Category Archives: Systems thinking

Problems with Lean Manufacturing Awards

Posted on November 17, 2005 by John Hunter

Dangers in Lean Manufacturing Awards from the Got Boondogle blog: My simple understanding of lean principles is to focus on the pursuit of company survival for eternity with the elimination of waste while adding value for customers, enhancing quality of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking | Comments Off

A Great Day for Georgia-Pacific

Posted on November 16, 2005 by John Hunter

A Great Day for Georgia-Pacific [the broken link was removed] by Bill Waddell The Koch people also said that G-P would be much better off not having to deal with “the distraction of quarterly reports” and they would be able … Continue reading →

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

Management Training Program

Posted on October 28, 2005 by John Hunter

Fog Creek Software Management Training Program by Joel Spolsky: Finally, when you’re really really good, they let you hang around with Yussef on the ovens. Yussef was about 100 years old and so good at running the ovens it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, IT, Management, Popular, quote, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged curiouscat, Education, Joel Spolsky, long term thinking, management, Software Development, training | 3 Comments

Toyota Manufactures More Itself

Posted on October 27, 2005 by John Hunter

Bucking the trend, Toyota controls quality, cost by making many parts in house [the broken link was removed], AutoWeek via Lean Manufacturing Blog: On one hand, the company sees parts making as a critical piece of its overall quality-control program. … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Manufacturing, Systems thinking, Toyota Production System (TPS) | 1 Comment

Marketing in a Lean Company

Posted on October 20, 2005 by John Hunter

Where Is Marketing In All of This? [the broken link was removed]: The problem with all of this is that it is based on the idea that sales and manufacturing are distinct entities, with a one way flow between them, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Lean thinking, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged marketing, organization as a system, sales | 4 Comments

Six Keys to Building New Markets by Unleashing Disruptive Innovation

Posted on October 16, 2005 by John Hunter

Six Keys to Building New Markets by Unleashing Disruptive Innovation by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor, and Scott D. Anthony in Harvard Management Update: Companies have two basic options when they seek to build new-growth businesses. They can try … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Innovation, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged Clayton Christensen, Deming, disruptive innovation, Innovation, Systems thinking | 3 Comments

Ford and Managing the Supplier Relationship

Posted on October 1, 2005 by John Hunter

Topic: Management Improvement There have a been a number of articles (Ford to slash vendors of key parts [the broken link was removed] – Ford Rethinks Supply Strategy and posts (A “Kinder and Gentler” Lean Supply Base? – Ford Adopts … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking | Tagged critical thinking, culture, Deming, Management, organization as a system, problem solving, suppliers | 9 Comments

Healthcare Costs Spike Again

Posted on September 14, 2005 by John Hunter

Healthcare Costs Spike Again by Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money: The premium growth rate this year – 9.2 percent – outpaced by miles both the growth in wages (2.7 percent) and inflation (3.5 percent) … since 2000 premiums for family coverage have … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Economics, Health care, Management, Systems thinking | 2 Comments

Purpose of an Organization

Posted on August 16, 2005 by John Hunter

W. Edwards Deming described the purpose of an organization in New Economics, on page 51, as: The aim proposed here for any organization is for everybody to gain – stockholders, employees, suppliers, customers, community, the environment – over the long … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Popular, quote, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged Deming, organization as a system, Popular, respect for people, suppliers | 23 Comments

Saving Lives: US Health Care Improvement

Posted on July 16, 2005 by John Hunter

8 part special report by US News and Word Report on improving the US Health Care system. Join IHI in an ambitious initiative called the 100K Lives Campaign. Its goal is to save 100,000 hospital patients’ lives by 9 a.m. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Health care, Management Articles, quote, Systems thinking | Tagged Health care | 10 Comments