tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80983102024-03-07T06:36:17.319-05:00Curious Cat Management Comments<b>This now serves as a blog to collect some of the comments I make on other blogs related to management improvement (Deming, lean thinking, six sigma, leadership, systems thinking, respect for people...).
Read my main management blog: <a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/">Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog</a></b>Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.comBlogger458125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-89527133861584367132023-11-10T12:09:00.004-05:002023-11-11T10:55:51.863-05:00The Value of a Management System Accommodating Remote Work Working remotely creates a significantly different system than working all next to each other. There are big advantages to working right next to each other. There are also really bad office designs (which are very common) which detract from success of working next to each other (distractions etc. that cubical farms, "hoteling" create etc.).There are challenges to managing a system of work with Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-88671691256520439962021-08-05T15:30:00.001-04:002021-08-05T15:30:16.978-04:00Psychology Often Drives Decisions Rather Than Rational Thought Comments on Becoming Trustworthy After years of seeing this “irrational” behavior in managers, co-workers
and consultants I realized it is usually not irrational, just hard to
comprehend.I think that the primary thing to
remember is that often people's actions and decisions are guided by
psychology rather than thoughtful deliberation and choosing the most
sensible option (Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-69551634178616877892021-05-30T17:25:00.001-04:002021-05-30T17:30:57.081-04:00Creating an Integrated Life Where Work Adds to Life Response to: What Does Work/Life Balance Mean to You?My father
did a great job with work/life balance by integrating work with life to
an extent that most people do not. Instead of the typical what I do for
work requires sacrificing "life" he built a life where what he did for
work enhanced life. He was a professor and worked for a year in London a
year in Singapore and a year inCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-51411071977898592322020-02-07T12:21:00.001-05:002020-02-07T12:21:57.080-05:00Experimenting to Improve Sleep Qualitycomments on: Can a Humidifier Help You Sleep Better and Snore Less?
After doing some research I learned that humidifiers have helped folks snore less. So, after some more research, I picked up a slick little ultrasonic humidifier and gave it a try. Now, it’s been less than a week which I know isn’t enough to get too excited about statistically speaking. But one thing is becoming crystal clear…Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-77704251476274108462019-10-08T20:13:00.001-04:002019-10-08T20:15:36.354-04:00The Importance of Providing Context for DataData in Everyday Life: How Serious is the Student Loan Debt Crisis?
Did you know that 1 in 4 Americans have student loan debt? In the United States, there are more than 44 million people who collectively owe $1.56 trillion in student loans.
I thought 25% seemed too high. Thankfully this post also provides the number, 44 million. The USA population is currently estimated at 330 million. 44 Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-8494287381911256142019-03-07T22:13:00.001-05:002019-03-07T22:13:24.594-05:00Take Risks to Learn and Improve, But Do So WiselyMy edited comments on: The Limits of Learning From Failure
Failure can be a great learning tool, especially if it is planned. Create an environment that supports and learns from failure, but also use the scientific method, coupled with experience, to understand and mitigate the risks.
I agree, I wrote about this on my blog: Accept Taking Risks, Don’t Blithely Accept Failure Though
The goal isCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-53138794211578540252019-02-04T08:37:00.001-05:002019-02-04T08:37:46.627-05:00Outside the Box Thinkingcomment on: Is Thinking Outside the Box Out of the Box Thinking?
I remember Russel Ackoff* telling a story about that 9 dots problem where his daughter shared a solution to cover the dots in 1 line. She folded the paper to the dots were all lined up and drew one line that went through all of them. The teacher said that was wrong! Great teaching about "outside the box" thinking there. But it Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-33146961617210059182019-01-27T12:58:00.000-05:002019-01-27T12:58:56.865-05:00Shared Principles for Managing People Engaged in Diverse TasksThis post expands on my response to Michael Sweeney's (Cloud Infrastructure Engineering for Salesforce) comments on Linked In:
This is a great blog to follow [Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog] if you aren’t aware of it. I agree with John, in general, but in this post I felt the missed one basic thing that I’ve seen in my own career- software is not physical and people who write great Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-82903767502711997572018-11-19T09:42:00.000-05:002018-11-19T09:42:08.710-05:00Using Control Chart to Understand Free Throw Shooting Resultscomment on: Is Andre Drummond Sustaining His Free Throw Improvements?
