Business Controls, Inc. - BCInsights

In today’s society of over-cautiousness and security fanaticism, a consumer simply can not be too careful when protecting personal information that may open the doorway to having his or her identity stolen. Scammers are frequently two steps ahead in the planning and execution of nefarious schemes, with the hope of parting an unwitting victim from a plump bank account. One area of growing concern, however, is the rising trend of stolen business identities.

It has become increasingly common for identity thieves to target businesses over the last decade, primarily because there are few protections provided in state statutes, and because businesses often have a fatter pocket book to exploit. Large business bank accounts are more tempting because individual consumers are more likely to notice an unusual charge on a monthly statement for several thousand dollars, whereas the same charge may slip by unnoticed on a business statement. Law enforcement agencies are becoming more receptive and responsive to business identity theft, but much of the current language focuses on individual consumers, making it more difficult to prosecute criminals who target businesses.

Though there are instances of identity theft that leave the victim unaware until a depleted monthly statement arrives, many of the common ploys rely on the participation of an individual. “Phishing” refers to email “bait,” sent to a user with the hope of “catching” sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card information. The danger for a business comes when an employee or administrator follows up and verifies sensitive information. Scammers have developed refined techniques to hide their information gathering behind seemingly legitimate businesses or websites. Online banking websites are frequently the most at-risk targets of phishers. Another sophisticated scheme is called a “business bust-out.” A bust-out is the process of a scammer acquiring a mailbox in the same building as a business, and then signing up for a credit card in that business’ name using their new address. The card arrives without the business knowing until it is too late and the business credit is wrecked.

Small businesses are often viewed as alluring targets because they are often preoccupied with starting and maintaining the business to focus on extensive security techniques. Though bust-out schemes and hackers are reasonably outside of a business’ control, a few preventative measures may help protect a business from other forms of identity theft.

Title IX Advisors: Helping Improve the Culture on College Campuses

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, often simply referred to as “Title IX,” prevents individuals from being discriminated against based on their gender in federally funded educational institutions. “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”¹

Most often, the public hears about Title IX in reference to athletics and whether or not schools are providing equal opportunity for both males and females; however, the law encompasses a lot of other areas less often recognized as incorporated in the Title IX requirements. These areas include, but are not limited to, scholarships, recruitment, admissions, course offerings, financial aid, sexual harassment, housing, and health and insurance benefits.

Most recently, Title IX has been referenced in the media with respect to the University of Colorado. In March of 2008, the University of Colorado appointed a Title IX expert, Ms. Nancy Hogshead-Makar, as their Title IX advisor. The appointment arose out of a lawsuit in which a female alleged that CU fostered an environment that allowed sexual assaults to occur.

While law requires schools to have a designated consultant to handle Title IX issues, in practice, most schools are not in compliance. CU’s appointment of an advisor demonstrates their renewed commitment to preventing sex discrimination on campus. Not only will Ms. Hogshead-Makar work with CU’s athletic department, she will also assist in making recommendations for improving policies surrounding sexual violence and harassment for the students. A Title IX advisor, such as Ms. Hogshead-Makar, helps advise the university on potential sex discrimination concerns in addition to working with the university’s existing prevention methods, such as security on campus, educational programs, victim assistance, and hotlines to report misconduct. The advisor can then, in turn, modify policies and make changes to ensure that a university is safe and in compliance with Title IX.

Are You a Good Fit?

In the world of employment hiring, many commonly describe prospective employees in terms of how likely they are to be “a good fit” for the organization. Often, such descriptions come in advance of other critical applicant qualities such as experience, knowledge and competence, and skill set. While these other useful qualities can be objectively measured, such as through a resume, employment interview, or reference checks, can you describe exactly what it is that make some employees “a good fit” and others not? How do you know if you are a good judge of fit? Do you just "know it when you see it?"

Fit is typically defined as the degree to which the employee is compatible with the organization regarding parameters such as abilities, beliefs, values, and cultural norms. In the psychological literature, person-environment fit in organizations has traditionally been conceptualized in two different ways: person-organization (P-O) fit and person-job (P-J) fit¹. P-O fit refers to “. . .the extent to which a person and the organization share similar characteristics and/or meet each other’s needs.” (Sekiguchi, 2004, p.179). On the other hand, P-J fit focuses on the degree to which a person’s abilities meet the demands of the job to which they are assigned. Knowingly or unknowingly, hiring managers have typically focused almost exclusively on P-J fit, which is certainly one critical aspect of making good hiring decisions. However, organizations are beginning to recognize the benefits of P-O fit as well. Research has revealed that a high level of P-O fit has positive measurable outcomes including: increased job satisfaction, increased organizational commitment and citizenship, decreased turnover intentions, and improved teamwork and performance. Often, however, the discovery of high P-O fit is a pleasant surprise, not the result of methodical selection practices that intentionally assess for P-O fit.

