• Too Much Engagement Can Be Bad

    Engagement is a goal for many organizations. Sometimes this means customer engagement — other times, employee engagement — typically, both. In the January 2018 issue of Forbes, engagement is described as a hallmark of successful business, a cultural cornerstone that reduces the risk of turnover while enhancing product quality, process quality, and customer satisfaction. Unfortunately,…

  • Engagement: Why Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be Bad

    Engagement is a goal for many organizations. In the January 2018 issue of Forbes, it’s described as a hallmark of successful business, a cultural cornerstone that reduces the risk of turnover while enhancing product quality, process quality, and customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, the same story also cites a Gallup poll from 2017 that found only 32%…

  • The Achilles Heel of Customer Journey Mapping

    Achilles was that guy in Greek mythology whose mother, when he was born, wanted to protect him soooo much that she held him by the heel and dipped him in the power-giving waters of the River Styx — making him bullet proof (and much more; no bullets then), except at the heel, because for some reason she…

  • Improve Writing Quality with Speaking & Storyboarding

    For a decade, I supervised undergrads and grad students as they were completing writing projects: term papers, semester projects, and of course — capstone projects and thesis work. Today, I’m responsible for editing the work of (and mentoring) junior colleagues. The main lesson I’ve learned over this time is: writing is really hard for most…

  • Yes, You Do Need to Write Down Procedures. Except…

    近代工芸の名品― [特集展示] 棗 Several weeks ago we went to an art exhibit about “tea caddies” at the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art. Although it might seem silly, these kitchen containers are a fixture of Japanese culture. In Japan, drinking green tea is a cornerstone of daily life. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and we…

  • There’s a Fly in the Milk (and a Bug in the Software)

    Image Source: https://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/the-first-computer-bug-was-a-moth  As one does, I spent a good part of this weekend reading the Annual Report of the Michigan Dairymen’s Association. It provides an interesting glimpse into the processes that have to be managed to source raw materials from suppliers, to produce milk and cream and butter, and to cultivate an engaged and…

  • Happy World Quality Day 2018!

    Each year, the second Thursday of November day is set aside to reflect on the way quality management can contribute to our work and our lives. Led by the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) in the United Kingdom, World Quality Day provides a forum to reflect on how we implement more effective processes and systems that…