Management Questions

1. Who needs training?
2. Who will deliver the training?
3. What form will the training take?
4. How will the training transfer to the job?
5. How will the training be evaluated?

Source:
Five Critical Aspects to Getting More Return from Employee Training
by Sharon Daniels
Journal of Business Strategy

70No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/31/5-key-training-questions/5+Key+Training+Questions2007-05-31+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Human Resources Questions

• How will they fit into the environment?
• How well will they develop and treat the employees?
• How much do they really want to be responsible for getting things done through others?
• How well will they build relationships with customers and other business partners?
• How will they react under stress and when things get the most difficult?
• How much initiative will they take to assess barriers and make process improvements?
• How much flexibility will they show when the unexpected arises?
• How responsible and accountable will they be for achieving results?
• How committed will they be to supporting changes in business goals and directions?
• How much initiative will they take to develop themselves?

Source:
Disaster Prevention Tips for Hiring a New Manager
by Lora J. Adrianse
The CEO Refresher, March 2003

69No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/30/10-questions-to-consider-before-you-select-your-new-manager/10+Questions+to+Consider+BEFORE+You+Select+Your+New+Manager2007-05-30+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Human Resources Questions

• What is your target market?
• How big is it?
• Who buys your product?
• Why do they need it?
• Who pays for it?
• Who uses it?
• How do the users fix the business problem you’re addressing today?
• How much are they willing to pay?
• Why would they buy from you?
• What business problems are more important to them than this one?

Source:
Taking the Trouble to Research Your Market
by Rob Adams
BusinessWeek

68No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/27/rob-adams-questions/Rob+Adams%27+Questions2007-05-27+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Entrepreneurship Questions

To audit their decision process, leaders can ask some simple questions:

• What shortcuts are we employing?
• Is the team converging prematurely on a single alternative?
• Are experts exerting undue influence?
• Have we drawn the appropriate analogy?
• Are we engaging in herd behavior?

Source:
Making difficult decisions in turbulent times
by Michael A. Roberto
Ivey Business Journal, May/June 2003

67No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/26/auditing-the-decision-process/Auditing+the+Decision+Process2007-05-26+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Decision Making Questions

Scholar and ethics consultant Laura Nash suggests twelve questions that can help leaders avoid the mind game of over simplifying. The following questions may raise ethical issues not otherwise considered, or help generate a variety of “out of the box” alternatives. Before settling on a solution, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I specified the problem accurately?
2. How would I describe the problem if I were on the opposite side of the fence?
3. How did this situation begin?
4. To whom and to what do I give my loyalties as a person or group and as a member of the organization?
5. What is my intention in making this decision?
6. How does this intention compare with the likely results?
7. Whom could my decision or action harm?
8. Can I engage those involved in a discussion of the problem prior to making a decision?
9. Am I confident that my position will be valid over the long term?
10. Could I disclose without reservation my decision or action to my boss, our CEO, the Board of Directors, my family, or society as a whole?
11. What is the symbolic impact of my action if it is understood?
12. Under what conditions would I allow exceptions to my position?

These questions initiate a thought process that underscores the importance of problem identification and information gathering. Such a process can help leaders guard against over simplifying an otherwise complicated ethical decision.

Source:
Why Good Leaders Do Bad Things
by Charles D. Kerns, M.B.A., Ph.D.
Graziadio Business Report, Vol. 6, No. 4

66No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/25/12-questions-to-help-avoid-the-mind-game-of-over-simplifying/12+Questions+to+Help+Avoid+the+Mind+Game+of+Over+Simplifying2007-05-25+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Decision Making Questions

CustomerSat offers a list of 2000 sample customer survey questions that could be useful as you contemplate crafting your own questionnaires.

Source:
Perfecting Your Profiles
by Patricia Seybold
Business 2.0, March 2000

65No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/24/2000-sample-customer-satisfaction-questions/2000+Sample+Customer+Satisfaction+Questions2007-05-24+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Customer Questions

• How often do you interact with each customer?
• How often does the customer interact with you?
• How frequently does the customer purchase from you — tracked by channel and across channels?
• When was the last time they purchased or interacted with you?
• What is the value of the average order they’ve placed with you?
• How is that order size changing over time? How many categories of your products and services do they purchase?
• How satisfied is this customer?
• How often do they complain?
• How were complaints handled?
• Did the interaction result in a more loyal customer or a more disaffected customer?
• Do they have any outstanding billing or service problems?

