Another edition with links to interesting management improvement blog posts.

• Lean Office Redesign by Marcie MacRae – “We freed up space, improved visibility and flexibility. And the best part is the lack of a “control center” for visual boards is no longer an excuse for not having Hoshin Kanri review sessions.”
• The Bullwhip Effect by Peter Abilla – Tips “Reduce lead time of material, Reduce variability with effective use of the Heijunka and one-piece flow, Cooperation and good relationships with your supply chain partners.”
• Lean Trip to Toyota by Elizabeth Seyler – “Let’s just say that i had an “awe-inspiring” moment when we entered the facility. It was big. Very big. There were so many visuals that my sensory system went into overload”
• If You Don’t Slow Down and Think Now, You’ll Curse Yourself Later – “When people grab for quick, simple, and, above all, quick answers, they lay themselves wide open to the mistakes collectively called attribution error: this process of assuming links and patterns where none exist.”
• W. Edwards Deming on the Forces of Destruction by Michael Kaufman – “Extrinsic motivation slowly destroys self esteem, dignity, cooperation and a yearning for learning – all of which are innate and high early in life.”
• What is Kaizen? by Mike Wroblewski – “As soon as they read the clue, they just started running without trying to understand the meaning of the clue. In their excitement to act, they did not think first.”
• Standardization by Lee Fried – “The fact is, standards are the basis for creativity and innovation. Without a common standard when one associates finds a new and better way to do something it is very difficult for anyone else to benefit from it.” – standardization from the Curious Cat Dictionary
• The Top Ten Stupid Ways to Hinder Market Adoption by Guy Kawasaki – “Also, speaking of URLs, it’s good to have an easy naming convention for URLs.” (example from a pretty website that fails this practice – Webcasts by Chemistry and Physics Nobel Laureates
• Interview of David Meier on “Lean in China” by Mark Graban (podcast) – “David was frustrated to see the same challenges and problems in China that are typical here, including the “kaizen blitz” mindset (companies aren’t getting long-term satisfaction or a sustainable process)”
• A Professional Jerk-Buster? by Bob Sutton – “And you may ask yourself-Well…How did I get here? [Talking Heads quote] It sums up the way I feel today. Am I really a Professional Jerk-Buster? How did that happen? How did I get here?”
• Think Long Term Act Daily by John Hunter – “The powerful gains from any management system are not those in the first year. The benefits possible in the 5th year or 10th year… are not possible in first year.”