tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80983102012-01-26T17:38:14.596-05:00<b>focusing on management improvement, economics, investment, travel, the internet and the curiouscat.com web site.</b>curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.comBlogger3021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-91725022466208290862012-01-17T22:26:00.000-05:002012-01-17T22:26:15.925-05:00

Why The ‘Check Engine’ Light Must Be Banned all the average motorist sees is that little drawing of an engine bisected by a lightning bolt. And all that tells them is basically nothing. ... the state of things now is that your car actually could do more than just throw an error code at consumers. It contains an advanced system to diagnose itself, but the actual information from that diagnosis is

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-59709990185155384322011-10-06T23:54:00.001-04:002011-10-06T23:56:27.486-04:00

Response to: Great example of "Lying with Statistics" My view is closer to Rip's.  Deceiving people is not alleviated by being "truthful" but misleading.  As with many things where you draw the border is often challenging.  I do like putting the claims of lying on a person - not on data.  Data can be wrong.  It can't lie.  People can lie.  People can also mislead.  And very often people can be

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-28752529416503721232011-09-30T03:25:00.002-04:002011-09-30T03:26:21.725-04:00

Automation is Not Always the Answer, in Retail or Healthcare I’m not anti-technology. I just believe strongly in the “Toyota Way” principle that states: “Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves Your People and Processes” Very good post. I am a big proponent of technology. My career path was basically from helping management improve organizational performance to IT program

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-35431367667364155232011-09-14T20:51:00.001-04:002011-09-14T20:53:50.444-04:00

The Past, The Future, Quality, and ASQ does the quality community bear some responsibility for making sure its philosophic foundations are not lost to history? Managers fail to adopt old, proven ideas.  I blame, mostly, managers themselves for this.  Organizations, like ASQ, should also do a much better job, too.  Unfortunately, ASQ has a long way to go in promoting quality.  Huge amounts of

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-67504028591533924022011-08-31T05:45:00.004-04:002011-08-31T05:54:44.918-04:00

Zipcar Customer Experience: Variability, Utilization, and Queueing Late returning of cars appears to be a problem and long-standing theme with Zipcar. In fact, for late returning cars, the customer is charged a substantial late fee of $50. With such a high late fee rate, one can only surmise that late returning cars is a large enough of a problem and Zipcar’s response to this is to change the

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-59453701127176493752011-08-17T23:07:00.003-04:002011-08-17T23:16:06.880-04:00

Stop Letting Technical People Get Away With Social Ineptitude it’s often believed to be true because there are so many engineers and technical personnel with poor people skills. I never have seen statistics to support the notion that the ratio is higher in these professions than in others, yet employers often find that people filling these roles with poor people skills are still employable. This

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-54008497587777853482011-08-05T03:03:00.006-04:002011-08-05T05:05:52.308-04:00

Causal Reasoning in Science: Don’t Dismiss CorrelationsBox, Hunter, and Hunter were/are theorists, in the sense that they don’t do experiments (or even collect data) themselves....Science is about increasing certainty — about learning. You can learn from any observation, as distasteful as that may be to evidence snobs. By saying that experiments are “necessary” to find out something, Box et al.

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-33272505000530792252011-08-04T07:45:00.000-04:002011-08-04T07:45:00.866-04:00

It is not lean/smart is evaluating an idea based solely on if the person follows their advice. Often I see people use the excuse that some leader isn't applying lean tools well to say that mean I don't have to. Just because someone else doesn't follow good advice doesn't me you shouldn't follow the advice. Good advice is good advice whether the person follows it or not. And bad advice is bad

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-41266248289102550682011-08-01T07:42:00.002-04:002011-08-01T07:46:47.063-04:00

The publishing model is about as broken as can be. They add value in editing (but that can easily be separated from them - I believe many just use independent editors anyway). I suppose they can help with marketing. A few decades ago marketing and distribution were barriers to alternative solutions. I can't really see much need for traditional publishers anymore myself. If I felt like

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-2374355561722922362011-06-21T06:53:00.003-04:002011-06-21T06:59:19.041-04:00

Root Cause of Health Care Crisis? by Pascal DennisCosts are exploding -- and crowding out other critical expenditures like education, R & D and infrastructure. Health care outcomes are disappointing. Miracles occur within the silos, catastrophe across them.What's the root cause of this sorry state of affairs?I don't think there is 1 reason why the health care system is so bad in the USA. If I

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-88203027296767858992011-04-09T08:00:00.003-04:002011-04-09T08:10:58.941-04:00

A Discriminatory ConundrumThe total American workforce has remained relatively constant over the last ten years – roughly 131M employees. The number of EEOC claims over the last ten years has increased by roughly 25% to almost 100K a year.I would think these suits increase when there is a bad employment marketplace, but I don't have any data on that it just seems logical. When times are good all

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-66145388767430583982011-03-30T08:26:00.003-04:002011-03-30T08:35:01.174-04:00

Does Setting a Goal for Number of Kaizens Violate "Kaizen Spirit"?is it reasonable to set a target or goal for the # of kaizen ideas submitted and implemented?is a goal sometimes necessary to get the ball rolling?are goals and targets almost always dysfunctional?I don't see any value in setting goals for the number of kaizen events. It is typical MBA spreadsheet management thinking that has

