world, or simply an improvement on something existing. But too often we get hung up on what innovation ‘is’ and forget that innovation is simply the result of a ‘thought’ that has created value by being ‘developed’ through a process! Yes, innovation is a process, just like process improvement, closing the books, fulfilling an order or even hiring employees. But this process has the potential to create more economic value than just about any other process in the company!
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This country is in a decline, not just in the current economic or jobs situation, but at a country level. And here’s the great news – you can change that… you can create change that inspires greatness, you can create change that provides the greatest economic value to not just your company, but to the nation!

But right now, our companies have failed to continue to push the envelope in achieving greatness, challenging our community to provide a future that is greater for our children… Show more

This country is in a decline, not just in the current economic or jobs situation, but at a country level. And here’s the great news – you can change that… you can create change that inspires greatness, you can create change that provides the greatest economic value to not just your company, but to the nation!

But right now, our companies have failed to continue to push the envelope in achieving greatness, challenging our community to provide a future that is greater for our children than what we experience, which is what our parents were able to create for us! We have created a global base for large corporations that are resting on their laurels of the status quo and have failed to express the traits for what made them great… we have forgotten how to innovate! Show less

Because of what I do I get the question, “Where should Innovation live?” This is a fantastic question and one fraught with debate.

Typically, the answer I get to “where innovation lives” is either Marketing or R&D. In fact, 22% of respondents stated that innovation is housed within Marketing, 13% within R&D and a staggering 50% stated it doesn’t “live” anywhere!!! But, let’s address those that think Marketing is a logical answer. On the surface, it sounds and feels right… they do deal… Show more

Because of what I do I get the question, “Where should Innovation live?” This is a fantastic question and one fraught with debate.

Typically, the answer I get to “where innovation lives” is either Marketing or R&D. In fact, 22% of respondents stated that innovation is housed within Marketing, 13% within R&D and a staggering 50% stated it doesn’t “live” anywhere!!! But, let’s address those that think Marketing is a logical answer. On the surface, it sounds and feels right… they do deal with insights, conjoint analysis, sensitivity analysis and are suppose to be thinking creatively to get new customers and create a loyal following, etc. But, if Innovation lives within Marketing it is doomed to fail! That’s right… Innovation will fail if your CMO owns it!! Show less

Innovation and Invention has long been a topic of heated discussion as to whether they are truly different, and as of late, process improvement has entered the ring of discussion! So, let’s break this argument down… a lot of people still think the terms innovation and invention are synonymous, but in fact they are not! Invention is the creation of something new where innovation is the creation or modification of something that will create new or additional value to its customer! So how are… Show more

Innovation and Invention has long been a topic of heated discussion as to whether they are truly different, and as of late, process improvement has entered the ring of discussion! So, let’s break this argument down… a lot of people still think the terms innovation and invention are synonymous, but in fact they are not! Invention is the creation of something new where innovation is the creation or modification of something that will create new or additional value to its customer! So how are these not the same? Innovation is not simply creating new products or services; it’s the practice of seeing the use of things from new and unique perspectives to create new value. Invention is the creation of a brand new process, product or technology for the first time!
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The title alone elicits two key words that spark fear in every business, large and small: Strategic and Differentiation! So why can these two terms be so fearful… because they are not understood; and together, it’s even more confusing how they can create the foundation for any company to protect itself in any harsh market. Strategy is often a magic ball type discussion, held by only the highest levels of management or select few that understand the readings of the magic ball. And then there… Show more

The title alone elicits two key words that spark fear in every business, large and small: Strategic and Differentiation! So why can these two terms be so fearful… because they are not understood; and together, it’s even more confusing how they can create the foundation for any company to protect itself in any harsh market. Strategy is often a magic ball type discussion, held by only the highest levels of management or select few that understand the readings of the magic ball. And then there is differentiation, the one element that defines relevance within the market and why customers would pick your service or product over your competitors. Put them together and you get a consultants dream engagement – talk at any level about anything and it seems to fit!
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Nearly 20 years ago, Motorola Corp. developed a quality improvement methodology based on customer focus and statistical analysis called Six Sigma, which the company applied to its manufacturing processes and has been evolving to be applied elsewhere.

One of the key aspects of the COSO Framework includes assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Elements of Six Sigma can be applied by internal auditors to measure their company’s operational effectiveness and efficiency… Show more

Nearly 20 years ago, Motorola Corp. developed a quality improvement methodology based on customer focus and statistical analysis called Six Sigma, which the company applied to its manufacturing processes and has been evolving to be applied elsewhere.

One of the key aspects of the COSO Framework includes assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Elements of Six Sigma can be applied by internal auditors to measure their company’s operational effectiveness and efficiency, says Jon Harper, Senior Manager at Protiviti.

“Knowledge of Six Sigma can be important to internal auditors because they know, in detail, their company’s processes. Internal auditors are skilled consultants who have the ability to recognize potential performance issues. That ability, combined with the rigorous and disciplined methodology of Six Sigma, gives them a powerful way to use data and statistical analysis to measure and improve a company’s operational performance,” Harper said. Show less