Tag Archives: Creativity

The Road Not Taken

Posted on September 2, 2015 by John Hunter

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Wonderful advice and so poignant. But actually, if you read the whole poem, what we take from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Psychology | Tagged coaching, Creativity, Psychology, quote, theory of knowledge, thinking, travel | 1 Comment

The Aim Should be the Best Life – Not Work v. Life Balance

Posted on May 13, 2015 by John Hunter

My father had the most job satisfaction of anyone I have known. He had no separation between work and life. We toured factories on vacation. I visited Davidson College in North Carolina because he was consulting with a client in … Continue reading →

Posted in Health care, Psychology, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged Bill Hunter, Career, commentary, Creativity, curiouscat, John Hunter, Joy in Work, Popular, Psychology, respect for people, Systems thinking, tips | 11 Comments

The Value of Professional Conferences. Also Why Has There Been So Little Innovation?

Posted on April 28, 2015 by John Hunter

In the most recent ASQ Influential Voices post, Julia McIntosh takes a look at the costs and benefits of professionals attending conferences. I still remember being in high school and George Box talking about the primary value of conferences was … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Customer focus, Education | Tagged ASQ Influential Voices, Career, conference, Creativity, Customer focus, learning, management history, Process improvement, process thinking, technology | 5 Comments

Children are Amazingly Creative At Solving Problems

Posted on July 8, 2014 by John Hunter

This story at NPR reminded my of Russell Ackoff talking about the creativity kids show in solving problems* – and how school often stifles that creativity. Preschoolers Outsmart College Students In Figuring Out Gadgets Children try a variety of novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Psychology | Tagged Ackoff, Creativity, learning, problem solving, Psychology, thinking | 2 Comments

Deming and Software Development

Posted on March 17, 2014 by John Hunter

I am sometimes asked about how use Deming’s ideas on management in a software development context. My belief is Deming’s ideas work extremely well in a software development context. The main issue is often unlearning some assumptions that people might … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, IT, Management, Popular, Process improvement, Respect, Software Development | Tagged build capability, commentary, Creativity, curiouscat, Deming, John Hunter, managing people, Popular, Software Development, Systems thinking, technology | 7 Comments

Taking Risks Based on Evidence

Posted on November 14, 2013 by John Hunter

My opinion has long been that football teams are too scared to take an action that is smart but opens the coach to criticism. So instead of attempting to make it on 4th down (if you don’t understand American football, … Continue reading →

Posted in Competition, Creativity, Data, Innovation, Management, Psychology | Tagged Creativity, evidence based management, experiments, fear, Innovation, leadership, Psychology, risk, sports | 3 Comments

What is the Explanation Going to be if This Attempt Fails?

Posted on June 25, 2013 by John Hunter

Occasionally during my career I have been surprised by new insights. One of the things I found remarkable was how quickly I thought up a new explanation for what could have caused a problem when the previously expressed explanation was … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Innovation, Management, Process improvement, quote, Software Development, Systems thinking | Tagged Creativity, curiouscat, experiments, John Hunter, problem solving, Psychology, Software Development, tips | Comments Off

Quality Processes in Unexpected Places

Posted on March 25, 2013 by John Hunter

This month Paul Borawski asked ASQ’s Influential Voices to explore the use of quality tools in unexpected places. The most surprising example of this practice that I recall is the Madison, Wisconsin police department surveying those they arrested to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Customer focus, Data, Innovation, Management, Process improvement, Public Sector, Respect | Tagged ASQ Influential Voices, Creativity, Customer focus, customer service, leadership, Lean thinking, Madison, Process improvement, Public Sector, respect for people, Systems thinking | 5 Comments

The Components of Genius

Posted on March 19, 2013 by John Hunter

Wonderful poster, by Grant Snider, on the question: what is genius. Related: Comic About Programers – You Have to Find What You Love To Do – Marissa Mayer Webcast on Google Innovation – Interruptions Can Severely Damage Performance

Posted in Creativity, Fun, Innovation | Tagged Creativity, Innovation | 1 Comment

Using Incentives to Guide Social System Improvements

Posted on December 5, 2012 by John Hunter

When confronted with the challenge of managing a social system (or market) I like to find ways to use a few simple rules that will guide the system to find improvements. I favor allowing participants in complex social system to … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Economics, Public Sector, Systems thinking | Tagged Creativity, Economics, leadership, Systems thinking | 2 Comments