Category Archives: Systems thinking

NUMMI, and GM’s Failure to Manage Effectively

Posted on February 25, 2009 by John Hunter

Gipsie Ranney recently sent me an article on her thoughts on NUMMI and the current problems with the Big Three car makers to post to the Curious Cat Management Improvement Library. NUMMI is the plant that Toyota and General Motors … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Manufacturing, quote, Respect, Systems thinking, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged cars, curiouscat, Deming, lean manufacturing, Management Articles, Manufacturing, respect for people, Toyota, Toyota Production System (TPS) | 2 Comments

Zara Thrives by Ignoring Conventional Wisdom

Posted on February 18, 2009 by John Hunter

Zara Thrives by Breaking All the Rules Many U.S. apparel retailers are choking on slow-moving inventories as consumers hold back on spending. But Spain’s Inditex, whose Zara chain pioneered cheap chic, is zipping ahead. The $13.8 billion company, which is … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged Europe, Innovation, lean manufacturing, Lean thinking | Comments Off

Hire People You Can Trust to Do Their Job

Posted on February 5, 2009 by John Hunter

How great companies turn crisis into opportunity The right people don’t need to be managed. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you’ve made a hiring mistake. The right people don’t think they have a job: They … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Management Articles, Psychology, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged coaching, hiring, jobs, Management Articles, managing people, training | 4 Comments

Checklists Save Lives

Posted on January 17, 2009 by John Hunter

Checklists are a simple quality tool that have been used widely for decades. Pilots use them, without fail, to save lives. Some surgeons have been using them and the evidence is mounting that checklists can save many more lives if … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Health care, Management, Process improvement, Psychology, Quality tools, Systems thinking | Tagged checklist, continual improvement, Deming, health care system, Process improvement, Psychology, Public Sector, Quality tools | 3 Comments

Cutting Hours Instead of People

Posted on December 23, 2008 by John Hunter

When financial and economic realities reach the point that labor costs must be cut I believe a good option to consider is cutting hours (and pay) instead of people. Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Creativity, Deming, Innovation, Management, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged layoffs, management, respect for people | 2 Comments

Managing Passionate Employees

Posted on December 22, 2008 by John Hunter

Passion vs. Productive There are actually few organizations that can support passionate employees – even if they say they want them. That’s because the original industrial revolution was designed to support productivity. Productivity means you produce. That’s how you’re measured. … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Management, Psychology, quote, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged commentary, curiouscat, John Hunter, management, managers, productivity, Psychology, quote, respect for people, Systems thinking, tips | Comments Off

Looting: Bankruptcy for Profit

Posted on December 19, 2008 by John Hunter

Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit by George Akerlof, University of California, Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Paul Romer, Stanford Graduate School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). George Akerlof was awarded the … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Economics, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged Economics, ethics, executive pay, overpaid executives | 7 Comments

Some Firms Cut Costs Without Resorting to Layoffs

Posted on December 17, 2008 by John Hunter

Some Firms Cut Costs Without Resorting to Layoffs Hypertherm Inc. has never laid off a permanent employee in its 40-year history. A 20% downturn in sales in recent months led the closely held maker of metal-cutting equipment to eliminate overtime, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Process improvement, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged Deming, economy, jobs, layoffs, management | Comments Off

How Private Equity Strangled Mervyns

Posted on December 12, 2008 by John Hunter

I do not like the actions of many in “private equity.” I am a big fan of capitalism. I just object to those that unjustly take from the other stakeholders involved. It is not the specific facts of this case, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged ethics, management, Respect, short term thinking, Systems thinking | Comments Off

Information Technology and Business Process Support

Posted on December 3, 2008 by John Hunter

I moved from management improvement work into information technology work (where I continue to practice management improvement). Many IT practices follow quality management guidelines well (agile software development for one). I have found it far easier to design and provide … Continue reading →

Posted in IT, Management, Process improvement, Quality tools, quote, Software Development, Systems thinking | Tagged continual improvement, curiouscat, IT, John Hunter, management, Process improvement, quote, Software Development | 6 Comments