Consulting

Gordon Vala-Webb

The world is increasingly a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous place

Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, said: “An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”

Smart organizations do that - they learn quickly and rapidly translate that learning into action. Not adapting quickly enough leads to decline and, ultimately, extinction.

I help organizations become smarter by working with them to:

• understand their organization's mindset which limits their ability to understand - and change - what is really going on
• practical steps to make the work people are doing visible to improve efficiency / client service, and reduce errors
• better connect people (staff, clients, alumni) together and to what the organization already "knows"

I do that in three ways:

1. Consulting with organizations - click here to learn
2. Producing a set of conferences to bring leaders, practitioners, technologists, and thought leaders together to learn and share (working with my partner Jane Dysart)
3. Teaching, writing (click here to see some of my published work), and presenting

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Events / Conferences

Organizations need practical ideas to help them respond to the changing pressures. I organize interactive / intimate events to connect you to those ideas - and to others so you can discuss them, network, and learn. The result is creative and innovative solutions for your organization.

Next upcoming event::
Legal Management Redux (Toronto)
October 5, 2016

Smart ideas, smartly presented, for smarter organizations!

Connect, Engage, Network!
An intimate and interactive one-day event in to discuss, network, and learn to spark creative and innovative solutions for your organization using enterprise social networking.

What you get

• Smart ideas on how to make your organization smarter
  
• Deep dive into how organizational social networking platforms deliver value
• Unparalleled opportunity  to connect and network with your professional peers

Why you should come

• Fast-paced, interactive format to challenge and expand how you think
• Learn three practical things to make your organization smarter
• Increase your boundary-spanning network

Who should come
Leaders, knowledge managers, technologists, learning / training experts, innovators, business designers, strategists, social business gurus, communications and human resources specialists.

Why is it important?
People in smart organizations share what they know more easily, learn faster, and innovate more. That means your organization is able to spot and exploit opportunities, manage risks, operate efficiently, and be more productive.  Using a new approach to leadership and leveraging new technology like social networking means your people are more engaged with the organization’s purpose and you maximize the flow of ideas and knowledge into and around your organization.

When /  where
TBD

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"These days hardly a news cycle goes by without one CEO or another talking about talent. How important talent is to success. How worrisome it is that talent is becoming scarce. And how determined CEOs are to win the race for talent.

At the same time rarely a day seems to pass without a newly clipped Dilbert comic strip getting pasted to someone’s cubicle wall. Dilbert is popular not just for the laughs, but because it so effectively captures the stultifying nature of today’s corporate workplaces.

The contrast is striking. On the one hand we have public declarations of love for talent from the top of the organization. On the other hand skeptical, even cynical messages of unhappiness float up from em­ployees. Ironic, yes—and indicative of a deep problem in how many companies approach and regard their talented workers."

John Seely Brown at  Deloitte University OnTalent Roundtable (more)