Quality and Innovation

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Getting to Consensus

It’s hard to get a group of people to agree on something. But, I’ve found out, if a) all members of the group understand what consensus really is, and b) if there is a good process in place for establishing consensus before a discussion begin — it is possible to establish consensus quickly, easily, and…
The Google of Politics: Innovation in Democracy

In a 2004 post, one observant blogger noticed that the presidential campaigns for George W. Bush and John Kerry weren’t “doing something new, something uniquely suited to the new medium that wasn’t possible before but perfectly fits with the types of communication the Internet enables.” This person remarked that “right now political activity online is…
Systems Thinking and Ships in Shanghai

Quality experts and practitioners alike know that a solution should be designed for a particular context of use. The complete environment of the problem should be considered, and political, economic, social and technical ramifications should be examined before investing in a costly project. This wasn’t the case for the $260 million construction of a cruise…
Lean Thinking: The Many Flavors of Waste

The seven types of waste are a foundational concept in lean manufacturing, all forms of muda as described by Taichi Ohno of Toyota. Reducing waste systematically can help you achieve flow in your processes. Waste can result from: Overproduction – making too much of something that goes unused, spoils, or collects dust. Inventory – keeping…
Election 2008: Struggle Between Tradition and Innovation

Today is Monday, November 3rd. Election Day, when the U.S. picks its 44th President, is less than 24 hours away. And as of Saturday night, just 72 hours before the polls close, 27 MILLION early votes and absentee ballots had already been placed. This represents almost 13% of the total population that’s eligible to vote…
Eight Ways to Deal with Complexity

There is not one person I know who doesn’t have to deal with complexity in their work or personal lives. Either the subject matter they work with is complex or specialized, the politics are stressful, or there’s just too much information to process and the information overload becomes oppressive. Fortunately, dealing with complexity has been…
Government Plays a Role in Productivity-Oriented Competitiveness

I read an article this morning about a 13-year old Somalian girl who was stoned to death for being raped. The article also characterized, in simple terms, the social and institutional landscape of her country: Somalia is among the world’s most violent and impoverished countries. The nation of some 8 million people has not had…