Category Archives: Systems thinking

Embrace Diversity, Erase Uniformity

Posted on December 1, 2008 by Guest Post

Guest Post by Jurgen Appelo, author of the Managing Software Development blog. Five years ago, when I started working for my current employer, the entire organization (about 30 people) consisted only of 20-something white straight single males. The atmosphere was … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Science, Software Development, Systems thinking | Tagged guest post | 1 Comment

What’s the Value of a Big Bonus?

Posted on November 21, 2008 by John Hunter

What’s the Value of a Big Bonus? by Dan Ariely To look at this question, three colleagues and I conducted an experiment. We presented 87 participants with an array of tasks that demanded attention, memory, concentration and creativity. We asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Deming, Management, Psychology, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged bonus, Data, executive pay, experiments, extrinsic motivation, Psychology | Comments Off

CMMI and Agile Development

Posted on November 19, 2008 by John Hunter

CMMI or Agile: Why Not Embrace Both! is a new report that is worth reading. All too often, CMMI has been applied rather than implemented. The standards-centric application of CMMI has contributed to some spectacular failures and losses of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Process improvement, Software Development, Systems thinking | Tagged agile management, Process improvement, Software Development | 1 Comment

6 Leadership Competencies

Posted on November 13, 2008 by John Hunter

At the recent Annual W. Edwards Deming Institute Annual conference (this year held in Madison, Wisconsin) Peter Scholtes gave an excellent speech on the 6 Leadership Competencies from his book: The Leader’s Handbook. Those competencies are: The ability to think … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged Deming, John Hunter, Madison, Peter Scholtes, quote, tips, variation | 8 Comments

Tilting at Ludicrous CEO Pay 2008

Posted on November 10, 2008 by John Hunter

I continue to tilt at the robber barron CEO pay packages (2007 post on CEO pay abuses). 2007 pay rank Company CEO Pay 5 Year Pay CEO % of 2007 Earnings 1 Apple Steve Jobs $646,600,000 $650,170,000 18.5% 2 Occidental … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Economics, Management, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged commentary, curiouscat, Economics, executive pay, overpaid executives, quote, respect for people, stakeholders | 5 Comments

Righter Incentivization

Posted on November 5, 2008 by John Hunter

Incentive schemes to get people “motivated” often backfire. Why can’t we figure out how to incentivize the behavior we desire and have it not backfire on us? What is the righter way to dangle incentives in front of our employees … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Psychology, quote, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged curiouscat, Deming, Douglas McGregor, extrinsic motivation, John Hunter, motivation, quote | 7 Comments

The Software Engineering Manager’s Lament

Posted on October 23, 2008 by John Hunter

The engineering manager’s lament by Eric Ries: In teams that follow the “pick two” agenda [quality, time or price], which two has to be resolved via a power play. In companies with a strong engineering culture, the engineers pick quality. … Continue reading →

Posted in IT, Management, Software Development, Systems thinking | Tagged engineering, Lean thinking, management, Software Development, Systems thinking | Comments Off

CEOs Plundering Corporate Coffers

Posted on October 22, 2008 by John Hunter

Pointy haired bosses broke the code they provided on their site for embedding a Dilbert comic, so I removed the broken code. Dogbert: “I am stepping down as CEO so I can spend more time with the money I stole … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged commentary, ethics, executive pay, Management, overpaid executives | 17 Comments

Restaurant Eliminates Tipping to Improve System Performance

Posted on October 13, 2008 by John Hunter

Why Tip? by Paul Wachter When he opened the Linkery [the broken link was removed], Porter said, he hoped his employees would become as emotionally invested in the venture as he was, sharing a sense of purpose and joy in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Deming, Economics, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged bonus, commissions, extrinsic motivation, Joy in Work, Psychology | 1 Comment

The Ergonomics of Innovation

Posted on September 22, 2008 by John Hunter

The Ergonomics of Innovation by Hayagreeva Rao and Robert Sutton the IHI case teaches us that innovations spread quickly when organizations focus relentlessly on selecting and spreading ideas in ways that ease the burden of thought and action for everyone … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Health care, Innovation, Management, Process improvement, Systems thinking | Tagged Health care, Innovation, management | Comments Off