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-39620003517648325532011-02-06T09:35:00.003-05:002011-02-06T10:09:16.233-05:00

It is actually laughable how obvious the problems with USA airline management are. Just go fly the cheap airlines in Asia: Firefly, Tiger Air (AirAsia I haven't flown but am not sure is a good comparison, though many people like it)... Even Malaysia Air offers some very cheap short haul flights. Then you have airlines like Singapore Air which is like professional athletes being compared to

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-31908651128297923402010-12-31T11:50:00.004-05:002010-12-31T11:59:54.993-05:00

With a good Lean system in place, do we still need Six Sigma?There is no Lean Team, but everyone in the organization thinks Lean. Employee satisfaction surveys show steady growth in satisfaction; profitability is increasing; cost are decreasing; less work pressure... The one problem still exist is ensuring JIT delivery from the suppliers network..Can Six Sigma help the organization to accelerate

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-68212928492577263742010-12-14T18:37:00.001-05:002010-12-31T11:49:59.444-05:00

Not speaking the truth to powerFor the future. Be very, very, very, very, very cautious about sharing honest opinions with a boss unless you have a good relationship and the boss has proven that he or she actually wants the truth and handles it well. In my experience some bosses want it, some never want it, and some want it in some areas but not others. When in doubt, mumble."I give my honest

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-85247419220164180722010-11-29T12:25:00.001-05:002010-11-29T12:25:00.756-05:00

Google and Pay Raises: Turns Out, She's a Lot Like You....Google attempted to do what your company either 1) has done, or 2) would do if you had the means:1. You would try and buy your way out of a retention problem by giving everyone an across the board raise. Turnover is hard to figure out and stop. Sometimes you just have to throw money at everyone and hope that the turnover stops. It

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-32502659739105312112010-11-13T09:55:00.008-05:002010-11-13T10:14:13.156-05:00

Knowledge workers are the new capitalists by Peter F. Druckerknowledge workers are highly mobile within their specialism. They think nothing of moving from one university, one company or one country to another, as long as they stay within the same field of knowledge....Money is as important to knowledge workers as to anybody else, but they do not accept it as the ultimate yardstick, nor do they

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-82309530037314932042010-10-18T11:13:00.002-04:002010-10-18T11:27:06.925-04:00

The Role of Lean in the "New Normal" WorldThe "New Normal" often means we are hanging on, and feel our best days are behind us. For the first time in the USA, many feel their children's future will be filled with less opportunity than they experienced....We need to embrace the "New Normal" as a both a challenge and an opportunity. [North Carolina University] IES is working to help organizations

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-78539582579396914672010-10-05T13:59:00.003-04:002010-10-05T14:10:34.118-04:00

The Deification of DemingWhen people discuss how best to change an organization, Lean proponents will invariably cite Deming and argue that since he has shown that 94% of the potential for improvement is in the system there is little point in working with organizational culture....If lean is ever going to become more mainstream people must start treating it less as a religion with its own gods

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-2793340255505785122010-08-19T10:10:00.002-04:002010-08-19T10:10:00.303-04:00

Everett Clinic Video, Redux – The Need for SPC ThinkingLooking at 5.x% and comparing it against an arbitrary goal does little to tell us about the health of the work system. Is 5.x% the typical average performance? Is that much higher than usual?This is a great opportunity to use the methods of Statistical Process Control. The main management decision is to decide "react" or "not react" to that

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-78680453587050078892010-08-16T12:16:00.000-04:002010-08-16T12:16:00.738-04:00

Response to, Toxic EmployeesBut what if this employee is a rock star salesperson or contributor but has the bad attitude? Do you put up with the attitude issue for the great performance?Does performance override character? Or do we want performance and character?What if this person when confronted, justifies their behavior with “it’s the truth and I’m the only one with the guts to speak out”?

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-76839525413967195952010-08-13T09:49:00.001-04:002010-08-13T09:49:00.773-04:00

I see respect for people (that I think requires striving for joy in work) is critical. Dr. Deming stressed the importance of letting people take joy in work. A big part of this are many sensible respect for people notions. But also he stressed the importance of allowing people to take pride in what they do. Critical to this is providing meaningful work and organizing the work so that people

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-81109488581426280062010-08-09T09:24:00.001-04:002010-08-09T08:58:22.342-04:00

Another Hospital CEO Talks Lean CultureThere’s a lot covered in the article – celebrating successes, communicating, and building on your successes. They also share a huge success in reducing waiting times for MRIs (from 25 to 28 days to just 3).Great example. Senior leadership support and understanding is incredibly helpful. You can make progress without it. But eventually it becomes very

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-68427444850176529032010-08-03T11:53:00.001-04:002010-08-09T09:04:51.042-04:00

I think there are many companies that obviously do not attempt to provide good customer service: airlines, large banks and Verizon are examples that have huge numbers of customers being treated very poorly. If there are options to choose decent service it doesn't bother me so much (credit unions provide a very good alternative to large banks most often). Thankfully you can often avoid United,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-20230883311978924912010-07-27T09:09:00.002-04:002010-07-27T09:14:28.097-04:00

IT should focus on doing its part to improve the system (in systems thinking terms) of the organization. In the short run a big part of that is likely in improving process type activity, supporting others in doing their jobs. There also should likely be a role for building the capacity of the organization. Information technology is critical to long term success. Most organizations today do not

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-11934846761295832852010-07-17T12:09:00.001-04:002010-07-17T12:13:42.293-04:00

Tony Hsieh and Jeff Bezos are leaders worth paying attention to. And that is rare among the well know business leaders I think. They both focus on customer focus not spreadsheets. They build successful businesses and know that it is critical to build a organization of people (not inter-changable figures on a spreadsheet). I must admit I wouldn't have thought Zappos could be so successful.

