when does anyone start to examine how we do things, to look for inefficiency? If we eliminated that inefficiency, how many hours of unnecessary processing, running around to find things or people, sitting in pointless meetings, etc. etc. could be done away with? [Read more]
If you don’t like it, no one’s going to make you eat the whole thing
January 17, 2012 By 2 Comments
Since I began blogging about ROWE a little while back, I’ve had a few emails from folks who have expressed that they have attempted to introduce ROWE in their own workplaces, only to find supervisors whose minds are closed to the concept (a situation I understand entirely). Typically, the supervisor / manager / business owner [...]
Getting Results: Starting with Why
January 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Planning on not knowing
November 16, 2011 By 2 Comments
I had a conversation with a seasoned project / program manager the other day, that revealed some fundamental flaws in how people deal with uncertainty, as well as how the failure to embrace constant learning short changes both the individual and the group. A few details have been changed to protect the guilty….. In discussing [...]
It’s still Easier, Better, Faster, Cheaper…in that order
November 2, 2011 By 2 Comments
The focus of improvement, and not just in lean, is in cost reduction and increased cycle time. That focus misses the point entirely, and remains unaware of just how brilliant the Easier, Better, Faster Cheaper methodology – when pursued in that order and that order only, truly is.
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Ideas, not answers
November 1, 2011 By 2 Comments
My 6-year-old son has show-and-tell at school every Friday. The night before his most recent presetation, I asked him what he wanted to bring to school. He simply said, “Hmmm….I don’t know!” and shrugged his shoulders, waiting for me to give him something he could use. It was then that my improvement genes went into [...]
The luxury of I Don’t Know
October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“I Don’t Know how” is, usually, a defensive reaction. It’s far easier to use ignorance as an excuse for not trying to learn than it is to admit that we might not have the capacity to learn. That, however, might be a matter of self-deception. It’s not that we’re incapable of learning, it’s that we simply don’t have enough time to learn what we perceive is needed. [Read more]
The Cart Wrangler Blues
October 13, 2011 By 1 Comment
Everyone likes to show off their ability to put their backs into it and come out a winner. In the end, it’s all about “Look at me! I am tough, and I can take it.”
But why do you want to?
Any number of organizations have figured out that no one should have to, or want to. From Toyota and its fabled Production System to Best Buy and the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), there are places that have realized that overcoming the “Look what I can do!” aspects of human nature. [Read more]
The management lessons of angry birds
October 11, 2011 By 5 Comments
Angry Birds, that time-draining app that has spawned a cult phenomenon and a slew of stuffed toys at Walmart, might seem like an odd place to look for wisdom on accomplishing tasks. Nonetheless, the game offers several highly useful examples of how to manage yourself and others in order to get things accomplished: [Read more]
Being Resourceful is a matter of curiosity
September 27, 2011 By 1 Comment
“Do what you can with what you’ve got wherever you are.” Theodore Roosevelt Those words got me thinking about people who will state that they can’t accomplish something for no reason other than, “I don’t know how.” Ummmm……what? The truth is that the statement is incomplete. The person doesn’t know how to do the task, [...]
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