Monthly Archives: December 2007

Communicating Change

Posted on December 29, 2007 by John Hunter

Response to: Sales Compensation Plan Changes [the broken link has been removed] I believe the best way to communicate such changes is to explain how they tie into the long term vision of the organization. This requires that such a … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Carnival of Human Resources #23

Posted on December 26, 2007 by John Hunter

Carnival of Human Resources #23 by Ann Bares: The purpose of performance management, according to my favorite definition, is to create an environment where successful performance is a high probability outcome. What could be more important? And, yet, is there … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Management | Comments Off on Carnival of Human Resources #23

Bigger Impact: 15 to 18 mpg or 50 to 100 mpg?

Posted on December 24, 2007 by John Hunter

This is a pretty counter-intuitive statement, I believe: You save more fuel switching from a 15 to 18 mpg car than switching from a 50 to 100 mpg car. But some simple math shows it is true. If you drive … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Psychology, Science, Statistics | 3 Comments

Management Improvement Carnival #25

Posted on December 18, 2007 by John Hunter

Please submit your favorite management posts to the carnival. Read the previous management carnivals. Some theoretical thinking by John Dowd – “Deming was fond of saying, ‘management is prediction‘ and, in this, I think he was exactly right. Management never … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Management | 1 Comment

Deming Companies

Posted on December 17, 2007 by John Hunter

I get asked for examples of Deming managed companies fairly often. And recently I have had a number of such requests. So I figured I would provide an answer as a blog post. First, Dr. Deming would respond to such … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Popular, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Great Visual Instruction Example

Posted on December 14, 2007 by John Hunter

This does a great job of explaining what you need to know clearly. While this presentation for Azithromycin doesn’t prevent a mistake it sure makes it much more likely that the process can be completed successfully. We need more effort … Continue reading →

Posted in Health care, Management, Psychology, Quality tools | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Great Visual Instruction Example

Performance Appraisals are Worse Than a Waste of Time

Posted on December 13, 2007 by John Hunter

Appraisals are a waste of Time Most British workers will certainly leave their appraisal fired up and motivated, but only to look for a new job, new research from workplace and HR body Investors in People has concluded. Nearly half … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Performance Appraisal, Psychology, Respect | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Dr. Deming 4 Day Seminar

Posted on December 12, 2007 by John Hunter

The W. Edwards Deming Institute is sponsoring a 4 day seminar using videos of Dr. Deming’s seminars and facilitated by Ed Baker, Dave Nave, and Joyce Orsini: Quality, Productivity, and Competitive Position. Ed Baker was the person at Ford responsible … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Deming, Education, Management, Systems thinking | Comments Off on Dr. Deming 4 Day Seminar

Capital Crescent Trail Photos

Posted on December 10, 2007 by John Hunter

I have posted some photos from my walk last year on the Capital Crescent Trail in Washington DC. The Capital Crescent Trail goes along the Potomac River in Washington DC (on the C&O towpath). I hiked first along the Arlington, … Continue reading →

Posted in curiouscat.com, Travel photos | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Power of a Checklist

Posted on December 7, 2007 by John Hunter

Great article on The Checklist – If something so simple can transform intensive care, what else can it do? by Atul Gawande A decade ago, Israeli scientists published a study in which engineers observed patient care in I.C.U.s for twenty-four-hour … Continue reading →

Posted in Health care, Lean thinking, Management, Process improvement, Psychology, Quality tools | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments