Category Archives: Systems thinking

What Innovation Means to Tesco

Posted on March 29, 2006 by John Hunter

What innovation means to Tesco [the broken link was removed] by Sir Terry Leahy (Chief Executive of Tesco): Innovators are all around us; innovation is after all just another word for an idea and we can all have those. Businesses must learn to harness the creativity of their workforce and encourage staff to come forward with ideas. It’s not always easy as some good ideas will fail but companies have to be comfortable with that if they are to avoid … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Respect, Systems thinking, UK | Tagged | 1 Comment

Flow

Posted on March 22, 2006 by John Hunter

“Flow” and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [the broken link was removed] by David Farmer: How does it feel to be in “the flow”? 1. Completely involved, focused, concentrating – with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training 2. Sense of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality 3. Great inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going 4. Knowing the activity is doable – that the skills are adequate, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Management, Psychology, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Consumer Idealized Design

Posted on March 8, 2006 by John Hunter

Consumer Idealized Design: Involving Consumers in The Product Development Process Interactive Design vs. Reactive “Focus” A consumer design session is characterized by at least three features which distinguish it from a focus group. (1) It requires innovation and interaction from participants. (2) It is task-oriented, competitive and consensus-generating. (3) It requires the articulation and design of the group’s notion of the ideal in a designated product or service category. This concept is based on the idea of Russell Ackoff – … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer focus, Innovation, Management, Quality tools, Systems thinking | Tagged , ,

Made in the USA

Posted on February 28, 2006 by John Hunter

Is ‘Made in U.S.A.’ back in vogue? [the broken link was removed] As the need for speed in fashion retailing becomes ever more crucial to merchants, industry observers say “Made in U.S.A” is once again looking more attractive to some U.S. retailers versus importing from China. … The company used to import 70 percent of its merchandise from China and elsewhere and manufactured a smaller 30 percent of it in the U.S. Today it manufactures 60 percent locally and imports … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking | Tagged | 2 Comments

Innovation at Toyota

Posted on February 24, 2006 by John Hunter

The Birth of the Prius by Alex Taylor III: By the end of 1993 the development team had determined that higher oil prices and a growing middle class around the world would require the new car to be both roomy and fuel-efficient. Other than that, they were given no guidance. “I was trying to come up with the future direction of the company,” says Watanabe, who headed corporate planning at the time. “I didn’t have a very specific idea about … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Management, Systems thinking, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Toyota Special Report: Thinking Production System

Posted on February 13, 2006 by John Hunter

Toyota Special Report: Thinking Production System [the broken link was removed]. A very interesting article on Toyota’s web site (www.toyota.co.jp). At the 2003 Automotive Parts System Solution Fair, held in Tokyo, June 18, 2003, Teruyuki Minoura, then-managing director of global purchasing, Toyota Motor Corporation, talked about his experiences with TPS (the Toyota Production System), and what it means for suppliers and for the future of the auto industry. This short article is peppered with many great quotes as section headers: … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Quality tools, Respect, Systems thinking, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Learning, Systems and Improvement

Posted on February 6, 2006 by John Hunter

A Major Mistake That Managers Make by Russell L. Ackoff Once again Ackoff provides great ideas: Page 4 and 5 explore the method to effectively learn from decisions the organization makes. The idea seem simple but they are powerful. Preparing a record of every decision of any significance, ones that involve doing something or (of particular importance) ones that involve not doing something. This record should include the following information: • The justification for the decision including its expected effects … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Management, Process improvement, Systems thinking | 4 Comments

Zero Defects

Posted on January 22, 2006 by John Hunter

Zero Defects by Norman Bodek: Do you believe it is possible to have Zero Defects? I am not talking about six sigma at all. I believe it is possible to have zero defects (in a sense). But I do not believe it is a good management strategy to practice what those I have heard in the past preaching zero defects. A Dichotomy by Norman Bodek. Wow, you really have to look to find this article after you follow the link … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Quality tools, quote, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Public Management II

