Author Archives: John Hunter

Managing Passionate Employees

Passion vs. Productive There are actually few organizations that can support passionate employees – even if they say they want them. That’s because the original industrial revolution was designed to support productivity. Productivity means you produce. That’s how you’re measured. … Continue reading →

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Management Improvement Carnival #50

Corey Ladas is hosting the Management Improvement Carnival #50 on the Lean Software Engineering blog, highlights include: Where did middle managers come from? by Jeffrey Krames: A new anecdote from a conversation with Peter Drucker, which leaves the reader wondering…where … Continue reading →

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Looting: Bankruptcy for Profit

Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit by George Akerlof, University of California, Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Paul Romer, Stanford Graduate School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). George Akerlof was awarded the … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Economics, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Creating Customers For Life

Shopping at Trader Joe’s is odd. The workers actually seem like they like that they have customers. Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Management Articles, Popular, Respect | Tagged ,

Some Firms Cut Costs Without Resorting to Layoffs

Some Firms Cut Costs Without Resorting to Layoffs Hypertherm Inc. has never laid off a permanent employee in its 40-year history. A 20% downturn in sales in recent months led the closely held maker of metal-cutting equipment to eliminate overtime, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Process improvement, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , ,

Management Blog Posts From November 2005

Photo of John Hunter at Glacier National Park. Management Improvement – Management concepts should evolve and improve over time. We should build upon the good ideas of yesterday and build in new innovations as they are shown to be effective. … Continue reading →

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Big Failed Three, Meet the Successful Eight

Big Three, Meet the “Little Eight” The 1,300-acre plant, in which Toyota has invested $5.3 billion, produces a car roughly every minute. Georgetown’s population has doubled. In fields where farmers once grew tobacco and raised cattle, McMansions, apartment complexes, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Manufacturing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

How Private Equity Strangled Mervyns

I do not like the actions of many in “private equity.” I am a big fan of capitalism. I just object to those that unjustly take from the other stakeholders involved. It is not the specific facts of this case, … Continue reading →

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Management Improvement Carnival #49

The management carnival provides links to some great recent posts. Also see the management Reddit, which is a social media site for those interested in management. Submit your suggestions for future management carnivals. Lean at ThedaCare, LeanBlog Podcast with Dr. … Continue reading →

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Google Should Stay True to Their Management Practices

I believe in Google’s past, present and future. They have shown a great ability to ignore the short term focus that dominates (and kills success) of so many companies today. I am happy to invest in Google for the long … Continue reading →

Posted in Google, Management, quote | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments