By Christopher J Tipler   These are dangerous times. We have experienced economic and financial crises before but we have never been in a situation where the governments of major economies are such an integral part of the problem. After flying too high, our elected gods have fallen to earth and become mere mortals, subject

What Qantas must do to create a viable organisation   By Christopher J Tipler   It is painful to watch the very public disputes between Qantas and many of its staff. The company says it is committed to ‘engaging and developing our people’, and the chairman claims that ‘Qantas employees represent the Australian spirit at

Why our banks need to re-discover the art of SME lending By Christopher J Tipler     PC Joe Penhale, the policeman in the TV show Doc Martin, is amusing because he gets everything so wrong. Behind the uniform and all the police jargon is an inadequate fool. We laugh, somewhat uncomfortably, because he portrays

Are they invincible or vulnerable? By Christopher J Tipler   Over the last thirty years, the big four Australian banks have dominated the business scene. Highly visible because of their branch networks, and consistently profitable, they have also been viewed as an essential component of any blue chip investment portfolio. Today they represent around 20%

Learning from the Qantas problem of identity By Christopher J Tipler   The Qantas saga contains many lessons – about managing people, about brand management and, more fundamentally, about the nature of corporate identity.   Recent events suggest that Qantas has a very narrow view of what constitutes ‘the company’ – a view that encompasses

By Christopher J Tipler   Management today is tough, or so it seems. So little time, so much to do, so many pressures! We react by working harder, longer. We take work home. We talk to our peers but they are also under the pump. We search the latest business books for clues and read

Why our business leaders need to wake up By Christopher J Tipler   If Australian businesses, and our society at large, are to be successful we must strike the right balance between imagination and memory – between the future and the past.   Imagination is the mainspring of creativity and is the quality that moves

And why your business needs it more than ever   By Christopher J. Tipler When trading conditions are di cult, the ability of your management team to respond, dig deeper, and deliver the goods becomes critical. What qualities enable this? Your list would probably include determination, resourcefulness, perhaps imagination. Almost certainly, cleverness. Cleverness is much

Finding and using the power of your business By Christopher J Tipler As visitors to this site will know, I have recently been using some nautical metaphors to communicate business ideas. Now I want to talk about a different kind of ship – a spaceship. Apollo 13 to be precise. When this craft experienced a

Yes, but a change in thinking is needed   By Christopher J Tipler   Most business leaders, and most boards, think that values are important to success in business. Most would also acknowledge that, in reality, their carefully crafted values statements have little force; their use extends mainly to dressing up entrance foyers and annual