As featured in the June 2014 issue of Effective Flow Magazine:
It’s the elusive goal behind every Continuous Improvement initiative: Every organization wants to become a high performing workplace. But what does this entail? How does one go about achieving it? How long does it take? I’ve spent my career answering these questions.
I have read countless tomes on the subject of business success and how to achieve it, benefited from […]
Lego is an excellent example of the huge value that can come from customer insight. Embracing their customers’ sometimes unconventional use of the blocks is in part what led to the company refining its business model and experiencing a significant resurgence. Reminds me of my favorite unconventional uses of Lego blocks – creating plant layouts. The guys at Sur Seal have had great success testing out theories while playing strategizing […]
Customer insight is one of the most important elements of a successful business model. Given the direct impact this relationship has on your success, customer insight should guide every initiative launched in the name of growth. Too many organizations don’t check in enough with their customers, understand their needs and how well they are being met. As a result, they make changes to their business model that don’t result […]
Cuts in headcount are too often made with short term goals in mind. Somehow those with traditional management views consider this among the easier tacts to take when looking at cutting costs. I will grant them that it is one of the faster solutions in that regard. I would hope that these layoffs represent a last resort for Levis Strauss. I imagine that if they are truly experiencing a […]
I believe that everyone comes to work every day to do his or her best. Sometimes life and work can get in the way, but I believe that in general, when people are given a chance to “do good” they step up to the challenge.
I didn’t always think this way. In all of my years of observing the way organizations went about improving performance, management consistently placed the blame on […]