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-13129480624570602352010-07-08T14:02:00.001-04:002010-07-17T08:00:48.312-04:00

Can I back out of my new job if I get a better offer?I recently accepted an offer with an organization and started this past week. Four days into it, another potential employer I'd interviewed with once (at the same time I interviewed for my new job) has asked me to talk with them a second time. While I like the job I just started (and the employer), I would love the other position more - it

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-53862374097366721052010-06-08T12:54:00.003-04:002010-06-08T12:54:00.094-04:00

I think agile software development practices are by and very useful and in the spirit of lean thinking. Software development is a domain that is not equal to say manufacturing cars. There will naturally be differences in how lean ideas are applied. And then within different software development organization their will be differences.There certainly can be issues with how agile is adopted. And

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-84947805534554151192010-06-01T09:56:00.004-04:002010-06-01T10:23:30.821-04:00

Agile is FragileI embrace Agile/Scrum development because I am firmly convinced that it addresses many of the problems that plague software development along with providing working professionals with the autonomy that they should have in the first place. If something isn’t working, most likely it isn’t the process that is at fault. I’d wager that there is an implementation or execution problem. .

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-9775236840790310552010-04-16T12:34:00.002-04:002010-04-16T12:57:23.461-04:00

What Makes You Want to Do Better?Many organizations are quick to assume that extrinsic rewards (oftentimes, money) are the only way to get people to take initiative (a form of “Theory X” thinking). Followers of Dr. Deming (and now fans of Daniel Pink and his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us) realize that people have incredible intrinsic motivation if you don’t squash it,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-21904435031961737252010-04-13T14:35:00.003-04:002010-04-13T14:48:45.317-04:00

What should your employees be doing? by Harry Hertz, the Baldrige CheermudgeonEmployees all have four common requirements to guide them: - keep each customer (loyalty is critical) - find new customers -get as much money as possible from each customer (as long as it is moral, legal and ethical) - you are in business to earn money - look for efficiencies (not based just on cost-cutting, unless

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-56236849371600720102010-04-11T16:29:00.003-04:002010-04-11T16:35:26.663-04:00

The FLSA OT Exemption No Longer Computes!When the DOL enacted the FLSA back in 1938 there were a couple of things that could not have been taken into account. The whole basis for the overtime exemption was that certain employees were educated, trained, and responsible at a level that afforded a certain flexibility in how they get their job done. Generally the argument was that sometimes those

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-26607868350390174292009-11-14T13:07:00.003-05:002009-11-14T13:20:27.685-05:00

Suits/MBA types must be in charge of how ABC web properties work. The site tells me:"You have access to thousands of live events on ESPN360.com courtesy of your internet service provider."No I don't. Your amazingly lame (likely decided upon by some suit that doesn't have a clue about internet technology or customer service) watching solution requires specific operating systems to work (Windows

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-88349445504593898302009-05-24T12:25:00.005-04:002009-05-24T12:49:05.546-04:00

Searching on Google today for Management blog lists us 3rd. Yahoo has us 2nd. Live has us 5thThe Career 100 Global Ranking of Top English-language Career Blogs lists the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog 39th.In the latest Top 100 Blogs for Developers we dropped from 32nd to 94th.

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-86979188786203328712009-03-18T17:42:00.007-04:002009-05-24T12:47:12.114-04:00

Response to AIG Bonuses Have You Pointing the Finger in the Wrong DirectionThe core problem is we have a bunch of corrupt bureaucrats that are looting companies like 3rd world dictators. For some reason people seem to think if you and your buddies conspire to loot millions it is legal and if you and your buddies conspire to take the office supplies that is stealing.I fully understand that these

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-30524075706454912282008-11-28T19:40:00.002-05:002008-11-28T19:49:06.626-05:00

This is just a reminder that the current address for the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog is http://management.curiouscatblog.net. Popular posts (since our last post here) include: Global Manufacturing Data for 2007 Motivate or Eliminate De-Motivation Creating Jobs USA Spent $2.1 Trillion on Health Care Toyota's Commitment CEOs Plundering Corporate Coffers

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1159644412753194902006-09-30T15:20:00.000-04:002006-09-30T15:26:52.766-04:00

This is just a reminder that the current address for the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog is http://management.curiouscatblog.net. Recent posts include: Chaos Management (by design) at Google Toyota IT Overview Gladwell (and Drucker) on Pensions Distorting the System

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1151407350034634522006-06-27T07:22:00.000-04:002006-06-27T07:22:30.046-04:00

We have moved this blog to: Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog. We hope you find the new site valuable.

