Alice’s adventures in the bonkers world of Wonderland provide plenty of lessons for business, says Neville Aitchison. It’s not the only place where you must run twice as fast to get anywhere, and where the way you ought to go depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Too many employers see “team building” as an event— something you do, tick a box and then move on. But it’s really a continuous process, says Terry Williams, and in addition to any team that’s getting built, your leadership is too.

The animals aren’t the only ones to benefit. Things are getting better and better for staff too, as Wellington Zoo aims to be “the best little zoo in the world”, Jo Ring tells Helen Frances.

Companies with a strong, organisation-wide focus on coaching are ultimately better positioned to meet overall organisational objectives, says Sean Conrad. He explains how turning managers into coaches leads to success for everyone.

The changing world of work is demanding different skills and behaviours from people. To help them make these changes, Anne Fulton says coaching— for both career agility and career acceleration—is the order of the day.

More and more organisations are realising the business benefits of embracing diversity. This year’s Work & Life Awards featured a range of initiatives across the spectrum of diversity—from age and gender to ethnicity, sexual orientation, attitudes to disability and more. Sally Wenley reports on a selection of finalists.

Both positivity and connectivity play important roles in the performance of business teams. So forget Facebook, why not do your social networking in teams, say Ruth Donde and Graham Hart in the fourth article in their series on what science knows and what business does.

When it comes to disciplinary procedures, getting it wrong can cost both time and money. In the third article in her series on employment law around the world, Angela Atkins outlines the processes that need to be followed.

Despite the obvious benefits of diversity, progress has stalled, says Professor Robert Wood. He told delegates at the recent HRINZ conference about the work of the gender Equality Project, which aims to identify strategies to increase the number of women in leadership roles. Lyndsey Swan reports.

Bad language at work can constitute serious misconduct, but does it justify dismissal? Rosemary Childs warns that if the employer only looks at an outburst in isolation, there’s a real risk a dismissal may be overturned.

From traditional favourites like health insurance to more innovative options like study leave or flexible work, employee benefits take many forms. As Jackie Brown-Haysom reports, Cosignia CEO Craig Furness questions whether the focus is in the right place.

Research tells us that companies looking to improve productivity should examine the extent to which their leaders have the leadership “X factor” of emotional intelligence, says Simon Woolley. It accounts for more than 85 percent of star performance in top leaders.

It is always better to take action based on hard facts, and not on presumptions, predispositions or ambiguous feedback, says Bryan Tan. He explains how regular assessments in the workplace can provide the means to gain valuable insights into proficiency and performance.

New Zealand society is becoming increasingly diverse, and it’s not confined to the cities. In the last two decades, the rural sector has seen an influx of migrant workers. Craig Nicholson discusses practical ethnic diversity management down on the farm.

When the director of a residential school was dismissed for multiple instances of misconduct, the Employment Relations Authority suggested he’d had the book thrown at him in the hope some allegations would succeed. Only two were upheld, says Paul Robertson.