Teams are at the core of successful work in organizations. Very few things can be accomplished by individuals. There is increasing talk about teams. Inspiring work has been done in military environments, as illustrated through the book Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal. But what is a team? How do you choose the members, and […]
How Can Systems Thinking Help Organizations?
Question: I have an organizational situation that I need to address and I’m not sure how to go about it. I’ve been hearing a lot about something called systems thinking and I’m interested in understanding what it is and how I benefit from it addressing the situation at hand. Your thoughts on how to pursue […]
Summer Reading: A Deming and Goldratt Business Novel for Complex Times
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 […]
How to Predict the Future in Uncertain Times
What exactly do we mean when we talk about prediction? In uncertain times it’s a relevant question. However, we’re not talking here about having a crystal ball but the relevance of prediction in the field of management. A little less exciting than Tom Cruise but very important nonetheless. Dr. Giovanni Siepe explains… What do we […]
Your Job as a Leader/Manager? Reduce Variation
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 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 […]
Organizations as Networks: The Physics of Management
Networks are not just Facebook etc. but also a way we have of understanding nature. Network Theory is a new realm of physics and it matters for management. We were recently asked what we now do differently since the Decalogue methodology, based on Deming and the Theory of Constraints, has become informed by Network Theory. […]
Everyone Can Win: Why We Need A New Economics
In his monumental work ‘The New Economics’, W. Edwards Deming states: ‘It would be better if everyone would work together as a system, with the aim for everybody to win. What we need is cooperation and transformation to a new style of management.’ Instead, many people perceive that corporations place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and […]
