Over the years, I have written extensively about the importance of gathering information and using it to improve performance. In any company, there is certainly a wealth of information to choose from and decisions are needed about which is the most meaningful. Yet, if information is power, then sharing that information puts the power to good use.
The ultimate goal of any company should be to get the right people into the organization and to find the right positions for them based on their skills.
Leaders are constantly faced with the dilemma of having to get too much done in too little time. Instead of taking on too much themselves, leaders should delegate tasks to others in the organization.
Continuous improvement requires that we analyze current practices and identify ways to do them better, faster and cheaper. Yet, have you ever found yourself asking if your actions have really made a difference? In some cases, improvements are obvious and easily measured using dollars saved, downtime reduced, increased yield rate or any number of worthwhile quantitative metrics. However, sometimes the improvements are not so easy to measure quantitatively.
I strongly believe in the benefits of the “Visual Factory,” one in which even an outsider can look around and understand what is happening. The theory behind the Visual Factory is that if it can help outsiders, then anyone working in the factory should have an even easier time understanding what is going on and, perhaps more importantly, what needs to be done and when to do it.
My job allows me to work with many companies in different
industries. Most of my interactions with companies are rewarding
because I get an opportunity to see changes made and the impact of
those changes on the businesses. In my experience, positive change
feeds off itself, leading to even more opportunities fo
Any organization that is faced with the need to change things wrestles with the questions of what to change and how to sustain that change. What to change will obviously vary from company to company and industry to industry. Often, the answer to this question is presented to us by external forces. For example, chan
Most companies, at some point in their evolution, are faced with the
daunting task of relocation. Perhaps a company has outgrown its
existing facility and simply needs more space. Perhaps it is more
advantageous to be closer to key customers.