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1151341421759379192006-06-26T12:39:00.001-04:002009-05-24T12:47:47.323-04:00

H.C. Miller workers to earn ownership by Richard Ryman.I have always liked the idea of employee ownership. To me this can be a great help in creating a system where employees, owners, customers, suppliers work together. Alone an ESOP does little. But as part of a system of management it is something I think can be beneficial.Employees of H.C. Miller Co. have learned to look at their company

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1151258404525928802006-06-25T13:47:00.000-04:002006-06-25T14:00:04.600-04:00

San Francisco's Latest Innovation: Universal Health Care by Laura Locke:Starting in early 2007, every uninsured San Franciscan can seek comprehensive primary care at the city's public and private clinics and hospitals, including top research facilities like the University of California at San Francisco. Coverage includes lab work, prescriptions, X rays, hospitalization and surgery. Annual funding

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150984819060277072006-06-22T10:00:00.001-04:002009-05-24T12:50:13.410-04:00

How Toyota Uses Information Technology (IT) for Kaizen by Jon Miller. He quotes Toyota's CIO from the Japanese article:Part of my job as CIO is to take on these company-wide issues and use this data to make improvement suggestions when I have an opportunity to meet with the managing executives.Of course, it requires more than me making suggestions for Toyota to make good use of IT. The

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150850073397817682006-06-20T20:24:00.000-04:002006-06-20T20:38:11.343-04:00

Amazing Single Piece Flow MD Office by Mark Graban:This doctor re-thought the entire patient process, from the perspective of a patient. He was inspired to do this after he had a lousy experience being a patient for another physician.Imagine this sort of experience as a patient: * You show up for your appointment and walk to the counter. You say "I'm here" and don't have to sign in or do

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150806886846005592006-06-20T08:34:00.000-04:002006-06-20T11:05:51.676-04:00

Lean Six Sigma - An Oxymoron? by Mike Micklewright raises some interesting questions. Take a few minutes and read his article, it is definitely worth the time. And then take the time to think about some of the questions he raises.I admit I am not convinced many using the term lean six sigma are intent on fusing the ideas from both areas: I think marketing might be the primary motive. However,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150736540273885512006-06-19T13:01:00.001-04:002009-05-24T12:49:47.908-04:00

Jeffrey Phillips brings up the question of how lean and six sigma work with innovation in his post: Lean on me. He raises many good questions. Let me share some thoughts on this topic here and later I will try to address this area more comprehensively.Fast Cycle Change in Knowledge-Based Organizations by Ian Hau and Ford Calhoun is a good example of lean thinking, eliminating waste... in an

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150646541256731442006-06-18T11:52:00.000-04:002006-06-18T12:02:21.266-04:00

Topic: Travel photosPhotos from my 2004 hike on the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy Trail in Virginia.

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150553185316998082006-06-17T09:54:00.000-04:002006-06-17T10:06:25.380-04:00

We have updated the design of the Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog. Please share your comments on the design: we plan on moving this blog to a similar design.

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150478875489820532006-06-16T13:06:00.000-04:002006-06-16T13:29:09.976-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementProbe finds nation's emergency care system at 'breaking point' by Lauran Neegaard:It's a sobering symptom of how the nation's emergency-care system is overcrowded and overwhelmed, "at its breaking point," concludes an investigation by the Institute of Medicine.The spate of similar articles reminded me of the recent post by Mark Graban: Stop calling it "ER Congestion".

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150403860495015272006-06-15T16:36:00.000-04:002006-06-15T21:13:36.530-04:00

Topic: Management Improvement, Economics, Systems ThinkingIn Thinking About the Future Russ Ackoff does his usual great job of providing insightful ideas while not being afraid to be controversial. In this speech Dr. Ackoff discusses his thoughts on the issue of global development at the occasion of his receipt of the Tallberg Foundation / Swedbank Leadership Award:So much time is currently

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150322914532792132006-06-14T18:08:00.001-04:002009-05-24T12:50:38.179-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementA presentation today, Lean Thinking For the NHS, by Dan Jones is getting press coverage in England.NHS should embrace lean times:The improvements came through examining the patient's whole experience, and removing the sometimes-fatal delays in getting them into the operating theatre, such as creating a faster process for radiology and removing unnecessary

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150317790373376702006-06-14T16:38:00.000-04:002006-06-15T07:54:35.376-04:00

More Kaizen - Why Not Eleven?:We also talk about lean production and Toyota methods and how far you have to go. He tells me about a course he did where the company took him out of work for a couple of days and sent him to another plant where they showed him how to work an assembly line station, then set him to come up with 5 improvements for the process before lunchtime.When he delivered they

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150240814635985212006-06-13T19:02:00.000-04:002006-06-13T19:20:14.716-04:00

Good post by Mark Graban: Once Again, Dell is Not TPS:Their factories are great examples of flow, raw material comes in one side, finished product comes out the other, with minimal WIP in between.But, lean isn't just about reducing waste. The Toyota Production System is also about "respect for people," meaning your employees, suppliers, and customers. Dell definitely scores higher on "reducing

