For Monday, April 6, 2010
Article 1 of the United States Constitution (Legislative) states, in part, "Section 2: 2.3 Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers . . . ." "The actual Enumeration (counting) shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct."
Section 2 of the 14th Amendment and the 15th Amendment to the Constitution indicate who shall be counted: "
The 2010 Census is the 23rd census of the United States of America. The first census was conducted in 1780, according to the constitution, and a new census has been conducted every ten years thereafter. The information collected in the census varies and the data collected is confidential (regarding tying information to people who provided it). Summary data is used to determine representation of each state in the House of Representatives and to determine the distribution of Federal taxes to states based on a "per capita" (head count) quota.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Learning from Experience and History--Finding Patterns that Work
Speaking with a friend the other day, I shared some meta-models that identify patterns at work. By being aware of these patterns of behavior, positive changes can be made to improve processes, workflow, and results of organizations. Two of these meta-models are the Team Tracking Tool (Slide 12) and the Shame Affect Decision Model (Slide 2).
These models capture processes at work that allow for the identification of what works and what may be missing or improved at work. They were developed by observing hundreds of hours of interactions and have proved reliable over time. In the course of our conversation it became clear that sometimes leaders in the workplace do not want to be made aware of these processes or be responsible for being able to make decisions to change what they are doing at work.
The idea of learning from experience and history are the essential ideas in my post from yesterday concerning animal spirits and the economy. The concept is also reflected in Dan Brown's two books, Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. I saw another example in a documentary today Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
The challenge is to reflect on our experience and on history and to learn from these reflections. Models of processes can help in this process and, if leaders are not willing to engage in the reflection and learning process, they miss opportunities to improve and change. These opportunities may have a small window of opportunity as the economy and world events change around them.
These models capture processes at work that allow for the identification of what works and what may be missing or improved at work. They were developed by observing hundreds of hours of interactions and have proved reliable over time. In the course of our conversation it became clear that sometimes leaders in the workplace do not want to be made aware of these processes or be responsible for being able to make decisions to change what they are doing at work.
The idea of learning from experience and history are the essential ideas in my post from yesterday concerning animal spirits and the economy. The concept is also reflected in Dan Brown's two books, Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. I saw another example in a documentary today Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
The challenge is to reflect on our experience and on history and to learn from these reflections. Models of processes can help in this process and, if leaders are not willing to engage in the reflection and learning process, they miss opportunities to improve and change. These opportunities may have a small window of opportunity as the economy and world events change around them.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Christmas Open House at St Charles One-room Schoolhouse
I had the opportunity to attend a Christmas Open House at the Pioneer Sholes School (one-room schoolhouse) in St. Charles, IL, today. Some of the people attending had parents who had actually attended the school when it was on the David Sholes farm near Burlington Road. It was built about 1872 and was in School District 58.
Public school children had worked with the Executive Director of the school to prepare a program that included a spelling bee, a choral reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas, and general singing of several popular Christmas carols. The open house was Sat and Sun, 12/12 and 12/13/2009 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM.
As I observed the open house I was reminded by The Secret School by Avi. Many of the current best practices for teaching involve techniques used in these early schools in the pioneer days of America--including grouped reading, peer tutoring, game-based learning. Those days students had personal slates (mini blackboards with a kind of chalk). Today we use mini whiteboards and colored dry erase markers.
There are more desks in the schoolhouse today than there were in the days it was originally used. Teachers dealt with classes of mixed ages and abilities and frequent absences caused by farm duties (or lack of academic motivation). Many of the people graduating from one-room schools went on to become doctors and lawyers and teachers. Some of today's problems have just evolved from similar problems in those days.
It's amazing to see how much the one-room schoolhouse reflected the essence of teaching still needed in today's classrooms.
Public school children had worked with the Executive Director of the school to prepare a program that included a spelling bee, a choral reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas, and general singing of several popular Christmas carols. The open house was Sat and Sun, 12/12 and 12/13/2009 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM.
