By Maria Valdez Haubrich
If the ’80s were the decade of wealth and excessive employee perks, what were the ’90s? An era of streamlining and no-nonsense data-driven decision-making? According to a recent Harvard Business Review article on the Decade in Management Ideas, it seems the last decade was a clearly a complicated mix.
As always, you can’t characterize a decade as a whole. The ’90s began with businesses recovering from the dotcom bust and making their way back up the ladder to success. Unfortunately, the decade ended with the economy in even worse shape, with people losing their jobs, taking pay cuts and refocusing their careers.
One trend that struck me is one HBR called “The Customer Chorus.” This is the epidemic of social media and all the effects constant real-time feedback can have on a company. Treat a customer or employee wrong, and thousands of people can find out with one quick tweet. It’s a good reminder to treat everyone as if one bad relationship could bring down your business. People (customers and employees) who stick with you in the rough times, should be rewarded. Let’s make it the decade of the people. Remember, all eyes are on you.
