I write often about Operational Excellence. How we live in a world of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA). How time is the enemy of the 21st century company and that the organization that knows and trusts its capabilities (and also where they are lacking) is better prepared to synthesize decisions from imperfect data – operating
In this episode, I welcome Michael Rabbitt, Head of Business Transformation, Argonne National Laboratory, a world-class research laboratory. Having a BA in Operations Management and Information Systems and earning his MBA in Human Resource Management, Michael will share his journey; how his interests evolved over time, the experiences he gained in change management, and his
There are very few people that actually enjoy meetings. I have never heard anyone say, “I can’t wait for the meeting this afternoon” unless it’s followed by “I won’t have to eat at my desk.” Certainly, the people who are called to attend a meeting largely lack enthusiasm are energetic unless they, or their project,
In this episode of State of Readiness, we interview Carl Kirpes, responsible for Crude Oil Strategy & Analysis at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Carl and I met some years ago at an annual conference of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers when he was just graduating from Iowa State University – and we have stayed in
The date is September 15, 2008. The crisis in subprime mortgages had been going on for a little over a year. It was triggered in the last half of 2006 when house prices began to fall as the housing bubble in the United States burst. This caused those who had taken NINJA (No Income, No Job, or Assets) loans to buy