Category Archives: Management

This Too is a Kanban

This Too is a Kanban by Jon Miller: The orthodox description of a kanban is a rectangular card in a plastic sleeve used to reorder materials from a supplier or an upstream process, or a triangular metal plate used to … Continue reading

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Kaizen – Yahoo Mail Style

Yahoo Mail Innovates, Gmail Stagnates Yahoo Mail has begun rolling out of beta after releasing an onslaught of innovative feature improvements along the way. On the other hand, a whopping three years into their beta release, Gmail remains one of … Continue reading

Posted in Google, Innovation, IT, Management, Software Development | 1 Comment

Employees That Telecommute are the Most Loyal

In Loyal Employees Stay Home, quotes from the Wall Street Journal (behind a iron curtain still in this day and age – oh well): “When companies allow employees to work remotely or from home, they are explicitly communicating to them … Continue reading

Posted in Creativity, IT, Management, Respect, Systems thinking | 3 Comments

Keeping Older Workers

We’re Not Finnished With You Yet Abloy and many other Finnish companies are suddenly treating older employees like a precious resource. Instead of nudging them into early retirement, they’re coaxing gray-hairs to work longer with better health benefits, extra weeks … Continue reading

Posted in Creativity, Management, Psychology, Respect, Systems thinking | 2 Comments

Management Improvement Carnival #19

Please submit your favorite management posts to the carnival. Read the previous management carnivals. Why Does Bad Management Thrive So Much? by David Maister – “My question is: why hasn’t this egregiously bad management been driven out competitively? How do … Continue reading

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Deming on being Destroyed by Best Efforts

Best efforts are essential. Unfortunately, best efforts, people charging this way and that way without guidance of principles, can do a lot of damage. Think of the chaos that would come if everyone did his best, not knowing what to … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management, Systems thinking | 5 Comments

Deming Electronic Network Email List

The Deming Electronic Network email list 2.0 [deleted link as this is no longer online] is now live. The aim of the Deming Electronic Network is to: “Learn, apply, and extend the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming and to … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, IT, Management | 5 Comments

Jim Press, Toyota N. American President, Moves to Chrysler

Jim Press leaves Toyota to join Chrysler. I am surprised. I would imagine he is getting a huge amount of money. And I would guess it will encourage those that think you have to massively overpay executives or lose them … Continue reading

Posted in Management, Toyota Production System (TPS) | 1 Comment

Hiring – Does College Matter?

Another essay by Paul Graham packed with great thoughts – this one on hiring, colleges, measuring performance of people, etc.. Practically everyone thinks that someone who went to MIT or Harvard or Stanford must be smart. Even people who hate … Continue reading

Posted in Data, Education, Management, Performance Appraisal, Psychology | Comments Off on Hiring – Does College Matter?

The Siren Song of Multitasking

The Siren Song of Multitasking Yet multiple technologies often translate into multiple interruptions: On average, workers are interrupted once every ten and a half minutes, according to Gloria Mark, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who studied the … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management, Psychology, Respect, Systems thinking | 5 Comments