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Tool Hire

1 September, 2017 by James Lawther 3 Comments

tool hire

There are lots of tools out there I don’t mean that in a derogatory way.  I mean process improvement tools: 5S, control charts, swim lanes… those sort of tools. There are also lots of people who know how to use those tools. It is easy to recruit staff who can bring a toolbox stuffed with approaches […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: beliefs, lean thinking, six sigma, training

One Hundred Bad Ideas

21 August, 2017 by James Lawther 3 Comments

Bad Idea

Notable failures Even the most successful people have failures: James Dyson built 5,127 prototypes before he perfected one vacuum cleaner. Mozart wrote over 64 symphonies.  How many have you heard? Richard Branson has launched over 400 business ventures, remember Virgin Vodka?  Nope, nor do I. Over 30 years Albert Einstein published ~ 345 scientific papers but his major work […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: blame, innovation, learning

Thou Shalt Not Delay, Distort or Withhold Information

15 August, 2017 by James Lawther 2 Comments

Delay and Distort

Systems need information They use that information to control the way they act. In a system of cells (like your body) that information flows along nerves and via hormones. In a system of animals (like a colony of ants) that information flows via pheromones and signals. In a system of people (like your business) it […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: bureaucracy, communication, fessing up, human nature, key performance indicators, management style, service design, systems thinking

Three Types of Culture

7 August, 2017 by James Lawther 4 Comments

Justice

1. Blame culture I am not a big fan of blaming people when things go wrong. There are two reasons why: It is hard to apportion blame correctly. Business is a team sport. With so many players involved failures are rarely the fault of one person. If a goal keeper lets in a goal, was […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: blame, culture, management style

Pseudoscientific Management

28 July, 2017 by James Lawther 4 Comments

Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience Pseudoscience answers everything Pseudoscience hates being challenged Pseudoscience rejects new ideas Pseudoscience cannot fail Pseudoscience is static Science Science questions everything Science thrives on being challenged Science opens up to new ideas Science is designed to fail Science changes Pseudoscience or Science? Opinions or observations? Dogma or debate? Convinced or sceptical? Performance Management or Test […]

Filed Under: Blog, Wild Cards Tagged With: beliefs, culture, management style, performance management, test and learn

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