Comments on: Absence of Middle-Level Thinking http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com/2006/05/26/absence-of-middle-level-thinking/ 101 Things About Associations We Must Change Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:01:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: We Have Always Done It That Way » Thinking about the Middle-Term Time Horizon http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com/2006/05/26/absence-of-middle-level-thinking/#comment-7357 We Have Always Done It That Way » Thinking about the Middle-Term Time Horizon Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:04:52 +0000 http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com/2006/05/26/absence-of-middle-level-thinking/#comment-7357 [...] I'm not the only one who sees the value in "middle-level thinking." There is an article in Harvard Business Review titled "To Succeed in the Long Term, Focus on the Middle Term" that argues for the strategic importance of the middle-term time horizon. His analysis is at the large corporation level (his case study is Cisco Systems), but the lessons should be relevant anywhere. Most organizations build themselves around the short term (are we making out numbers this year) and long-term (what is our vision?). But there is a middle term where you launch new initiatives, lay the foundation for future success, and build your brand, your reputation, your R&D infrastructure, etc. The problem is, anything done in this time horizon is viewed as a failure, because our measurement systems tend to be either long-term or short-term focused: [...] [...] I’m not the only one who sees the value in “middle-level thinking.” There is an article in Harvard Business Review titled “To Succeed in the Long Term, Focus on the Middle Term” that argues for the strategic importance of the middle-term time horizon. His analysis is at the large corporation level (his case study is Cisco Systems), but the lessons should be relevant anywhere. Most organizations build themselves around the short term (are we making out numbers this year) and long-term (what is our vision?). But there is a middle term where you launch new initiatives, lay the foundation for future success, and build your brand, your reputation, your R&D infrastructure, etc. The problem is, anything done in this time horizon is viewed as a failure, because our measurement systems tend to be either long-term or short-term focused: [...]

]]> By: Certified Association Executive http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com/2006/05/26/absence-of-middle-level-thinking/#comment-238 Certified Association Executive Sun, 28 May 2006 12:14:31 +0000 http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com/2006/05/26/absence-of-middle-level-thinking/#comment-238 <strong>Aspiring to Middle Management</strong> ... I couldn\'t put my finger on this problem until you articulated it, but I\'ve witnessed this phenomenon at every association I\'ve ever worked for. I wonder if Jamie would agree that these middle level considerations are typically centered ar... Aspiring to Middle Management

… I couldn\’t put my finger on this problem until you articulated it, but I\’ve witnessed this phenomenon at every association I\’ve ever worked for. I wonder if Jamie would agree that these middle level considerations are typically centered ar…

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