As I observed the open house I was reminded by The Secret School by Avi. Many of the current best practices for teaching involve techniques used in these early schools in the pioneer days of America--including grouped reading, peer tutoring, game-based learning. Those days students had personal slates (mini blackboards with a kind of chalk). Today we use mini whiteboards and colored dry erase markers.
There are more desks in the schoolhouse today than there were in the days it was originally used. Teachers dealt with classes of mixed ages and abilities and frequent absences caused by farm duties (or lack of academic motivation). Many of the people graduating from one-room schools went on to become doctors and lawyers and teachers. Some of today's problems have just evolved from similar problems in those days.
It's amazing to see how much the one-room schoolhouse reflected the essence of teaching still needed in today's classrooms.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Life and Art, Science and Faith--Multiple Points of View
One of the culminating activities in my senior year, majoring in humanities at Florida State University, was to write a personal essay regarding science and faith. In the years since then I have seen that while art often imitates life, life, indeed, imitates art from time to time.
While some people polarize on each of the four areas, I see all four as integrated parts of a whole. Sometimes it may be like looking at a diamond through its facets to look at our life experience through the perspective of one or more of these areas.
While some people polarize on each of the four areas, I see all four as integrated parts of a whole. Sometimes it may be like looking at a diamond through its facets to look at our life experience through the perspective of one or more of these areas.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Performance and Change Management Consulting for "Big 8-6-5-4" Firms
When I left the U.S. Army after a 10-year career, I was not aware of the "Big 8" Accounting and Consulting firms until I joined one as a Management Consultant in Los Angeles. Coopers and Lybrand (now part of PriceWaterhouseCoopers) was one of the big firms and I was a management consultant in their Litigation Management practice.
I have been a professional performance and change management consultant for 40+ years. I began learning how to do what I do so well as a volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross then built skills while on duty as an officer in the U.S. Army. I continued this practice as a management consultant for my own and for other consulting firms until I went back to earn a doctorate degree to work with even more people and organizations. After earning my doctorate, I worked again for a "Big 6" Consulting Firm--Andersen World Wide and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Times had changed and I was able to utilize what I had learned in my doctorate degree while working with Andersen Consulting.
I left Andersen Consulting in 1998 to join another consulting firm as a senior business consultant in change management.
Today there are only four or five major consulting firms like the ones I used to belong to. Times are changing and one of the real challenges is that client needs are changing, too.
Large consulting firms have large staffs and command high fees. Large corporations can afford those fees. Small to mid-sized organizations cannot. Who takes care of their needs?
There are a few consulting firms that target small to mid-sized businesses. Beyond that there are lots of individual consultants offering a variety of services. Unfortunately, the need for service greatly exceeds the availability of consultants.
One person can make a big difference by working at top-levels in a small organization. That is a tremendous "value added benefit" to small to mid-sized companies seeking out the right consultants at the right time.
I have been a professional performance and change management consultant for 40+ years. I began learning how to do what I do so well as a volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross then built skills while on duty as an officer in the U.S. Army. I continued this practice as a management consultant for my own and for other consulting firms until I went back to earn a doctorate degree to work with even more people and organizations. After earning my doctorate, I worked again for a "Big 6" Consulting Firm--Andersen World Wide and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Times had changed and I was able to utilize what I had learned in my doctorate degree while working with Andersen Consulting.
I left Andersen Consulting in 1998 to join another consulting firm as a senior business consultant in change management.
Today there are only four or five major consulting firms like the ones I used to belong to. Times are changing and one of the real challenges is that client needs are changing, too.
Large consulting firms have large staffs and command high fees. Large corporations can afford those fees. Small to mid-sized organizations cannot. Who takes care of their needs?
There are a few consulting firms that target small to mid-sized businesses. Beyond that there are lots of individual consultants offering a variety of services. Unfortunately, the need for service greatly exceeds the availability of consultants.
One person can make a big difference by working at top-levels in a small organization. That is a tremendous "value added benefit" to small to mid-sized companies seeking out the right consultants at the right time.
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