Nice use of data to understand the system results (and if there is a measurable improvement or not). I still want to see these chronically poor free throw shooters use the pretty clearly better underhand free throw style. I wrote about this previously in Why Do People Fail to Adopt Better Management Methods?
It really is Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-48074991184020614492018-09-14T11:38:00.001-04:002019-02-16T09:45:33.283-05:00Understanding and Using Data: Waffle House ExampleComments on, Why FEMA is Monitoring Waffle House this Weekend
look outside your organization for risk indicators that might help you make better (and faster) decisions, particularly when those risks are activated. Second, that you should explore crowdsourced risk data as a source of up-to-date information.
I agree. Also, just look at data close to where the action is (internal or external).
Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-26118831040953520402018-05-17T09:25:00.000-04:002018-05-21T08:48:35.028-04:00Understanding Variation Doesn't Mean Crushing Any VarietyIt doesn't follow that because Dr. Deming sought to reduce the variation that caused processes to be unreliable and that harmed customers it meant he was against variety or failed to understand the importance of variation in different contexts than the context where it caused problems. Drawing such a conclusion is just not sensible when looking at Deming's work. It is a misunderstanding that is Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-69203635300556912162018-05-07T12:23:00.000-04:002018-05-07T12:23:38.170-04:00Learning from Gemba Walkscomment on: What’s the Right Way to Do a Gemba Walk?
Well said. Both "treating people as individuals and showing them respect" and "learning how they wish to influence outcomes in their lives and work" are very important. I also think one of the keys that makes gemba walks valuable is for the person doing the walk truly seeking to learn; a curiosity about the nature of the work at this Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-86021410350174226312018-04-22T12:39:00.001-04:002018-04-22T12:39:10.104-04:00The Importance of Explicit Communicationcomments on Ten Tips for Improving Communication
I would add make communication explicit, relying on implicit communication often leads to problems.
Another good things to remember is that you know what you said, but you don't know what someone else hears and understands. Making things explicit reduces the opportunities for misunderstandings.
Related: The Use and Misuse of Technical Jargon - Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-89632338789358278702018-03-14T13:04:00.002-04:002018-03-14T13:13:33.980-04:00The Management System is the KeyComments on: Lean is All About People – Or is It?
I think there are a number of necessary conditions and without them even whatever people think is the most important don't make the difference. The interactions between the components are extremely important. Rather than the analytic view to focus on individual pieces I think the key to a good management system is a focus on the organization asCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-40387681194584811882018-01-31T11:25:00.000-05:002018-01-31T11:25:05.342-05:00Avoiding Difficult ProblemsResponse to: Toyota is Admired for Good Reason… But About Those Rotating Job Shifts…
Thanks for another good post. It points out that while Toyota does many things very well they have opportunities to improve. And I am sure they agree they have a huge number of things to improve.
I agree, this rotating shifts seems like something important to try and improve. One of the things that happens Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-34663079104097076942018-01-24T14:36:00.002-05:002018-01-24T15:59:28.920-05:00Creating Web Sites That are Reliable from a Usability PerspectiveComments on: Applying Kaizen to My Various Websites, Trying to practice what I preach...
Good job actually practicing what we recommend others do (kaizen, customer focus...). More management consultants need to do so. I found another thing I think can be improved, this screenshot shows how a floating box (to the left of the screen) blocks the main content:
That covering box moves as you Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-11532416354829683292018-01-20T12:23:00.004-05:002018-01-20T12:23:46.317-05:00REITs Value When Interest Rates are RisingComments on: Debunking REIT Interest Rate Myths
Well argued. I am new to investing in REITs as an investor but I agree that the "conventional wisdom" doesn't make sense. I primary have dipped into only apartment REITs.
