This paper presents a theory of organizational identity based on embodied cognition. Embodied cognitive science focuses on developing theories that reveal how humans’ capacities to process information and gain knowledge are functions of bodily experiences. What members come to know about an organization is a function of what they physically experience, as well as what is in their heads. We propose and examine four embodied capacities that members use to construe what they believe is central, distinctive, and enduring about their organizations. We suggest this approach reveals an important fourth dimension of OI: that an individual’s construal of organizational identity must also be ‘substantiated’ or verified by a member’s embodied experiences. We consider how an embodied construal of OI might add to three dominant perspectives on OI, and discuss how it might expand our understanding of six OI-related topics, ranging from individual organizational identification to large-scale organizational change. We close with suggestions for future research, including new empirical methods and perhaps a reexamination of organizational cognition as a whole.

Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS) recently published its 2011 Corporate Governance Policy Updates, indicating changes to how it will recommend its clients vote on various matters in the 2011 proxy season. Although the changes continue the trend of narrowing directors’ discretion in areas traditionally within the board’s authority, they are more incremental than fundamental this year, reflecting the degree to which power over corporate decision-making has already shifted in recent years from the boardroom towards shareholders, including activists and special interest groups. Companies will need to pay attention to these changes, given ISS’ status as the de facto standard setter in the corporate governance area (a fact we have urged the
SEC to consider in its “proxy plumbing” review).

The changes do not include a revision to ISS’ position on independent board chair proposals. ISS had proposed tightening its policy on separation of chair and CEO positions by requiring companies to demonstrate both the presence of a “counterbalancing governance structure” (such as an independent lead director) and “compelling company-specific circumstances that challenge the efficacy of appointing an independent chair” to avoid an ISS recommendation in favor of a separation proposal. ISS ultimately rejected this change however, and will for now continue to focus on the presence of a “counterbalancing” structure and the absence of what ISS considers “problematic” performance, governance or management issues in determining how to recommend on proposals to separate the chair and CEO positions.

Continue reading ISS Updates Voting Policies the 2011 Proxy Season.

Question: In taking control of the House this week, Republicans have committed themselves to investigating and repealing all of the major initiatives taken by the Democratic president and Congress over the past two years. How much should the new leaders of any organization focus on undoing the past as opposed to charting a more affirmative course for the future?

The key questions may be: “What have the incoming leaders of an organization determined to be their charter?” And, “Why were they hired, and what is their vision for the organization?” These are familiar questions posed in business and corporate settings, where boards of directors appoint CEOs to lead. The same questions are appropriate for members of the department of defense, where the military appoints officers to command units and headquarters.

In The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, Michael Watkins provided a useful framework for new leaders transitioning in organizational settings. One of the first things leaders should do is diagnose the situation. Watkins uses the business context of a new start-up, turnaround, realignment or sustaining success. The same categories can be applied to public leaders, whether elected government officials or commissioned military officers.

Watkins offered that some organizations “have significant strengths, but also serious weaknesses on what you can and cannot do.” Challenges abound when the mission is to turn around an organization that stakeholders perceive to be in trouble and that requires major efforts to get it back on track. For realignment, the need is to correct the course of an organization that is adrift.

Both turnarounds and realignments require an understanding of the existing strengths and weaknesses of the organization in question, paired with a clear vision of what should be done. Visions help leaders and enterprises sustain relevancy in changing environments, which may require redirecting or reversing past organizational decisions.

What if Steve Jobs and Apple stayed the course with a 1976 vision? Recognizing and seizing opportunities, the vision changed from “An Apple on every desk” to “Make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.” This mindset led to the now-ubiquitous iTunes, iPods, iPhones and iPads.

With the past two U.S. elections of 2008 and 2010, incoming presidential and congressional leaders, elected by the people, have assessed the situation of our nation. Now the elected officers are pursuing their respective visions, which in several cases result in attempts to reverse some decisions by previous leaders. That is the nature and the beauty of our constitutional system.

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Create Your Master Plan

If you are to succeed you need to keep your motivation high, you need to know that you are going to complete your goals.
Every time you feel like you are loosing your way and/or your motivation, just look at the map you have made and it will come rushing back.

Here are the four steps to creating your master plan.:

1. Visualize your goals

Start by „painting“ a picture of when you have completed your goals. How will you act? What will you do? What will be different?

Make that picture as clear as possible (this will help your motivation when things get tough).

2. What needs to happen for you to complete your goals

List everything that needs to happen for you to have completed your goals.

What do you need to have done? How much money do you need to have made? Who do you need to know? Anything that will needs to have happened in order for you to complete your goals.

3. Go back 90 days and do the same thing again.

What has to have happened 90 days before you complete your goals?

4. Redo this until you reach the present date.

Now you will have a complete plan, guide, for you to follow. Every step that has to happen for you to get from where you are today to your goals.

Your plans are not written in stone

Since you can not be completely right the first time you do this, do not be afraid to remake your plans as new realities develop.

Use your plan to evaluate opportunities, dangers, actions and tasks. If you see that something isn’t helping you read your goals, don’t waste your time.

Making the plan will let you gauge your progress

By having you will be able to see how far you have gotten, what needs to be done next and if you are ahead of or behind schedule.

If you don’t have a plan you will never be sure how you are sizing up.

It lets you be proactive and make the best of opportunities

Since you know exactly what needs to be accomplished and in what time it has to be done, you will be able to react to every opportunity and evaluate it objectively.

Will it help you move towards your goals? Is it worth the time? Is there something else that will give you a better return on invested time and effort?

It is the key of all successful businesses and people

All successful business (and successful people) have started with a complete plan of action.

They have known exactly where they are going and what they need to do.
Even if they end up doing something completely different then they planned, the act of planning let them act on opportunities, react to changes in the marketplace and get the most out of their opportunities.

On the other hand, people who didn’t spend time planning their goals missed opportunities, went after the wrong ones and ended up running in circles. Almost all failed startups failed because they didn’t have a clear plan of action. Don’t let this be you and don’t let this be your life.

Conclusion

Spending time on planning will save you lots of time on execution.

Start by visualizing your goal and then planning backword 90 days at a time until you get to the present.

That way you will have a complete plan to follow. Exactly what needs to be done on a week by week basis so that you can move towards your goals.

This was a guest post by Daniel M. Wood. You can read more from him at his blog Lookingtobusiness.com he writes about Sales Technique, Motivation and Success. By following his blog by email you will even get a free copy of his ebook Double Your Income