The Law of Unintended Consequences has typically and historically referred to economic or political intervention into complex systems that creates unanticipated and often undesirable social outcomes. However, not all unintended consequences are negative; often there can also be unexpected benefits.
Every organization and every company is a very complex system … Continue reading
It seems that “direct observation” has become more fashionable in the lean community. I don’t mean to sound cynical but I’m always concerned when a lean practice or principle seems to takes on a life of its own or is considered the “next best thing”. Don’t get me wrong, I … Continue reading
I am convinced more than ever that the application and value of lean is widely recognized and accepted across all industries and segments of industries from hospital, to hotels, to Hollywood productions. Sometimes I forget the broad potential of lean but it was further reinforced from a few recent Lean … Continue reading
I grew up in a very small town in the North Shore of Massachusetts. Everybody knew everybody.
If I tried to get away with anything, someone would always rat me out to my parents. Somehow, however, I managed to have my fair share of experiences. Like many small towns “back … Continue reading
Direct observation is always a challenge but imagine the challenge to do it safely on a live railroad track with a train coming your way at 120 mph.
Direct observation requires commitment and Network rail is making the commitment. How many organizations would give, and in this case require, the … Continue reading
Did the title get your attention?
Throughout my career I have heard over and over again, and even have said myself, that “there are no bad ideas, all ideas are good.” You and I know that it’s simply not true. Some ideas are bad and some are really bad.
What … Continue reading
One of my favorite television series is Brain Games on National Geographic channel (braingames.nationalgeographic.com), which often challenges how our brain interprets what we see and that what “we see” often doesn’t reflect reality. This was further exemplified by a quote from Milton Glaser: “We are always looking but … Continue reading
I couldn’t possibly count the number of times I heard that “I work in an environment that requires creativity and lean doesn’t apply to my work.” Over and over again I have offered how important lean principles are to creating an environment for creativity. I am convinced more than ever … Continue reading
A common lament that I hear from most companies, including my old company, is the difficulty they have getting employees to frequently contribute quality ideas (suggestions) to improve the performance of the organization, and even their own work.
The good old “suggestion box” has been around for decades with varying … Continue reading