As with many misleading claims there is some truth behind the claims about REITs and interest rates.
It seems to me that the 3 biggest explanations for REITs declining if interestCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-55820931055851950922017-12-12T08:27:00.000-05:002017-12-12T08:27:11.176-05:00Failing to Adopt Better Methods is Sadly a Common Management Practicecomment on Is Andre Drummond a Better Free Throw Shooter This Season?
Using "Process Behavior Charts" to Answer This Question
There is also a fairly convincingly better method to shoot free throws - underhanded. As I stated in my post, Why Do People Fail to Adopt Better Management Methods?
People can be very attached to the way things have always been done. Or they can just be uncomfortable Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-7132969279472737772017-09-20T09:40:00.000-04:002017-09-20T09:40:07.362-04:00Coaching: Helping People Improve the Results of the SystemComments on: Lean Quote: Coaching is about...Others
I wouldn't put it as "their own problems and improve their own performance." I do agree it is about helping others. But especially for management I think it is more about helping people improve the results of the overall system.
That does include helping them grow and improve their capabilities. But a huge part of what is holding back the Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-5089269805557982502017-09-14T10:14:00.000-04:002017-09-14T10:14:03.885-04:00Quit Looking for Silver Bullets and Get to Work Improving ManagementMy comments on There Are No Silver Bullets:
It is somewhat amazing that nearly everyone would agree with the sentiment that there are no silver bullets but if you evaluate what they seek for management improvements they want silver bullets :-(
If you like to find the silver lining amidst clouds this tendency to want magic solutions means that you can make great progress if you are willing to doCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-81316383422862649872017-09-07T12:21:00.003-04:002017-09-07T12:21:41.021-04:00People and Robots TogetherComments on: The Coming Auto Industry Battle: Toyota’s People vs. Tesla’s Robots?
Toyota's method is the best and will continue to be.
However, I believe we have reached a turning point where the effectiveness of industrial robots has greatly improved. For several decades it was pretty easy to predict wholesale adoption of the robots will save us mantra would be followed by failure. I still Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-21942934841242660292017-08-29T09:32:00.004-04:002017-08-29T09:32:50.770-04:00Leading Change in the Face of Fear Comments on the comments related to "How to Combat Fear" podcast with Ron Pereira
"whose skepticism will override the possibility that a change will actually be an improvement"
This feeling is often the result of many previous changes promoted as improvements that were not successful. Most people learn to be skeptical of management claims (sure a few people are pre-disposed to thinking this Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-20893462402961687352017-08-01T10:09:00.000-04:002017-08-01T10:09:40.294-04:00Iterate the PDSA Cycle Quickly to Speed Up Learning and ImprovementAs you say learning is central to using the PDSA cycle. Those organizations that are most successful turn the PDSA cycle quickly and iterate. A significant part of such behavior is to intentionally design the PDSA to iterate quickly - break down PDSA cycles into smaller pieces that can quickly be iterated.
Comment on: What it Means to Turn the PDCA Cycle One More Time
Related: How To Create aCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-6338607622970534482017-07-19T10:56:00.000-04:002017-07-19T10:56:07.403-04:00Code Software to be Robust and Easy to Update QuicklyComment on: Correction vs Prevention in Software Development
I think both prevention and designing the software and management system so that rapid correction is possible are important. While rare events may be difficult to prevent when looking at each instance there are styles of coding that make more "edge case" failures more likely. Coding so that the system is as robust as possible is wiseCurious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-46274064923972108902017-07-12T10:33:00.000-04:002017-07-12T10:33:07.680-04:00Earning the Trust of EmployeesMy comments on: Why good employees (should not) leave (good companies)? – The employer perspective
One of the very challenging tasks as a manager is to get people to trust bringing up difficult topics. Often people are punished for doing so. Most people learn to keep quiet about management problems. Even when managers say they want to hear there are many instances when they then punish those Curious Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0