The major problem managers face today is complexity, and the current MBAs on offer are not equipping their graduates with the right knowledge and tools. Managers today must be able to understand how things interdepend and evolve in order to navigate complexity. Here we offer a solution. Why MBAs are stuck in the past Many business […]
Resource Optimization Part 2 – In Praise of Idleness
Our last post, ‘Resource Optimization? Don’t Make the 100% Mistake‘ received thousands of views, hundreds of likes and we are grateful for the many insightful comments received. Here, Dr. Giovanni Siepe takes a further look at resource optimization and why it is essential to always have some excess capacity. Infinite resources only exist in Heaven In our last […]
Whole System Management for the Age of Complexity
Seeing the Whole System When we first started our firm in Italy in the mid 1990s it was to work with Deming’s principles about Quality. It quickly became clear that Deming’s philosophy went far beyond the conventional notions of Quality management. It was about nothing less than transformation. Transformation of the prevailing management style based on […]
Resource Optimization? Don’t Make the 100% Mistake
Do you think getting everything in your system to work at 100% is the right way to create maximum efficiency? Dr. Giovanni Siepe explains how we can learn from management science (and other sources) that there is a better way. Not too long ago I was reading about “Sukkot”, a holiday […]
We Can All Prosper – A Systems View
Is there a way for everyone to prosper in the market? Systemic Thinking leads us to believe there is. In this extract from The Human Constraint business novel, systems thinker Dr. Sam Deluca offers a way ahead. “What is the market then, in your opinion?” Sam gripped the front of the […]
Why University Grades Are Inhibiting Learning
Every student that has attended courses at University is familiar with the “grading system”. Parents are accustomed to watching and supporting their kids in their continuous effort to “achieve” (i.e. get the best grade). But what, exactly, is the objective of grading students? Especially when leading universities don’t seem to understand the mathematical implications. Dr. Giovanni Siepe […]
Celebrating Eight Years in North America with a Business Novel: The Human Constraint
It’s our 8th birthday in North America, and we’re celebrating! Eight years ago we brought the Decalogue Management Methodology from its European base across to North America, and we’re marking the occasion with a new business novel, ‘The Human Constraint’, now on sale at www.thehumanconstraint.ca Times Worth Telling The recent years, following the worst […]
Work-Life Balance? There’s a Better Way
Is it possible to find that elusive work-life balance so many seek? We think that’s the wrong question. However, there is something you can do to focus your energies on what you truly need. It works for organizations, and it can work for individuals too. I want it all, and I want it now Our […]
How Does the Market Work? (It doesn’t, at least, not all by itself)
The discussion about how the market works and behaves has been keeping economists busy for a long time. In this post, Dr. Giovanni Siepe takes a systems and complexity-based look at what is going on, and considers a different approach. Let’s follow the mainstream reasoning The contrast between those who think that the market works […]
A Mission Statement? Do Better By Looking at Fears and Desires
While working with a startup group of entrepreneurs, we bumped into the notion of writing a mission statement. While this is a common practice, it can often lead to a bunch of meaningless words. There is a much better way of setting the course of an organization. Setting the direction There is nothing more exciting that working […]