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1150133827858155862006-06-12T13:13:00.000-04:002006-06-12T22:34:53.556-04:00

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers brings us the web site: manufacturingiscool.com. Maybe this is the answer to Bill Waddell post: We Don't Get No Respect :-)From the manufacturing is cool site:Video tapes and books full of additional information regarding the many interesting careers available in manufacturing engineering and technically oriented material.Professionally prepared classroom

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149977366482453332006-06-10T17:40:00.000-04:002006-06-15T17:29:11.643-04:00

Topic: catsTabby cat terror for black bearA black bear picked the wrong yard for a jaunt, running into a territorial tabby who ran the furry beast up a tree - twice.Jack, a 15-pound orange and white cat, keeps a close vigil on his property, often chasing small animals, but his owners and neighbors say his latest escapade was surprising."We used to joke, 'Jack's on duty,' never knowing he'd go

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149950199619116662006-06-10T09:22:00.000-04:002006-06-10T10:36:39.683-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementManagement Advice: Which 90% is Crap? by Bob Sutton, Stanford University:At first, I couldn't believe that someone as well-read as Hamel claimed an old idea was new and that he had invented it. But I eventually realized the problem wasn't Gary Hamel, or any other individual making claims of originality. Rather, his column reflected a prevailing practice in the

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149881869218577982006-06-09T15:30:00.000-04:002006-06-09T16:13:41.906-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementA fun post as we head into the weekend: If Tech Companies Made Sudoku by Kathy SierraFrankly, we're a little baffled that your original design was so... simple. I'm sure we all recognize that our target market demands a much more media-rich, interactive, high-action experience. Love the whole grid thing, though.The graphic on the original post is great. You can also

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149806088160009482006-06-08T18:25:00.001-04:002006-06-08T19:01:01.953-04:00

Topic: Management Improvement - InvestingLean Provision Is Tesco's Secret Weapon in Battle with Wal-Mart:Tesco's lean provision system combines point-of-sale data, cross-dock distribution centers, and frequent deliveries to many stores along "milk-runs" to stock the right items in a range of retail formats. These include Tesco Express convenience stores at gas stations and busy intersections;

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149733464086163662006-06-07T22:07:00.000-04:002006-06-07T22:28:48.443-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementMicrosoft webcast on Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI is the process developed by the Software Engineering Institute that was heavily influenced by Quality Management) and the approach taken for continuous improvement - mapping to concepts like Six Sigma and Kaizen. Each webcast with David Anderson, is an hour long.Program information: presentation to CMMI

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149701437454848372006-06-07T13:12:00.000-04:002006-06-07T13:37:02.470-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementSpreading the lean tonic:One problem, says Michele Bonfiglioli, chief executive of Italian manufacturing consultancy firm Bonfiglioli Consulting, is that many manufacturers have a 'blind spot' when it comes to understanding just how non-lean and inefficient their administrative functions are. "Manufacturing is full of metrics: takt times, OEE and a host of others -

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149558044804252482006-06-05T21:19:00.000-04:002006-06-06T17:59:32.420-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementNSF Funded Kaizen Event Research Project First, this research seeks to identify the most important factors influencing successful outcomes (both technical and social)...The second objective investigates the sustainability of Kaizen events over time.The research team has visited numerous organizations utilizing Kaizen events acrossmultiple areas. Leaders in some

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149301371812690062006-06-03T10:55:00.000-04:002006-06-03T11:00:27.220-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementLean, mean, Six Sigma machines by Tam Harbert:Without exception, each company is healthier now than it was five years ago. Three of them have turned profitable, and the fourth - Celestica - is close to turning the corner... The question is how much credit for their progress goes to Lean Six [Sigma].Yes that is indeed a good question. What management claims as the

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149129550771274932006-06-01T12:41:00.000-04:002006-06-01T13:47:52.966-04:00

Signs you have a great job ... or not by Jeanne SahadiThis article, while presenting an overly simplistic view in my opinion, actually provides some good reminders. The article focuses on 12 questions that seem to be the focus of a recent business book. And some of those questions provide good reminders to managers of things they should pay attention to, such as: Do I know what's expected of me

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149124324979826992006-05-31T20:35:00.000-04:002006-05-31T21:12:05.086-04:00

Topic: Management Improvement, Toyota Production System, Lean ManufacturingJon Miller has been posting thoughts on chapters of Gemba Keiei by Taiichi Ohno for quite some time. His latest post in on chapter 23 (of 37): Producing at the Lowest Possible Cost. The series of posts provide great doses of management wisdom. As he said in the first post: "As I re-read this book in the original

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1149034150442372242006-05-30T19:30:00.000-04:002006-05-30T20:09:11.056-04:00

We have posted on the topic of Lean Software Development previously:Lean Software Development: A Field Guide - the first 3 chapters of this new book are available online. Excellent, recommended for anyone interested in lean thinking ideas.Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers by Mary Poppendieck and Tom Poppendieck, 2003.Articles on lean programming by the

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1148738205906668272006-05-27T09:32:00.000-04:002006-05-27T09:56:46.036-04:00