How, then, can you make such assessments intentionally and accurately? A variety of well-researched and easy-to-use tools exist to facilitate this effort, including the Organizational Culture Inventory®² and the Organizational Culture Profile³. The results of such assessments are often helpful and informative for other uses throughout the organization, such as targeting areas for change, so the dedication of time and resources to the effort can be readily justified.

¹ Sekiguchi, T. (2004). Person-organization fit and person-job fit in employee selection: A review of the literature, Osaka Keidai Ronshu, 54(6), 179-196.
² Cooke, R.A., & Lafferty, J.C. (1983). Level V: Organizational Culture Inventory. Plymouth, MI: Human Synergistics.
³ O’Reilly, C.A., Chatman, J.A., & Caldwell, D.F. (1991). People and organizational culture: A profile comparison approach to person-organization fit. Academy of Management Journal, 34, 487-516.

Quote of the Month

Common Sense Tips for Process Redesign (Part II of II)

By Fred Hessler, Director of Business Development

In the March issue we outlined some initial tips for organizing and pursuing process change initiatives within an organization. Some of those tips were:

Take the broadest view you practically can of the process you hope to improve.
Enlist the support of the management over those areas.
Select change team participants that adequately represent the departments and work units involved.
Choose participants from various levels in the organizational hierarchy.

Now it’s time to begin the real work of redesigning your target process. Instead of gathering your change team in a lengthy series of brief meetings, consider using a focused multi-day workshop approach that will allow team members to concentrate on the matter at hand and avoid loss of momentum. For most organizations, this approach represents a substantial dedication of time and a seemingly unrealistic diversion of talent from day-to-day operational concerns. That said, if your organization is genuinely serious about process improvement, a focused workshop approach is far more likely to achieve rapid results than a drawn-out cycle of brief meetings. Strongly consider making this investment of time, even if you have to schedule your workshop far in advance to accommodate schedules and allow departments to plan for the temporary absence of key staff.

To maintain focus and intensity, time-box your workshop. Process redesign workshops should be scheduled for no more than a week. If you believe that more time will be required to deconstruct, discuss, and redesign the process you’ve selected, you’ve probably over-scoped the effort.

Since it’s likely that many members of your multi-departmental change team have had little exposure to the details of work performed in other groups or departments, begin the workshop by level-setting knowledge of the full process. Walk through a diagram of the current-state process as a group. Avoid the temptation to prescribe changes at this meeting; the purpose of this activity is merely to ensure that everyone on your team understands the current process. And, while engineers or systems professionals are accustomed to complex flow-charts and diagrams, simpler charting techniques employing “swim lanes,” with actors listed in rows at the left of the chart, are typically more intuitive for most people. Use a simple technique such as this for your level-setting session, and visually indicate time scales by spacing activities and events on your chart.

When you’ve finished walking through the current-state process, set metrics for measuring the success of any replacement process. Ask what measurable results would constitute “success” for this process, no matter what form it eventually takes. Having concrete goals in mind will lead you to design the new process with an eye toward those goals. Success metrics should be ambitious but achievable. They should also be quantifiable: “A successful version of this process would result in an error rate below ‘X,’ transaction volume above ‘Y,’ a reduction in overtime of greater than ‘Z’.”

Appoint an experienced facilitator to conduct the redesign discussions that follow. The facilitator should keep the discussions focused on relevant issues. Avoid sidetracks and consign non-germane issues to a “parking lot” list of issues to be addressed later. Facilitators also need to be sensitive to quieter personalities and prevent stronger personalities from dominating the discussion. The facilitator needs to scan the participants for non-verbal cues indicating that a less vocal team member has something to say.

When compiling ideas and recommendations, keep a separate list of “quick hits,” simple or inexpensive changes that can bring immediate benefit (even if the benefit is slight). Some process change methodologies disdain small or incremental improvements in favor of sweeping, revolutionary change, but this is a shortsighted approach. Quick hits can bring immediate benefit to the organization, visibly demonstrate results, and help your larger initiative build momentum.

The final day of your workshop should be dedicated to compiling and delivering a presentation of findings and recommendations to management. To the greatest extent possible, allow line staff to compile and deliver the presentation. You’ll need the enthusiastic participation of front-line staff when implementing change, and allowing them to showcase their work before management shows respect for the value of their contribution and enhances their emotional commitment to the effort.

The presentation should include an implementation plan, even if it’s vaguely drawn. The implementation plan should address your “quick hit” list and propose an immediate start for those items. If your workshop wraps up on Friday, you should begin implementing “quick hit” items on Monday. Take advantage of the momentum and enthusiasm you’ve generated during the workshop to begin achieving real results.

Following the workshop, begin working on planning your implementation, securing political support, and acquiring budget. Those tasks can be drawn out and painful, so use your quick hit items to avoid losing momentum and dissipating energy.

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Has Your Company Been Stolen?

Title IX Advisors: Helping Improve the Culture on College Campuses

Are You a Good Fit?

Quote of the Month

Common Sense Tips for Process Redesign (Part II of II)