It’s summer and time for a good read. If you had to choose between reading a business text book on new management thinking and skills and reading a good story, you might be more tempted by the story. But what if you didn’t have to make that choice? What if you could learn about a transformational method and skills for business and read a darn good story at the same time? With the Deming and Goldratt business novel ‘The Human Constraint‘ you can do just that. It has sold in 18 countries around the world so far.
On the shoulders of giants
The idea is not new. Dr. Eli Goldratt wrote several business novels about the Theory of Constraints. The most famous of these is ‘The Goal’, often referenced by the CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos who gives it to all his top executives to read. Goldratt’s books are page turning stories that communicate to the reader important notions of his theory.
We decided to pick up the baton and tell a fast-paced story based on 20 years of working with a Deming and Goldratt approach to management and transformation. The years following the worst financial crisis in living memory provide the start to the story. It’s important to remember how deeply the world was rocked, and how much ‘old economy’ thinking contributed to the disaster. The story keeps pace with the years of the crisis through a series of headlines as the narrative unfolds.
Beyond the story itself of a business venture and all its human and economic effects as the crisis hits, this book points the way to a new way of thinking and behaving, beyond the zero sum game mentality and silo thinking that plagues so many organizations. If we want to avoid repeating the mistakes that lead to the crisis in the first place, then we have to learn to think and act differently, i.e. systemically, to build a future of sustainable prosperity. Angela Montgomery had the privilege of being mentored throughout the crafting of the novel by acclaimed American playwright and screenwriter, Donald Freed.
Methods and tools
The story illustrates not just the direction we can take, but a method and tools to get there. It is based on almost 20 years of on-the-field research and implementation of the Decalogue Methodology. This is why we have built a whole website with supplementary material for every chapter of the novel. The eBook format of the novel allows the reader to click at the end of every chapter to read more about Deming, the Theory of Constraints (and the Thinking Process Tools), and a systems-based approach to management, all of which are at the heart of the Decalogue Methodology. The Decalogue provides a complete methodology for a systems-based approach to management, leadership and continuous innovation.
Let us know what you think
We hope you will enjoy ‘The Human Constraint’, and pass on the word to others you think will find it of interest. It has been a labor of love to produce the book, and all proceeds go towards furthering our research and development of methods and tools for creating sustainable prosperity through a systemic approach. We would love to receive your feedback, so do drop us a line at intelligentmanagement@sechel.ws
You can purchase download of ‘The Human Constraint’ and access the accompanying Knowledge Base for $7.70 here: www.thehumanconstraint.ca
“I think the book is brilliantly written, much more engaging than the Goldratt books. It sort of captivates one with a sense of wanting to see what’s going to happen next.”GENE BELLINGER, SYSTEMS THINKING WORLD
“Bought it yesterday, can’t keep my eyes out of it… Excellent writing about an excellent integration of Deming and Goldratt with excellent resources and tools. Definitely a must-read for every CEO (and all other C’s), every manager and everyone who claims to strive for improvement in any aspect of his/her life! Thank you Angela Montgomery PhD for your inspiring story!!”
GIJS ANDREA, CEO AT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF TOC
I can’t count how many business books I’ve started to read and couldn’t finish – my response being along the lines of “this is just too boring” or “I know all this stuff – doesn’t everybody?” Angela Montgomery has solved this problem with a new way of thinking that goes beyond conventional approaches. She captures today’s complex realities of business by creating a new genre – what I would call simply the business novel. Read it and enjoy. I know you will learn a lot, and finish it!
Sign up to our blog here and shift your thinking towards broader, systemic possibilities for yourself and your organization. Intelligent Management provides education and training on W. Edwards Deming’s management philosophy and the Theory of Constraints (Decalogue methodology) in North America and Europe.
About the Author
Angela Montgomery Ph.D. is Partner and Co-founder of Intelligent Management and author of the business novel+ website The Human Constraint . This downloadable novel uses narrative to look at how the Deming approach and the Theory of Constraints can create the organization of the future, based on collaboration, network and social innovation. She is co-author with Dr. Domenico Lepore, founder, and Dr. Giovanni Siepe of ‘Quality, Involvement, Flow: The Systemic Organization’ from CRC Press, New York.
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