Content by Davis Balestracci
‘But They Are Going To...’Understanding group accountability
Mon, 12/21/2015 - 14:28
Dealing with individuals is one important aspect of culture change. I addressed this in “How Does Your Organization Define Accountability?” Every organization has many tribes (i.e., departments or specific groups of individuals) that make up its… Can You Prove Anything With Statistics?Maybe... using PARC
Mon, 12/14/2015 - 09:13
“It is impossible to tell how widespread data torturing is. Like other forms of torture, it leaves no incriminating marks when done skillfully. And like other forms of torture, it may be difficult to prove even when there is incriminating evidence… Six Secrets for Productive Meetings Do the math... including your current return on this investment
Tue, 11/17/2015 - 14:59
“When I die, let it be in a meeting. The transition from life to death will be barely perceptible.” —Anonymous
Today I’m going to share some ideas from an always-thoughtful newsletter written by Steve Harden of LifeWings—a company of pilots who… What People Say May Not Be What They Really MeanUntil threats are named and dealt with, your project is going nowhere
Wed, 10/14/2015 - 16:00
As most of you know, one of my mantras for change agents is, “Those darn humans! God bless ’em,” i.e., don’t be surprised by anything. People never seem to mind change... for other people or departments.
Ever heard this: “It’s about time someone… How Does Your Organization Define ‘Accountability?’The power of ‘what,’ ‘how,’ ‘I,’ and action
Mon, 09/14/2015 - 11:55
Is accountability used as an excuse for draconian enforcement of arbitrary goals? We’re familiar with the insanity of wasted time spent overreacting to common cause. I remember the dreaded review meetings, spending all day listening to litanies of… More Golf, StatisticallyTrue champion or lottery winner?
Mon, 07/13/2015 - 16:05
This is a continuation of my last column, which I’ve written to honor my late dad who loved golf. As promised, let’s look at the Masters golf tournament final four-round scores for the 55 players who survived the cut. We’ll analyze and then give it… Golf, StatisticallyCommentator hyperbole and the Masters golf tournament
Mon, 06/15/2015 - 14:51
To celebrate Father’s Day in the United States (June 21 this year), I’m going to use this and my next column to honor my late dad by using a game he loved—golf—to teach some very basic statistics lessons. Some of these may have been lost on you… Enough!Yet another blinding flash of the obvious
Mon, 05/18/2015 - 13:24
In the past couple of weeks, I have stumbled onto three things that triggered this column. Two of them came from academic-type healthcare journals, one of which shall remain nameless. This type of journal is still trying to make a formal case for… Ah... BaseballKill the umpire!
Thu, 04/23/2015 - 15:43
Welcome to baseball season! I always do a baseball-themed article around this time, and I found my topic after stumbling on this article recently: How accurate are umpires when calling balls and strikes?
From what I understand, since 2008, home… A More Robust ‘P’ for Any PDSA CycleAn excellent plan is essential
Tue, 04/14/2015 - 17:59
Good data collection requires eight questions to be addressed. The first four involve designing the collection.
Most of these issues were discussed in my last column. To summarize:1. Why collect the data? • Is there a clear objective for this…
