The Plate Spinner
Before reading further, click this link to view an incredible YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhoos1oY404 Eric Brenn was an amazingly talented performer who came on stage with a stack of dinner plates and a bunch of long poles. He’d set one plate spinning on top of a pole, then another, then another, until a dozen were going at…
Partnering, Clustering and .nets: The Next Challenge for Operational Excellence
In reviewing the three big challenges of business model development (Partnering, Clustering and.nets), continued operational process improvements and innovation research has found a pervasive theme in successful organizations. “Partnering is no longer a part of our business; it is our business.” Peter ward, Vice President and General Manager – Xerox Europe “The future will belong to those companies…
Rapid Improvement through Benchmarking
Do you benchmark? Do you use benchmarks? What’s the difference and why should you care? The answers to these questions depends first on the context: are you a surveyor, a geo-cacher, a technician measuring computer performance … or a leader or change-agent concerned with improving an organization’s performance? This article is aimed at those of you in the last…
First Impressions Are Important
As is my habit, I occasionally “google” my name (with XONITEK, so that I don’t get the Joseph Paris that is into hair) to see what might be out there. I get the expected links to the various articles I have written or events in which I have taken part, but occasionally I get surprised.
Why Lean Fails
Global competition is at such a dynamic level that any day lost without operations improvement imperils the company’s economic livelihood. To out pace the aggressive environment, companies must create a competitive advantage that establishes greater stakeholder value through radical improvements in product and process. One of the most prominent methods currently being utilized by many companies to create…
Effectual vs. Efficiency
Many people are positive about chasing out waste and reaping the benefits it would bring. However, this can be a cause for worry. Even though many people remember damage caused by previous cost cutting campaigns, they still see cutting waste as a technique to increase efficiency. So why would people doing great work in chasing out waste worry…