Topic: Travel PhotosThese photos are from my New York City trip in 2005, see more photos of: Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). The Met is an incredible museum with a huge amount of amazing art.More photos by John Hunter: NYC 2004: Brooklyn Bridge visited the Staten Island Children's Museum, Paris - the Louvre, Egypt, Washington DC - Jefferson Building of the Library of

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1148603245021070062006-05-25T19:56:00.000-04:002006-05-25T20:27:39.476-04:00

Topic: Management Improvement, Engineering EducationOn our Science and Engineering blog I just posted on the Olin Engineering Education Experiment. It is a great story of doing things differently.The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering was founded with a donation of over $400 million and opened to students in 2002. All students get a full tuition scholarship. Interesting article: The Olin

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1148485999610007402006-05-24T11:24:00.000-04:002006-05-24T15:18:48.640-04:00

Toyota: Better or Different?,Lean Blog commenting on Seth Godin's postThe answer, as I see it, is to be better and different (when necessary). In Seth's post he talks about challenging people to find not just better solutions but different solutions. That is fine, as long as people don't lose focus on being better. Neither one alone is adequate (at least not always). To achieve great success

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1148442198780831752006-05-23T23:22:00.000-04:002006-05-23T23:43:18.933-04:00

Topic: Investing"Financial education is a critical component of a robust and effective financial marketplace but it is not a panacea. Clear disclosures, wise regulation and vigorous enforcement are also essential to ensuring that financial service providers do not engage in unfair or deceptive practices," Bernanke said.Outlining the various initiatives that the Fed already sponsors to boost

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1148353598326373472006-05-22T22:41:00.000-04:002006-05-22T23:06:38.456-04:00

Lean forward by Martin Ashcroft (on the recent lean conference by The Manufacturer magazine):There is also a growing awareness that lean principles should not be confined to manufacturing operations, with almost nine out of ten recognizing their value throughout the entire organization. Action speaks louder than words, however, and manufacturers betrayed themselves somewhat in their answers to a

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147886529138497842006-05-17T19:12:00.000-04:002006-05-17T19:07:20.280-04:00

Topics: management improvement, performance appraisalI ran across a great article on the problems created by our common use of performance appraisal today: Unjust Deserts (pdf format) by Mary Poppendieck:As Sue's team instinctively realized, ranking people for merit raises pits individual employees against each other and strongly discourages collaboration, a cornerstone of Agile practices....

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147806816284709562006-05-16T19:12:00.000-04:002006-06-25T12:13:07.990-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementThe Customer Knows Best? Better Think Again by Anthony W. UlwickIt's important to listen to customers - but not follow their words without skepticism. Ask them to design your next product and you're likely to miss the mark, suggests this Harvard Business Review excerpt.Excellent point. Some management ideas are pretty easy and straight forward. But many management

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147544412833254602006-05-13T13:58:00.000-04:002006-05-13T14:20:12.946-04:00

Topic: investingInvest Like a Simpleton by Tim Beyers, fool.com:Ten years ago, Tom Gardner boldly picked 10 stocks to buy and hold for the next decade....Even with a tough week in which Silicon Graphics filed for bankruptcy and Dell admitted its business is not at all like it used to be, the Simpleton Portfolio would have returned more than six times your money had you invested on day one. For

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147394274083706922006-05-12T00:18:00.000-04:002006-05-11T20:37:54.096-04:00

Topic: management improvement, lean manufacturing, TPSA very interesting article by Art Smalley based on an interview with Mr. Isao Kato: Shigeo Shingo's Influence on TPS. For those interested in the history of the Toyota Production System this article provides some excellent information.Some background on Isao Kato:As much as anyone alive Mr. Kato knows the history of TPS development from an

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147360879768509442006-05-11T10:41:00.000-04:002006-05-11T11:22:58.286-04:00

Why Business Needs More Geeks by Robert May:then along came Wall Street. Obsessed with quarterly profit increases and seeing them as disconnected from value creation, Wall Street encouraged businesses to think short-term. The things that led to value creation - things like innovation, continued learning, employee development, long-term focus - were replaced by pump-and-dump management

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147192765391973102006-05-09T12:07:00.000-04:002006-05-09T12:39:25.496-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementStatistics Abuse and Me by Jay Mathews:the Simpson's Paradox numbers. The national average for the SAT went up only 4 points between 1981 and 2005, but the average for whites went up 10 points, for blacks 21 points, for Asians 37 points, for Mexicans 15 points, for Puerto Ricans 23 points and for American Indians 18 points.How can that be? Is it important? First,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1147046274797285552006-05-08T19:16:00.000-04:002006-06-20T20:09:08.166-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementA very thoughtful post, Respect for People on the Kaikaku blog raises some interesting questions. What does respect for people really mean?Toyota empowers people: To stop the line - to stop every other worker from working - that is real respect and trust. To implement creative improvement ideas around their work area. They trust you to come up with the best idea to

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1146962012579498002006-05-06T19:01:00.000-04:002006-05-07T17:00:53.280-04:00

Topic: economics, investingInteresting chart from: The Oil Age Poster. There are all sorts of opinions on the future price of oil.My view is based in the capitalist/market model - I believe that if it becomes obvious we are running out of oil the price will go up drastically. Those who own it will feel if you don't buy it today they will sell it to you for much more later. And those that want

