Our present and our future are inextricably linked to networks – the hubs and nodes of interconnections, no longer just value chains but value networks. How do we make a sustainable network? We just received a review of our new book ‘Quality, Involvement, Flow: The Systemic Organization’ that underlines a fundamental shift: Inspired by the focusing speed […]
Unthinkable – From Assumptions to Innovation
We live in belief-shaking times. A recent Globe and Mail cartoon shows a man in a Brexit shirt waving a flag of the European Union with the caption ‘unleavable’, then a sketch of the Titanic’s helm with the caption ‘unsinkable’, finally a sketch of Donald Trump with no caption but the caption hangs in the air: […]
Performance Optimization and Interdependencies: When 1+1= More Than 2
What happens when more than one person or more than one thing work together in the same direction? Is the result just the simple sum of their efforts? The answer to this question is yes, but ONLY when the elements involved are independent of each other. In the theory of systems, the global “performance” of any […]
New Thinking Skills: Learning to Sell
Nothing sells itself, not even the best of products or solutions. In today’s global marketplace it is critical to be able to sell successfully. Many are struggling. They may even have a sensational product or service that’s exactly what customers need and yet they still can’t sell enough of it. Why? Buying is a process […]
How to Drastically Increase Productivity and Your Capacity Right Now
It’s not a trick, a gimmick or a quick fix recipe. It’s a way of thinking, a mindset; some would go as far as saying it’s a way of being. The revolutionary nature of Goldratt’s approach to Project Management often gets lost. In this post, we look at just one of the crucial aspects that […]
How to Ensure Sustainable Growth in an Increasingly Digital World
The speed of the change that digitalization is bringing is dizzying. It is forcing companies to think hard about the very meaning of the way they do business. Old models are no longer valid and businesses need to catch up fast or lose market share and opportunities. Consolidated experience that had a high value suddenly […]
Resources for the Perplexed: What’s New This Summer at Intelligent Management
Summer 2016 is one that few of us will forget. Events so far have been life-changing and violence, divisiveness and chaos have been rife. Never like now do we need to keep a grip on our thoughts and emotions to produce the kind of work that will make a positive difference. At Intelligent Management we […]
In Management? Why You Need Theory of Constraints for Your Organization Today
The world is full of tips on how to do things better. The problem is that without some solid theory behind you, those tips are just patches. Theory, you say? But we need something practical, don’t we? Well, here’s the thing. There is no such thing as good practice without solid theory to back it […]
Make Profit or Do Good – Solving the Conflict
When you think of making a profit versus doing good as a conflict, you can quickly get to the root of the problem. Much of it has to do with the way we think about what profit is. When we challenge our understanding of profit, all kinds of new possibilities arise. How do we do that? The […]
How to See the Future with Science – Part Two on Predicting Process Behaviour
In Part Two of this article on predicting the future with science, we look at the tool from Statistical Process Control that helps us understand behaviour patterns in our processes so we can make more informed decisions. When is a process predictable? We say that a process is “predictable” when it is in a […]
