Expert Exchange

The working from home discussion has long been a heavily debated one. There are those who think people will get nothing done, and it doesn't work for every business. But there are many who believe employees will be happier and more productive if they have the option to work from home. And the latest statistics show that organisations have become more open to it. Ultimately, there needs to be a balance between the needs of the business versus the needs of the individual.

But what does the debate look like at the senior executive level? Is there an appetite and an expectation amongst senior-level talent to work from home? How receptive are organisations to it? And what are the benefits - and potential downsides - at both an individual and organisational level?

Drawing on the perspectives of BIE consultants Catherine Osaigbovo, Emma-Claire Kavanagh and Gordon Whyte from their experience of working with both candidates and clients, we seek to answer these questions.

BIE Executive, a leading consultancy working with organisations going through change, is pleased to welcome several new senior hires to the business.

CEO, Rob Walker, commented: “I’m excited by the calibre of the consultants we have attracted to BIE. They will allow us to enhance our offering by strengthening all our teams across the business with their experience, in-depth knowledge and strong track records within their respective industries.

We've all see businesses go into meltdown. But what causes a company crisis and what can we learn from it? Award-winning specialist turnaround CEO Giles Campbell says it's all down to two key ingredients – people and culture.

Speak with the management team of any failing/failed company and one common response usually stands out: "If only we had more money everything would be fine. We could trade through it."

Sometimes it's phrased differently depending on the sector, but the subtext is invariably that some external event beyond the management's control is the underlying cause of the difficulties.

BUILDING AN INTERNAL TRANSFORMATION CAPABILITY.

Delivering business transformation is usually daunting enough. But increasingly, organisations are recognising that the ability to respond rapidly and effectively to change needs to be ingrained in their business model.

So how do the people who’ve been there and done it in some of the UK’s leading firms think you should build an internal capacity in managing business transformation?

Picture the scene: You’re the CEO of a business whose financial performance is heading south.

You’ve identified one of your immediate remedial tasks – a fundamental re-design of your IT and supply chain infrastructure.

Looking across your organisation at your top talent, you’re trying to decide who should lead this crucial transformation project.

You know your people, but how do youknow who has the right mix of skills and capabilities to see your change programme through?

Do today’s businesses have the capability to deliver step-change...and if they don’t what are they doing about it?

Businesses across all sectors continue to face transformational change in the landscape they are operating in.

Highly competitive market conditions and disruptive technologies are changing the face of traditional business models and revolutionising employee and consumer expectations. The ability to adapt, having a core capability in managing business transformation and achieving business agility are crucial to sustainable competitive advantage.

Maybe it’s the mind-boggling speed of technological advancement in today’s commercial world. Maybe it’s more to do with post-recession shift in mindset. Perhaps a combination of the two?

Whatever the reason, businesses have to more flexible and faster on their feet in 2015 that arguably at any other time in history. They need to be able to respond ever more quickly to market moves, competitor threats and disruptive technologies.

This new order is, arguably, turning the traditional transformation model on its head.

BIE is continuing its strategic growth and its focus on positioning the company as a sector leader in end-to-end people solutions. The month of June saw three key appointments, strengthening both the HR and business transformation practices.

BIE Executive took three senior new recruits on board during June as part of a strategic move to further enhance its HR and business transformation offering.