Why happy customers aren’t enough
Over the years we’ve done a number of studies to try to help our clients find out what their customers think of them. These types of studies are often packaged under the
Read More
Green and red time opportunity
Opportunity #2 When we look for opportunity, we categorize time into green and red components. Green time is the current productive part of a process, while red time is the non-productive waste.
Read More
The hunt for opportunities
“Opportunity” is one of those euphemisms we use instead of “problems.” It’s arguably a better word, because most operating problems are, in fact opportunities for an organization to improve. Before we take
Read More
In search of opportunities
Opportunities exist everywhere in organizations, because businesses are constantly changing in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. We spend a lot of time observing organizations of all shapes and sizes, and it is truly fascinating to see how they operate.
Read More
What are specific management behaviors?
Management behavior is a critical issue in organizations. However, the meaning of the term itself is often a little fuzzy.
Read More
What does changing management behavior really mean?
We often say it’s tough to change management behavior. Universally, executives nod their heads in agreement. But when we all say it, what do we actually mean?
Read More
The problem with management training
Observation #49 In the relatively early days of our company, a few partners took a high-speed driving course on an old Formula 1 race track just outside Montreal. The conversation over dinner
Read More
A specific target is better than a range
When we work for a company, we always do our due diligence upfront to pinpoint a specific improvement target for the project. Well, almost always…
Read More
How many managers does an organization need?
Sometimes we do a study that we call the “Span of Control” analysis, where we look at how many subordinates report directly to each manager in an organization. It’s a more difficult study than it sounds, because the way organizational charts are drawn is not always how they really are.
Read More
The difficulty and importance of managing “shoulder periods”
Many industries experience “shoulder periods.” These are the time periods leading up to and away from the peak volumes. Figuring out how to manage these periods can be a difficult task for managers, but it’s also very important for realizing performance improvement gains.
Read More