W. Edwards Deming espouses a “system of profound knowledge” as the way to manage complex systems. The key points are: Appreciation for a system. (Systems thinking) Knowledge about variation. (Knowing the difference between variation inherent in the system and variation with an attributable cause.) Theory of knowledge. (Understanding how the organization learns – summarized as [...]
There has been an interesting discussion thread on “Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) Experts” group on LinkedIn over the last few weeks on the differences between takt time and cycle time. This is one of the fundamentals I’d have thought was well understood out there, along with some nuances, but I was quite surprised by the number [...]
This article, carried by Yahoo News from the Wall Street Journal succinctly says something that usually goes unsaid. It goes unsaid for the same reason that “ Only Nixon could go to China” – only someone who is heavily invested in the performance review system can dare to criticize it. This, in itself, is an indictment [...]
On the way to the airport a few days ago a couple of thoughts occurred to me that I wanted to toss out there and see how you all responded. This is one of them. What separates an expert from a master? Actually I need to ask in more prejudicial terms. Some people who are [...]
This would be funnier if it were not true. The video was apparently produced to dramatize this piece in National Journal Magazine. Then again, the air travel industry should not go unscathed here, so for your amusement, the TSA Theme by the Bar and Grill Singers, a group of Texas attorneys whose works include “The Jury [...]