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Thought Walks

7 July, 2017 by James Lawther 2 Comments

Brainstorming doesn’t always cut it Sometimes you have a problem that requires an imaginative solution. The standard management method for adding a spark of creativity is to brainstorm the problem. But brainstorming doesn’t always work. The ideas can be a little tired, you may not get something really new. Random thoughts There is an argument […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement, Tools & Techniques Tagged With: brainstorm, innovation, video

Not Invented Here

29 June, 2017 by James Lawther Leave a Comment

Mixing Ideas

Nothing comes from nothing I sat in a meeting the other day, it was a nightmare… Two guys were trying to extol the benefits of automation to a team of sales managers.  The tension was palpable.  In one corner stood a bunch of consultants trying to explain the latest and greatest thinking in operational improvement.  […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: culture, human nature, innovation

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

25 June, 2017 by James Lawther 2 Comments

Culture eats strategy for breakfast

What does that mean? It sounds like management claptrap. Let me repeat it, and attribute it. Culture eats strategy for breakfast ~ Peter Drucker Anybody who has worked in a large organisation will know that we prize strategy above all else. It is an intellectual pursuit, highly valued in the boardroom. We hire consultants to […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: accountability, culture, fear and anxiety, group think, management style, strategy

Why Were You Late for Work?

18 June, 2017 by James Lawther Leave a Comment

Logic Tree

Logic Trees There is a simple way of diagnosing a problem, and then finding a solution.  It is called “the five whys?” No doubt you have heard of it, it is a way of refining a problem until you get to its cause. When faced with a problem ask why it happened. Then ask again. […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis, Tools & Techniques Tagged With: communication, logic tree, problem solving

Teenagers, Bedrooms and Cash Payments

9 June, 2017 by James Lawther 11 Comments

Over-justification effect

I nearly broke my neck At the entrance to my eldest daughter’s bedroom there is a short flight of steps.  As I went to wake her this morning I slipped on what I could most graciously describe as a pile of underwear.  I took 5 of those steps in one fell swoop.  I think “fell” is […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: incentives, motivation, over-justification effect

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