Monthly Archives: October 2005

Seven Leadership Leverage Points

Seven Leadership Leverage Points [the broken link was removed]: for Organization-Level Improvement in Health Care by James L. Reinertsen, MD; Michael D. Pugh and Maureen Bisognano. If leaders are to bring about system-level performance improvement, they must channel attention to … Continue reading

Posted in Health care, Management, Process improvement | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Science and Engineering

Broad Federal Effort Urgently Needed to Create New, High-Quality Jobs for All Americans in the 21st Century [the broken link was removed], news release on a report from the National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy – Rising … Continue reading

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Shackled by Bad Six Sigma?

Shackled by Bad Six Sigma? by Fred Mullavey, Quality Digest: Technical experts, customers and suppliers–both internal and external–all need to be involved, regardless of their department or discipline. When boundaries aren’t crossed in this manner, problems remain entrenched, and the … Continue reading

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Malcolm Gladwell – Synchronicity

Topic: Synchronicity – Management Improvement Today I had lunch with a friend of mine, Sean Stickle [the broken link was removed], who continually provides me with interesting ideas to contemplate. One of the things he mentioned during lunch was a … Continue reading

Posted in Management | Tagged | 2 Comments

Lean Consumption: the Customer’s Perspective

Lean Consumption: Defining Value from the Customer’s Perspective [the broken link was removed], AutoAsia magazine. The recently released, Lean Solutions, as well as, The Toyota Way Fieldbook, are required reading for anyone serious about applying lean concepts. And truly both … Continue reading

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Box on Quality

Dr. George Box is not as well known in the general management community as his ideas merit (in my biased opinion – photo of Bill Hunter and George Box). He is well know in the statistics field as one of … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Design of Experiments, Management, Management Articles, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Quick Fix

The Fall 2005 issue of the Deming Institute newsletter (I removed the broken link) includes a copy of a letter Dr. Deming sent to Time magazine in 1981. Dear Sir, Your article about Japan in TIME for 30 March 1981 … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Innovation in Organizations

Assessing Your Organization’s Innovation Capabilities [the broken link was removed] by Clayton M. Christensen: Three classes of factors affect what an organization can and cannot do: its resources, its processes, and its values. When asking what sorts of innovations their … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Creativity, Deming, Innovation, Management, quote | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Rates

Fairly frequently I am asked, by friends, for investing advice. One topic I am asked about frequently is mortgages (locking in rates, etc.). Often they are concerned about what a Federal Reserve decision to raise or lower rates will effect … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Investing | 1 Comment

Education Improvement

Pattillo Tutors Granville School on Teaching Method [unfortunately the newspaper broke the link so I removed it] by Natalie Jordan, Rocky Mount Telegram (North Carolina, USA): The model uses a PDSA – plan, do, study and act – component. “Plan” … Continue reading

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