Monthly Archives: April 2009

Why Congress Won’t Investigate Wall Street

Why Congress Won’t Investigate Wall Street The famous Pecora Commission of 1933 and 1934 was one of the most successful congressional investigations of all time, an instance when oversight worked exactly as it should. The subject was the massively corrupt … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Carve Out Time to Think

Dan Markovitz recently discussed the practice of the CEO of eBay to take thinking days, Why isn’t “thinking time” part of your standard work?, Some people think that it’s all well and good for a CEO to unplug himself — … Continue reading

Posted in Management | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Why Setting Goals can Backfire

Dr. Deming long ago stated in his 14 obligations of management: “Eliminate numerical goals, numerical quotas and management by objectives.” I think he was right then, and is right now. A goal can help set the scope of the effort. … Continue reading

Posted in Data, Deming, Management, Process improvement, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

More Management Blog Posts From January 2006

Great Charts – The lack of such effective visual display of information is another example of how much improvement could be made just by applying ideas that are already published. Change is not Improvement – if you have to document … Continue reading

Posted in Management, Process improvement | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Red Bead Experiment Webcast

Dr. Deming used the red bead experiment to present a view into management practices and his management philosophy. The experiment provides insight into all four aspects of Dr. Deming’s management system: understanding variation, understanding psychology, systems thinking and the theory … Continue reading

Posted in Data, Deming, Education, Management, Performance Appraisal, Psychology, quote, Respect, webcast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Management Improvement Carnival #61

Submit suggestions for the management improvement carnival. Unplanned items and legacy issues by Xavier Quesada Allue – “A small change request if you want. How are you going to manage this work? Are you going to create a new story … Continue reading

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Leadership

Leadership is the act of making others effective in achieving an aim. Leadership is not about being great yourself. Leadership does involve more than making others effective. Leaders need to know what needs to be done, and then make others … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Management Blog Posts From January 2006

John Hunter on the top of the Bear’s Hump trail in the park, Waterton, Canada. A great, very steep trail. Agility vs. Six Sigma – “Process improvement should be part of a well run system, as should innovation. Deming, who … Continue reading

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Building a Great Workforce

How P&G Finds and Keeps a Prized Workforce by Roger O. Crockett “We actually recruit for values,” says Chief Operating Officer Robert McDonald. “If you are not inspired to improve lives, this isn’t the company you want to work for.” … Continue reading

Posted in Career, Customer focus, Deming, Innovation, Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Build Your Business Slowly and Without Huge Cash Requirements

Get Rich Slow by Josh Quittner At no other time in recent history has it been easier or cheaper to start a new kind of company… These are Web-based businesses that cost almost nothing to get off the ground … … Continue reading

Posted in Career, Competition, Creativity, Innovation, Investing, IT, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Build Your Business Slowly and Without Huge Cash Requirements