You learn something new every day. It seems that rooks (cousins of the crows, in case you didn't know) can fashion tools to help them get at food. Scientific experiments show that these birds have the nous to choose the right tools for the job and to use two tools one after another. Joined up thinking in action!
The lead author of this research (at the universities of Cambridge and Queen Mary, London) happens to be called Chris Bird, but that is by the by. He says the findings are remarkable because rooks do not appear to use tools in the wild, but when they're in captivity they have learnt to do this. The rooks have surmounted the obstacles put in their way – take a look at this
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All of this puts me in mind of the way smaller businesses are evolving to deal with the recession. They're coming up with creative solutions to make more of their resources, particularly when it comes to staffing and employment practices. When the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills polled 500 SMEs, it found that 40% of respondents had made changes, such as adjusting working hours and switching staff roles, to capitalise on the skills within their business, as a bulwark against the downturn.
Of those who have made changes, a third of companies have been investing in extra training for staff, in motivation and rewards and two-thirds have been planning new product development. And a third of SMEs say they want to be primed and ready for when things get better.
Almost nine out of ten of these businesses said that it is because they are smaller, they have the flexibility to adapt to a new situation. The BIS research says businesses feel that they are stronger for the changes they have made. Have you, like the rooks looking for food, evolved with the recession and are there any tips you would like to pass on to others? We'd love to know.
