The most dangerous kind of resistance
Lesson Learned #49
One of the interesting things we've learned is that the manager who is initially the most ...
52 Lessons Learned
The office can learn from the shop floor
The basic principles of management don't change from industry to industry, or one environment to another. In many ways, the shop floor has been a leader in management practices.
Two ways to improve productivity in variable environments
Lasting productivity gains in highly variable work environments can be elusive. Highly variable environments are those where the work volume fluctuates throughout the day, week, month or even throughout the year.
What’s the real problem?
An auto-parts supplier who made plastic components for a large car manufacturer needed to increase the throughput of one of its production lines, because the line was losing money.
How to make internal performance improvement groups succeed
We are often asked by our clients to help build their internal performance improvement (PI) groups. The concept of developing internal skills to reduce their reliance on high-cost consultants is appealing to many companies.
Always negotiate price last
The temptation to negotiate price is big, but after more than 20 years and hundreds of project proposals, we've learned that it is a cardinal mistake to negotiate price too early in the sales process.
You can’t assess your own workload
Understanding true workload is one of the most common deficiencies we see in companies and organizations across industries.
The introduction sets the tone
We were invited to make a presentation at an industry conference. We arrived in advance and checked in. Then, we were instructed to see the host, who would be introducing us onstage.
Never present “new” ideas
We were working in the food and beverage area at a beautiful Ritz-Carlton resort. It was an important meeting: we were presenting method changes that had been developed with the help of the leaders of the stewarding and banquet areas.
Don’t forget the actual workers
Lesson Learned #36
We were working for a company that made aircraft landing gear (actually the company legacy ...
What do you do with a “variance”?
Lesson Learned #35
When Six Sigma arrived on the management scene many years ago, it caused quite a lot of ...
Don’t feed the pigs
Lesson Learned #34
Several years ago we worked in a factory that produced cookies and crackers, along with various ...