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1146850493272261652006-05-05T13:31:00.000-04:002006-05-05T13:34:53.286-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementOffice Furniture Companies Now LeanerSteelcase, the largest of the nation's office furniture companies, cut thousands of jobs, consolidated manufacturing operations and started relying more on third-party suppliers and outsourcing as it shifted toward a leaner and more flexible manufacturing model popularized by Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp.This does not

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1146703819609637382006-05-03T20:22:00.000-04:002006-05-03T20:50:19.720-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementWhen encountering a problem or defect the inclination of many is to find a person to blame. W. Edwards Deming believed that the system was responsible for 93% of the problems and over time he increased that number to at least 97%. Why did he see it that way, while so many others first inclination is to blame someone?As I see it the issue has to do with what is the

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1146431101644637062006-04-30T16:39:00.000-04:002006-04-30T17:05:01.786-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementThe Inmates Are Running The Asylums by Bill Waddell.For instance, I found something called NWA's [Nortwest Airlines] "Customer First" Customer Service Guide. Incredibly, it includes the statement, "Ensure that you receive a response to your written complaints within 60 days of their receipt by our Customer Relations department." That's right - you tell them about a

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1146345865896284692006-04-29T16:12:00.000-04:002006-04-29T17:24:26.000-04:00

Most Meetings are Muda (Waste) from Got Boondoggle:I will not waste your time and regurgitate all the expert based meeting protocols like following an established agenda, having a meeting plan, taking meeting notes, etc. All these ideas are great and work well. Instead, I have a list of a few meeting musts that may guide you to more productive meeting time.The post provides good tips on what to

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1146231443477561902006-04-28T09:19:00.000-04:002006-04-28T17:16:39.906-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementWhy are you afraid of process? by Seth GodinI spend a lot of time railing against organizations and teams that fall in love with process at the expense of innovation. This is not a post about that.It's about the opposite.Seth Godin does a great job helping people think creatively. I am glad he sees that process management is not in conflict with that. Many others

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1145540220522625852006-04-20T09:35:00.000-04:002006-04-20T23:20:22.270-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementWhy Your Employees Are Losing Motivation by David Sirota, Louis A. Mischkind, and Michael Irwin Meltzer from the Harvard Management Update:Most companies have it all wrong. They don't have to motivate their employees. They have to stop demotivating them.Clear, simple and right. Douglas McGregor explored this topic well in 1960. He explained theory X management (

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1145405086993785592006-04-18T19:53:00.000-04:002006-05-12T09:20:24.310-04:00

Blogs 'essential' to a good careerFor those with blogs this is a nice article to read - good positive reinforcement. It is probably a good marketing move to write an article that bloggers will like. Many will then post their thoughts on your article on their blog.The article is a bit overly enthusiastic still it includes some good points. And these points are especially valuable for those

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1145318512355445942006-04-17T19:49:00.000-04:002006-04-17T20:01:52.436-04:00

Lean Accounting: What's It All About? by Brian H. Maskell and Bruce L. Baggaley:Companies using Lean Accounting have better information for decision-making, have simple and timely reports that are clearly understood by everyone in the company, they understand the true financial impact of lean changes, they focus the business around the value created for the customers, and Lean Accounting actively

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1145230602769275002006-04-16T19:23:00.000-04:002006-04-16T19:36:42.843-04:00

finding the balance between quality and cost by Thomas Nolan Maureen BisognanoOne of the steps toward a system for improving value is recognizing that waste removal is an essential component of that system, not just a by-product of defect reduction. To alleviate discomfort with setting aims for cost reduction, senior leaders should:Set aims for cost reduction while also mandating that quality

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1145134023295625702006-04-15T16:19:00.000-04:002006-04-15T16:56:40.983-04:00

Topic: economics, manufacturingBrad Setser posts on manufacturing comparisons: Have China’s manufacturing powers been exaggerated?I am all for pushing against over-generalizations that get repeated so often that they become conventional wisdom. The oft-stated argument that France isn't growing is one example. In fact, France has grown faster than either Germany or Italy over the past few years,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144976391504985422006-04-13T19:56:00.000-04:002006-04-20T18:57:35.250-04:00

Topic: management improvement, internetReddit is a site for what's new and popular on the web (votes by the user community rate web links). That user community is highly skewed toward software engineers who are a bit irreverent (as some of the language in this post shows).Today Reddit linked to: Introducing the Dell De-Crapifier... which is essentially a tool to help you get rid of all the extra

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144889017973182072006-04-12T20:21:00.000-04:002006-04-12T20:44:56.406-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementThe Lean Education Academic Network (LEAN) is having their Spring meeting at the University of Kentucky in Lexington May 10th - May 12th. This is targeted at educators and students (a fairly small slice of our audience): still it looks interesting so here are some details.The agenda includes:Tour Summit Polymer, considered by the Toyota Supplier Support Center to be

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144812431913961342006-04-12T00:03:00.000-04:002006-05-19T11:52:23.246-04:00

