Tags
blogs Books Career Carnival commentary continual improvement Creativity curiouscat Customer focus customer service Data Deming Economics engineering Google Health care Innovation internet Investing IT John Hunter leadership lean manufacturing Lean thinking management Management managing people Manufacturing organization as a system Popular Process improvement Psychology Public Sector Quality tools quote respect for people Six sigma Software Development Statistics Systems thinking tips Toyota Toyota Production System (TPS) webcast
Categories
- Books
- Career
- Carnival
- China
- Competition
- Creativity
- curiouscat.com
- Customer focus
- Data
- Deming
- Design of Experiments
- Economics
- Education
- Fun
- Health care
- India
- Innovation
- Investing
- IT
- Lean thinking
- Management
- Management Articles
- Manufacturing
- Performance Appraisal
- Popular
- Process improvement
- Psychology
- Public Sector
- Quality tools
- quote
- Respect
- Science
- Six sigma
- Software Development
- Statistics
- Systems thinking
- Tags
- Theory of Constraints
- Toyota Production System (TPS)
- Travel photos
- UK
- webcast
Archives
- July 2025
- September 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- October 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- September 2022
- July 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- October 2021
- June 2021
- March 2021
- January 2021
- September 2020
- June 2020
- January 2020
- September 2019
- August 2019
- June 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
Category Archives: Management
Annual Report by Warren Buffett
The annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway is being held this weekend in Omaha (cnn article). Recently the 2004 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report (by Warren Buffett) was published. The report is excellent reading for anyone interested in investing. Some quotes from the annual report: In one respect, 2004 was a remarkable year for the stock market, a fact buried in the maze of numbers on page 2. If you examine the 35 years since the 1960s ended, you will find that … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Investing, Management
Call for Papers – Deming Research Seminar
Topic: Management Improvement Call for Papers 12th Annual Research Seminar The W. Edwards Deming Institute and Fordham University 13-14 February 2006 New York City Papers that link Dr. Deming’s work to the academic literature or to the works of other great thinkers are particularly sought, as are papers that extend or expand Dr. Deming’s work, and those that describe applications of Dr. Deming’s management ideas in organizations. The Annual Research Seminar brings together people from around the world, and from … Continue reading
Posted in Management
Management Improvement Articles
Topic: Management – Library Articles Recent additions to the Curious Cat Management Improvement Library include: Six Sigma and Kaizen Compared by Raphael L. Vitalo Deming Retrospective Inputs by Gerry Hahn Bringing Lean Systems Thinking to Six Sigma by Paul Mullenhour and Jamie Flinchbaugh Risk Management during Requirements by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister Innovation Now! by Gary Hamel Find links to these, and other new additions, on the Curious Cat Management Improvement New Articles Page or search for management improvement … Continue reading
Posted in Management
Performance without Appraisal
re: Managing with Trust post from Coding Horror This interesting post includes the quote: “It seems cheap to dispatch [performance reviews] without suggesting some alternative.” Dr. Deming would mention Peter Scholtes thoughts on why performance appraisals were bad management when asked about his belief that performance appraisals should be eliminated. In the short article Performance Without Appraisal: What to do Instead of Performance Appraisals, Peter wrote: Dr. Deming said of Performance Appraisals, “Stop doing them and things will get better.” … Continue reading
Posted in Deming, Management, Performance Appraisal
Tagged curiouscat, Deming, Performance Appraisal, Peter Scholtes, Software Development
10 Comments
Management Improvement Books
My recent post on Statistics for Experimenters: Design, Innovation, and Discovery , 2nd Edition reminds me I have not mentioned other good books that have been published recently. Three great books published last year are: Six Sigma Beyond the Factory Floor by Ronald D. Snee and Roger W. Hoerl. Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski and Betty … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Management
Tagged Books, purpose, Six sigma, Statistics for Experimenters, Systems thinking
Who Influences Your Thinking?
Comments on Who Influences Your Thinking? [broken link removed] – Survey results [broken link removed] > 1. Are people getting most of their information > from other sources? That would be my guess. Similar to the phenomenon of “the long tail” which is an interesting topic in its own right. We tend to focus on the popular few (books, musicians, movies, authors, computer programs…) but often the sum of the less popular many is more significant. See: The Long Tail … Continue reading
Posted in Management, quote
Tagged Ackoff, Bill Hunter, Brian Joiner, curiouscat, Deming, Douglas McGregor, George Box, management, management history, Peter Scholtes, quality management experts, Six sigma, TQM, Womack
4 Comments
Statistics for Experimenters – Second Edition
The classic Statistics for Experimenters has been updated by George Box and Stu Hunter, two of the three original authors. Bill Hunter, who was my father, and the other author, died in 1986. Order online: Statistics for Experimenters: Design, Innovation, and Discovery , 2nd Edition by George E. P. Box, J. Stuart Hunter, William G. Hunter. I happen to agree with those who call this book a classic, however, I am obviously biased. Google Scholar citations for the first edition … Continue reading
Curious Cat Articles and Links
We have created a new blog, Curious Cat Articles and Links, where we will post links to articles and web sites we find interesting.