Posted on January 12, 2006 by John Hunter

Public Management-The Bush Administration II by Paul Soglin: Since that time, John Hunter posted a comment in reference to W. Edwards Deming: Newt Gingrich is also a supporter of Deming’s ideas: “I’m a disciple of Edwards Deming. I really believe in a culture and system of quality.” Any time I find myself in the company of Newt Gingrich, I become a little concerned, especially since he tends to bounce around and not ‘drill down’ to learn how things work. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Public Sector, quote, Systems thinking | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Customer Service is Important

Posted on January 10, 2006 by John Hunter

Double Trouble, Don Oldenburg, Washington Post: Digging into the details, Stevenson, a mechanical engineer, did a double take at what looked to him like a double charge. Verizon was billing his sweetie for the local plan, for the new regional plan and also for a la carte services that are included in the regional plan. Sorry, wrong numbers! He called Verizon to complain. “The customer service representative said that they knew they’ve been having an issue with their system double-billing,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer focus, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Quality, SPC and Your Career

Posted on December 24, 2005 by John Hunter

Lead To Succeed [sigh, ASQ broke the link so I removed it, it sure gets tiring how backwards some organizations still are about using the internet, June 2010] by Stephen S. Prevette: * Succeed as a quality professional by branding yourself and providing a service or product your manager and organization deem worth paying for. * Lead your manager “your customers” by providing the data they need in a form they can understand. This is a great article on how … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Deming, Management, quote, Statistics, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Poka-Yoke Assembly

Posted on December 12, 2005 by John Hunter

Got Boondogle asks, Do you Read Instructions Carefully Before Assembly? Nope, I don’t. I expect I can make a quick judgment if I really need to or I basically get it and can put things together well enough. I expect the supplier to make very obvious anything critical. I am much less likely to read instructions that seem to be written by a lawyer, as I imagine are many others. If they provide simple, clear instructions I will use them … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Customer focus, Deming, Management, Systems thinking | Tagged | 1 Comment

The 70 Percent Solution

Posted on December 10, 2005 by John Hunter

The 70 Percent Solution [the broken link was removed] by John Battelle, an interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt: We spend 70 percent of our time on core search and ads. We spend 20 percent on adjacent businesses, ones related to the core businesses in some interesting way. Examples of that would be Google News, Google Earth, and Google Local. And then 10 percent of our time should be on things that are truly new. An example there would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Google, Innovation, Management, quote, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Laurence Haughton on Peter Drucker

Posted on November 19, 2005 by John Hunter

Laurence Haughton on Peter Drucker [the broken link was removed]: He criticized organizations who issued directives to “cut 5 or 10 percent from budgets across the board.” … And I’ll bet others can find 100 additional quoted and ignored lessons from Peter Drucker just like that one … I’m sorry to say that despite all the tributes, up to now, we’ve learned very little from Peter Drucker. It is frustrating, but I wouldn’t draw that conclusion. As readers of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , ,

Problems with Lean Manufacturing Awards

Posted on November 17, 2005 by John Hunter

Dangers in Lean Manufacturing Awards from the Got Boondogle blog: My simple understanding of lean principles is to focus on the pursuit of company survival for eternity with the elimination of waste while adding value for customers, enhancing quality of life for employees and contributing to society. The pursuit of lean manufacturing awards is not on the list of objectives. Another good post from an excellent blog that is well worth reading. Much can go wrong when pursuing an award. … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking

A Great Day for Georgia-Pacific

Posted on November 16, 2005 by John Hunter

A Great Day for Georgia-Pacific [the broken link was removed] by Bill Waddell The Koch people also said that G-P would be much better off not having to deal with “the distraction of quarterly reports” and they would be able to “execute strategic decisions much faster” if they did not have to drag Wall Street along with them. … They previously had been a Honda North America supplier, but have done so well they are going to sell automatic transmission … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Systems thinking