Category Archives: Systems thinking

Airlines Try Smarter Boarding

Posted on May 9, 2006 by John Hunter

Airlines Try Smarter Boarding [the broken link was removed] by Dave Demerjian An airplane that spends an hour on the ground between flights might fly five trips a day,” he explains. “Cut the turnaround time to 40 minutes, and maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Process improvement, Systems thinking | Comments Off

Find the Root Cause Instead of the Person to Blame

Posted on May 3, 2006 by John Hunter

When encountering a problem or defect the inclination of many is to find a person to blame. W. Edwards Deming believed that the system was responsible for 93% of the problems and over time he increased that number to at … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Popular, Process improvement, Psychology, Quality tools, Systems thinking | Tagged blame, continual improvement, curiouscat, organization as a system, process thinking, respect for people, root cause | 6 Comments

Leading Lean: Missed Opportunity

Posted on April 10, 2006 by John Hunter

Leading Lean: Missed Opportunity [the broken link was removed] by Jamie Flinchbaugh: Three elements are needed to gain the benefits from using pull production to drive problems out into the open. First, you need strong problem-solving skills. Bringing a problem … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged Lean thinking, organization as a system, problem solving | Comments Off

PBS Documentary: Improving Hospitals

Posted on April 9, 2006 by John Hunter

Clare Crawford-Mason and Llyod Dobyns have teamed up on a new documentary. Previously they created If Japan Can-Why Can’t We? and the Deming Library Tapes. Good News – How Hospitals Heal Themselves (broken link was removed) A One-Hour Documentary Airing … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Health care, Lean thinking, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged deadly diseases, Health care | 9 Comments

Problems with Bonuses

Posted on April 3, 2006 by John Hunter

What sort of bonuses should we pay? by Seth Godin: Money, it’s been shown time and time again, is a demotivator. I’m not talking about a fair or even generous salary. Being a cheapskate is no way to find a … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Performance Appraisal, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged bonus, Deming, demotivate, extrinsic motivation, incentives, Psychology | 5 Comments

People: Team Members or Costs

Posted on April 1, 2006 by John Hunter

Inside TPS at Toyota, Georgetown, Kentucky [the broken link was removed] by Ralph Rio: Toyota believes people need to be intimately involved with the process to understand how to improve it. The team member writes the standardized work they use … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Systems thinking, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged leadership, management, organization as a system, respect for people, robots, teams, technology, Toyota | 4 Comments

What Innovation Means to Tesco

Posted on March 29, 2006 by John Hunter

What innovation means to Tesco [the broken link was removed] by Sir Terry Leahy (Chief Executive of Tesco): Innovators are all around us; innovation is after all just another word for an idea and we can all have those. Businesses … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Respect, Systems thinking, UK | Tagged Innovation | 1 Comment

Flow

Posted on March 22, 2006 by John Hunter

“Flow” and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [the broken link was removed] by David Farmer: How does it feel to be in “the flow”? 1. Completely involved, focused, concentrating – with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged interactions, organization as a system, Psychology, respect for people, Theory of Constraints | 3 Comments

Consumer Idealized Design

Posted on March 8, 2006 by John Hunter

Consumer Idealized Design: Involving Consumers in The Product Development Process Interactive Design vs. Reactive “Focus” A consumer design session is characterized by at least three features which distinguish it from a focus group. (1) It requires innovation and interaction from … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer focus, Innovation, Management, Quality tools, Systems thinking | Tagged Ackoff, Customer focus, Quality tools | Comments Off

Made in the USA

Posted on February 28, 2006 by John Hunter

Is ‘Made in U.S.A.’ back in vogue? [the broken link was removed] As the need for speed in fashion retailing becomes ever more crucial to merchants, industry observers say “Made in U.S.A” is once again looking more attractive to some … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking | Tagged lean manufacturing | 2 Comments