Posted in Management
Control Charts in Health Care
This post is an edited version of a message I sent to the Deming Electronic Network. I find the “control charts in health care” thread quite interesting. From Mike Woolbert’s post [link broken, so I removed it] > I have read many comments about the 8 minute ambulance trip. > This doesn’t seem to be a system measure, but a result measure. It seems to me the 8 minute (90% of the time) measure is an attempt at a process … Continue reading
Posted in Data, Deming, Health care, Management, Quality tools, Statistics
Tagged Brian Joiner, control chart, Data, Deming, Health care, management tools, SPC, Statistics, Systems thinking
3 Comments
Private Consumer Information Stolen from ChoicePoint
Topics: Economics, Privacy, Government According to an article on CNN.com, “tens of thousands of U.S. consumers face a greater risk of identity theft after criminals gained access to a database of personal records compiled by ChoicePoint Inc.” “In California, the only state that requires companies to disclose security breaches, ChoicePoint sent warning letters to 30,000 to 35,000 consumers advising them to check their credit reports.” “Chris Hoofnagle, associate director with the Electronic Privacy Information Center… This is a prime example … Continue reading
Posted in Management
Management Improvemnet Articles
Topic: Management – Library Additions Recent additions to the Curious Cat Management Improvement Library include: Six Sigma for the Little Guy by Mikel J. Harry and J. Douglas Crawford What are the Measures That Matter by Art Kleiner Critical Chain Scheduling and Buffer Management by Frank Patrick Theory of Constraints by Sid Sytsma Tom Peters Hates Quality but Loves Its Principles and Practices by John Pryor Find links to these, and other new additions, on the Curious Cat Management Improvement … Continue reading
Posted in Management
Theory of Knowledge
Deming’s Management System, as expressed in his book: The New Economics has four interdependent parts: Appreciation for a System (systems thinking) Knowledge about Variation (see: variation definition) Theory of Knowledge Psychology (the human element of management systems) Quotes on the Theory of Knowledge portion from The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming. “Management is Prediction. The theory of knowledge that management in any form is prediction” (Page 101) “Knowledge is built upon theory… Rational prediction requires theory and build knowledge … Continue reading
Designing a New Organization
re: What about Designing New Organizations? [the broken link has been removed] Guidance for “designing a new organisation and not for analysis of an existing one?” (edited) I would add Russell Ackoff to the top of the list of those to consult. Start with his book Re-Creating the Corporation and continue to quite a few of his other books. After Ackoff, I would look to Deming and Senge. Other interesting folks would be Dee Hock, Brian Joiner, Peter Scholtes, Robert … Continue reading
Management Improvement Articles
Topic: Management – Library Additions Recent additions to the Curious Cat Management Improvement Library include: Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantage: The Toyota Philosophy and Its Effects by M. Reza Vaghefi Designing Useful Metrics by Esther Derby Transforming The Systems Movement by Russell L. Ackoff Got Six Sigma on the Brain by Dirk Dusharme On the Nature of Organization by Jamshid Gharajedaghi Find links to these, and other new additions, on the Curious Cat Management Improvement New Articles Page or search for … Continue reading
Posted in Management
Price Discrimination in the Internet Age
Re: Boing Boing post – Why HP’s region coding excuse is bogus There is a simple method for large multi-national companies to use to protect against currency fluctuation. They can use foreign exchange futures to do so. Companies do this all the time (some also chose not to for their own business reasons). “Foreign Exchange is the largest of the global financial markets. Daily trading volume in the currency markets is estimated to be 1.1 US trillion dollars.” – Smith … Continue reading
Posted in Customer focus, Economics, Management
Tagged bad customer service, Customer focus, Economics, health care system, internet
2 Comments
Operational Excellence
In, the post Is Operational Excellence Dead? the argument is made that operational excellence is dead as a differentiator of companies. “All of the emphasis on outsourcing to low labor cost countries seems to imply that organizations no longer consider their operations strategic.” I would state that, in fact, the opposite is true. Leading companies, for years, have focused on continual improvement. Toyota is the best known example. They drove the adoption of just in time inventory and then other … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Manufacturing, Process improvement, quote
Tagged curiouscat, Deming, Innovation, management, Process improvement, Systems thinking
1 Comment