Source:
Perfecting Your Profiles
by Patricia Seybold
Business 2.0, March 2000

64No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/23/what-you-really-should-know-about-your-customers/What+You+Really+Should+Know+About+Your+Customers2007-05-23+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Customer Questions

“Add Value”

• What do your customers value?
• What criteria do your customers use to determine value?
• What do you do that your customers value most? Least?
• Where is customer perceived value migrating?

“Customer”

• Describe each of your customer segments?
• What benefits are each of your customer segments looking for?
• What customer segments are growing the fastest? The slowest?
• Why do your customers defect to the competition? Why do they stay loyal?

“Consistently”

• Describe each situation in which your prospects/customers interact with your company?
• How do your customers want to interact/transact with your company?
• What structures are set up so that you can consistently listen to your customers?
• What are customers’ experiences at each company touch point?

“Satisfy”

• What are the satisfaction drivers of each customer segment?
• Why are some customers more or less satisfied than others?
• How does customer satisfaction relate to customer loyalty and cash flow?
• Which customers do you most need to satisfy given their importance to the company?

“Quickly and Effectively”

• What customer feedback mechanisms are in place?
• How quickly does customer feedback get translated into action?
• What customers should you be listening to the most?
• How is effectiveness measured in terms of the customer?

“Adapting”

• What is the process for acting on customer feedback?
• How is customer feedback incorporated into current goals and objectives?
• What change management processes are in place to facilitate adaptation?
• Why was adaptive change successful in the past?

“Changing Needs”

• What do your customers want?
• What do your customers need?
• What events or patterns correlate with the changing needs of your customers?
• What can you do to anticipate the changing needs of your customers?

Source:
What Are You Trying to Accomplish?
by Michael L. Perla
The CEO Refresher

63No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/21/questions-about-satisfying-your-customers/Questions+About+Satisfying+Your+Customers2007-05-21+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Customer Questions

There are two ways to take this test. As an employee, you can use it to gauge the strength of your loyalty to your current employer. Customers can also complete the survey; the results provider a sense of how loyal they feel toward a particular company.

1. My company really cares about building a relationship with me.
2. My company values people and relationships ahead of today’s profit.
3. My company attracts and retains outstanding personnel.
4. My company sets the standard for excellence in its industry.
5. My company communicates openly and honestly.
6. My company’s personnel listen well and respond quickly to feedback.
7. My company makes it simple for customers to do business.
8. Customer loyalty is appropriately valued and rewarded at this company.
9. I trust my company’s personnel to behave with fairness and integrity.
10. I believe this company deserves my loyalty.

Source:
Satisfaction: The False Path to Employee Loyalty
by Frederick F. Reichheld
Harvard Management Update

62No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/20/the-loyalty-acid-test/The+Loyalty+Acid+Test2007-05-20+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Customer Questions

• How do we learn from customers what they need? 
• How do customers see us now? 
• Do you treat different customers differently?
• Do you create a learning relationship with your customers?
• Do you keep your customers?
• Do you organize around customers?
• How much time do you spend with customers?
• Is that more or less time than the answer for last year?
• Is your company able to get a 360-degree view of customers and prospects?
• If not, are you working toward that goal aggressively and urgently?
• Do you share customer information with your suppliers and partners?
• Are your customers excited and delighted by what your company has done in the past year?
• Who are the most valuable customers?
• What revenue hit are we willing to take to protect our customer base?
• What is the gap between what customers settle for and what they want exactly
• What are the characteristics of the best customers?
• What keeps your customers loyal?
• What’s the potential for developing similarly loyal customers?
• What are the information and service needs of established customers compared to those of prospects?
• What prospect information, if any, needs to be saved once a relationship is established?
• Are there changes the organization should make as the customer relationship evolves?
• Why were products returned?
• How many service calls did customers place and why?
• How were service calls resolved and how long did it take?
• Why does one set of customers respond to opportunities when another doesn’t?
• How is the “voice” of the customer heard within our organization? Are we gathering meaningful feedback?
• How do we measure our performance with target customers?

Source:
Partners For Innovation: The Ultimate Competitive Edge
by Katherine Catlin
CEO Exchange

61No Comments »http://www.mgmtquestions.com/2007/05/17/miscellaneous-customer-questions/Miscellaneous+Customer+Questions2007-05-17+18%3A15%3A00Administrator Posted by Administrator / Customer Questions