Archive for November, 2009
Kanban Family Job Chart
The Opportunity
We have a big family – we’ve adopted a bunch and we’re very thankful for our chance to be parents. We’ve got great kids.
The Opportunity
We have a big family – we’ve adopted a bunch and we’re very thankful for our chance to be parents. We’ve got great kids.
Extraordinary Response
Often, our best moments are during times of trial. Indeed, what we remember most and what is most inspiring are not the scores of naysayers that exclaim “it’s dark, it’s dark” to describe the gloom that is all around us, but the humble, smug, and steady person that lights a candle so that others can see.
Neal Maxwell said this best:
Often, our best moments are during times of trial. Indeed, what we remember most and what is most inspiring are not the scores of naysayers that exclaim “it’s dark, it’s dark” to describe the gloom that is all around us, but the humble, smug, and steady person that lights a candle so that others can see.
Neal Maxwell said this best:
Complacency, Urgency, and Change
John Kotter makes a good case that urgency is the key ingredient in any organizational transformation. Conversely, the lower the urgency, the higher the likelihood that the firm will collapse or fail or not transform in a way that will enable it to win in a changing marketplace. Kotter does something else that is interesting: he defines True Sense of Urgency, Complacency, and False Sense of Urgency. This was very instructive.
John Kotter makes a good case that urgency is the key ingredient in any organizational transformation. Conversely, the lower the urgency, the higher the likelihood that the firm will collapse or fail or not transform in a way that will enable it to win in a changing marketplace. Kotter does something else that is interesting: he defines True Sense of Urgency, Complacency, and False Sense of Urgency. This was very instructive.
Shining Metal Pointing Direction
Hoshin Kanri is a management tool used at Toyota to align business strategy and mobilize the entire organization toward the business strategy. Hoshin Kanri means “Shining Metal, Pointing Direction” or “Directional Needle”. In other words, Hoshin Kanri is a North Star or a Compass.
Hoshin Kanri is a management tool used at Toyota to align business strategy and mobilize the entire organization toward the business strategy. Hoshin Kanri means “Shining Metal, Pointing Direction” or “Directional Needle”. In other words, Hoshin Kanri is a North Star or a Compass.
Homogeneous Innovation
Things are all too familiar. That’s good and bad.
It’s good if the service or product meets my basic needs and is memory-neutral: that is, the interaction results in neither good memory or bad memory. It just is and I don’t care.
It’s not good if I come away from the experience thinking “I could have received that same service or product at 50 other places, with no material difference.”
Things are all too familiar. That’s good and bad.
It’s good if the service or product meets my basic needs and is memory-neutral: that is, the interaction results in neither good memory or bad memory. It just is and I don’t care.
It’s not good if I come away from the experience thinking “I could have received that same service or product at 50 other places, with no material difference.”
Dichotomous Thinking at IDEO No More
Recently, Tim Brown, the CEO at IDEO came to a realization that Design Thinking can coexist with Six Sigma and Lean. For a while, his stance was really of black-and-white thinking: it’s either Design Thinking or Lean Thinking. This position is akin to a student who believes that if he doesn’t earn an “A” in a class, he believes he failed. Clearly, not healthy.
Recently, Tim Brown, the CEO at IDEO came to a realization that Design Thinking can coexist with Six Sigma and Lean. For a while, his stance was really of black-and-white thinking: it’s either Design Thinking or Lean Thinking. This position is akin to a student who believes that if he doesn’t earn an “A” in a class, he believes he failed. Clearly, not healthy.
A Transformation Story
We all love stories. Stories have characters that we relate to or hate, there’s drama, heroes and villains, and the best stories stir the emotion. The same goes for companies and their stories – all companies have a story. Most stories are in-process still, whereas some have ended, such as the story of Enron. What is your story? If your company is amidst a transformation or a turnaround, what does that story look like? What chapter are you in?
We all love stories. Stories have characters that we relate to or hate, there’s drama, heroes and villains, and the best stories stir the emotion. The same goes for companies and their stories – all companies have a story. Most stories are in-process still, whereas some have ended, such as the story of Enron. What is your story? If your company is amidst a transformation or a turnaround, what does that story look like? What chapter are you in?
