They may not be teaching this in MBAs, but a company is a complex system ruled by non-linear interactions that make it difficult to make any prediction when any change is effected. That’s why any approach to improve the company has to be “holistic”, i.e. address the whole system, and consider all the interactions/interdependencies. What is […]
A Business Management Software Can Never Run Your Company
A client embarking on a pattern of transformation through systemic management recently asked ‘How soon will I be able to use the software to manage the company?’ It’s tempting to think that by buying and ‘installing’ the right software, a company can magically acquire a whole new way of operating that will lead to more […]
Design Thinking and the Power of a Systemic Thinking Tool
We were asked to contribute to a workshop for post-graduate students from diverse backgrounds who co-create an interdisciplinary design strategy under the guidance of a faculty of professional designers and architects. As Systemic Thinkers who work with the Decalogue Methodology, what can we share with these students? That the final product of our design effort should be a […]
A New Organizational Model for the Digital Age
As we’re enjoying a visit here in Victoria, BC from Goldratt’s original publisher, Larry Gadd who published our foundational work, ‘Deming and Goldratt: The Decalogue’ – the first book to be published by North River Press on the Theory of Constraints that was not by Goldratt himself – it’s a good occasion to look again […]
The Traditional Hierarchy Organization Doesn’t Work Anymore
Why are people still stuck in adopting a traditional hierarchy and functional organization structure when there are clearly so many drawbacks? When organizations are created and organized in a matrix of vertical hierarchy and functions, an inevitable consequence is the existence of a series of “walls” or divisions that inhibit the resources involved in producing an optimal […]
How to Transform an Organization’s Potential into Reality
From exile to freedom: splitting the Red Sea Stupidity, as Dr. Deming has reminded us, is a choice. We are not talking about a low IQ but the refusal to use the mental capacity we have. We do not lack the knowledge needed to build and operate a truly systemic company guided by the idea […]
State of the Art Project Management with Critical Chain
Too many projects all over the world fail to deliver, coming in late and over budget. We all pay the price for this. The reason is because much of Project Management is flawed in its thinking and execution. It doesn’t have to be this way. In his 1997 business novel called ‘Critical Chain’, Dr. Eliyahu […]
Synchronization and Optimization: A Systems-based Approach
The systemic approach to the economics and management of resources focuses on what can be achieved by combining the resources at hand. This is difficult because we are accustomed to thinking of resources as “belonging” to something, i.e. a function. In this paradigm, resources are allocated to achieve local, functional optima to the detriment of […]
Forget Perfection and Pursue Quality – Relentlessly
In our last post, we looked at eliminating toxic beliefs that choke organizations. In this post, we focus in on the toxic belief of wanting perfection, and how this relates to the serious business of Quality. Perfection – an unattainable goal One of the toxic beliefs people have is that perfection equals success. This is […]
Eliminating Toxic Beliefs that Choke Organizations
An article entitled Six Toxic Beliefs that Ruin Careers‘ hits on a key issue in life and business, namely how our perceptions affect the way we think and act. In this post, we look at how the Decalogue Methodology can address toxic beliefs. Why do some succeed where others fail in the same circumstances? It is […]