Topic: Investing (USA)Why You Need a Roth IRA by Erin Burt:If a 25-year-old contributes $4,000 each year until she retires and makes an average annual return of 8% on her investment, she'll have more than $1.1 million saved by the time she retires at age 65. And the money is all hers -- she won't have to give the IRS a cent of it if she waits until retirement to cash out....If that same 25-

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144800250401907422006-04-11T19:55:00.000-04:002006-04-11T20:04:10.500-04:00

Don't Ignore your Water Spider a great post by Mike Wroblewski:The second night was little better and I quickly evaluated the improvements from the night before. Later that second night, I made more improvements. Each day, I continued the cycle of experimenting with the improvements and making adjustments to see what worked best. By the end of the week, my pedometer reading hit only 10,000 steps

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144636136872263482006-04-09T21:53:00.000-04:002006-06-22T20:30:12.443-04:00

Topic: Management ImprovementClare Crawford-Mason and Llyod Dobyns have teamed up on a new documentary. Previously they created If Japan Can-Why Can't We? and the Deming Library Tapes.Good News - How Hospitals Heal ThemselvesA One-Hour Documentary Airing on Public Television Spring/Summer 2006Reported by Former NBC Anchor Lloyd DobynsThis rare good news documentary reports on a surprising

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144465586753891702006-04-07T22:47:00.000-04:002006-04-10T09:56:54.726-04:00

Topic: Economics, ManufacturingManufacturing Productivity and the Shifting US, China, and Global Job Scenes-1990 to 2005 (working paper - July 2005) by William Ward, Clemson University:Manufacturing productivity growth from 1990 to 2004 should have taken away 7.5 million of the 17.7 million manufacturing jobs that existed in the US in 1990, while GDP growth should have added back (at the new

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144453815853433802006-04-07T19:19:00.000-04:002006-04-07T19:50:31.143-04:00

How Whirlpool Defines Innovationnow we say if we're going to put any money in an innovation project, it has to sit on a migration path, it has to be something that the customer really wants, and it's got to return an above-average profit.I'm not sure I really agree with this description. However, perhaps within Whirlpool this is a helpful definition, as George Box says: "all models are wrong,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144274963624423312006-04-05T18:02:00.000-04:002006-04-05T18:09:23.636-04:00

Lean Enterprise Institute Expands Services to Growing Lean Community"LEI is introducing new programs, led by new people, at a new location to improve the practice of lean, the search for lean knowledge, and how we share the knowledge across the world," said James P. Womack, LEI founder and chairman. Based on customer research, LEI has formed into four units -- Lean Learning Materials, Lean

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144256872032868912006-04-05T12:33:00.000-04:002006-04-05T13:07:52.223-04:00

Topic: Management Improvement, Toyota Production SystemWomack Audio on Bloomberg.com (14 minutes) via the Lean Blog, where they quote from the audio:"What do they worry about? They worry about the fact the system is still driven out of Japan and they're everywhere now in terms of factories, in terms of R&D, but the fact is, to put the discipline in the system, that force, that energy is still

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1144085356283118872006-04-03T13:05:00.000-04:002006-04-03T13:29:16.616-04:00

What sort of bonuses should we pay? by Seth Godin:Money, it's been shown time and time again, is a demotivator. I'm not talking about a fair or even generous salary. Being a cheapskate is no way to find a great employee. But once people have joined your team, incremental money--bonuses and the like--usually demotivate people.He is right. Why salary bonus and other incentives fail to meet their

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1143980360339817502006-04-02T08:06:00.000-04:002006-04-02T08:19:20.366-04:00

Toyota powers to the front(Toyota President, Katsuaki Watanabe) eschews the normal management mantra of shareholder value above all. A company’s purpose, Watanabe insists, is to be useful to society.W. Edwards Deming described the purpose of an organization in New Economics, on page 51, as:The aim proposed here for any organization is for everybody to gain -stockholders, employees, suppliers,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1143903756742193212006-04-01T09:26:00.000-05:002006-04-01T10:02:36.823-05:00

Inside TPS at Toyota, Georgetown, Kentucky by Ralph Rio:Toyota believes people need to be intimately involved with the process to understand how to improve it. The team member writes the standardized work they use because the person performing the work is the true expert. People are trusted to understand the process and improve it.Automation is used but is seen as a tool for helping people

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1143828448869749442006-03-31T12:45:00.000-05:002006-03-31T13:07:28.986-05:00

Topic: Management Improvement, Lean ManufacturingThe Lean Aerospace Initiative at MIT has a large number of reports, case studies and articles available online.The Initiative was formally launched as the Lean Aircraft Initiative in 1993 when leaders from the U.S. Air Force, MIT, labor unions, and defense aerospace businesses forged a trail-blazing partnership to transform the industry,

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098310.post-1143519491644459042006-03-27T22:39:00.000-05:002006-03-27T23:20:42.583-05:00

Topic: Management ImprovementAdvanced Manufacturing magazine continues the focus on Toyota with a cover article, What Makes Toyota Tick? by Vanessa Chris"Toyota has been coined 'the most feared automaker in the industry.'" Just a few days ago I posted on: Fear Remains a Toyota Motivator. No matter what Toyota continues to be the focus of attention.Every aspect of the assembly process flows

curiouscathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.com0