All Features
Taran March @ Quality Digest
The rutted road to Quality Digest’s office is a pretty good example of highway health across the country. Running to the city’s shuttered airport, it’s riddled with potholes and cracks that flourish along a timeline of repair and despair. Some are filled, some are returning to the empty state;…
Benjamin Kessler
The rise of the independent worker is arguably the biggest change to hit the global labor market in decades. Well more than 30 percent of the United States workforce reportedly lack “real jobs” working full-time for a conventional company, and that figure, some say, may top 40 percent by 2020. If…
Scot Larsen
The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, tells us that 20 percent of inputs are responsible for 80 percent of results. Even when it’s not an exact 80/20 split, the idea that a few factors drive a large proportion of outcomes applies to many business processes and everyday situations.…
Manfred Kets de Vries
I find myself increasingly intimidated by people in the executive coaching world. They give me a sense of unease about my own abilities. Many in the profession claim to be able “to unlock clients’ dormant potential and to provide them with a sense of self-fulfillment.” As these coaches seem to…
Mike Richman
QDL always strives to bring you a look at the people and stories making the news in the world of quality. We succeeded admirably on the “people” side of things this week and threw in a fun story about the physics of the basketball to boot. Let’s take a closer look:
“Clarity First Book Review and…
Debashis Sarkar
The cheating at Kobe Steel shook not just Japan but the entire manufacturing world. As Kobe Steel CEO Hiroya Kawasaki revealed, about 500 companies had received its falsely certified products, which affected not only those companies but also its entire supply chain. However, the issue at Kobe was…
James Tehrani
People get overly tired. People get distracted; they get stressed and make poor decisions. People multitask when they shouldn’t. People lack training at times.
Our brains and bodies are machines, but they are imperfect ones. Even the most thorough and careful person will become an “err apparent”…
Ryan E. Day
Before transitioning to journalism, I worked in manufacturing, production, and high-volume auto repair for decades. When I finally swapped my blue collar for white, I figured my old body would appreciate the switch to something less physically demanding. And it did—for about six months. I learned…
Manfred Kets de Vries
According to the most recent report of the Economic Policy Institute, the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio in the United States has gone down from 286 to 1 (in 2015) to 271 to 1 (in 2016). This number may disappoint many top executives who were hoping to see it return to its peak of 383 to 1,…
AssurX
When a change management system is designed effectively, it defines how strategies, procedures, and technologies will be applied to address changes in the business environment.
Implementing a change management process for quality and compliance requires planning and preparation. Starting with a…
Ryan E. Day
In part one of this article, we explored how Woodland Trade Co. (WTC) leveraged high-accuracy portable CMMs to help land tight-tolerance aerospace contracts, and even earn Boeing’s Supplier of the Year award. Here in part two, WTC’s QA manager William Shanks reveals the advanced technology that…
Knowledge at Wharton
Instead of the internet of things (IoT), perhaps we should call it the “data of things” or the “internet of data?” IoT will generate a staggering 400 zettabytes (or 400 trillion gigabytes) of data a year by 2018, according to the 2016 Cisco Visual Networking Index.
This is being driven by…
Kari Miller
Industry 4.0, also known as smart factory 4.0, is labeled as the fourth industrial revolution, yet many don’t understand it or how it will affect the things they do; quality management is no exception. The executives in your organization, however, are most certainly monitoring this paradigm-…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
In our March 16, 2018, episode of QDL, we looked at universal basic income, management status quo, ISO 10018, and how a community college is teaching cutting-edge metrology skills.
“Public Split on Basic Income for Workers Replaced by Robots”
Gallup asks Americans if they would support a universal…
Mike Richman
What is the primary element required by an organization—or an individual—when they begin to seek improved outcomes? It’s not dedication, or desire, or knowledge, or even skill. Rather, it’s critically important to begin by getting clear, perfectly clear, about what you’re doing and why. Only then…
Marlene Chism
One of the most valuable tools leaders have for driving results and improving performance is conversation. Your conversation can either grow your business or slow your business.
This article offers three examples of ineffective communication skills and what you can do to improve your…
Chip Bell
The coolest birthday present I ever received was a gift from my wife a number of years ago; it was a white 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220 sedan reasonably well-restored. But the classy antique car, with its deep fenders and leather seats, turned out to be a real lemon. That’s about all I remember about…
Bob Hunt
Much has been written about the benefits of identifying and leveraging an organization’s core competencies to gain competitive advantage. But are organizations putting this concept into practice, and are they doing it strategically? Do they understand that by not doing so they risk losing…
Stanislav Shekshnia, Veronika Zagieva, Alexey Ulanovsky
In our previous article, we discussed the mindset of athletic leaders, specifically their improbable combination of mental toughness and adaptability. Now let’s look at what they do.
We have identified five leadership meta-practices of athletic CEOs. Each of them allows leaders to effectively…
Annette Franz
Do you feel like you’re not making the progress in your customer experience (CX) transformation efforts that you thought or hoped you would by now?
You started years (not months—it’s a journey) ago, but you don't think your organization has evolved.
What’s the reason for that?
I’ve seen several…
Paul Smith
Have you ever been hammered with data that you knew were important, but you didn’t understand why the person sharing it was so passionate about it? Have you ever shared data and facts with colleagues in an attempt to influence them only to find they didn’t care about the message you were trying to…
Mike Richman
This week’s episode of our show looked at the various ways in which quality organizations plan to ensure long-term success. Here are the stories we covered:
“Worldwide Study of 25,000 Business Leaders Reveals Six Leadership Megatrends Changing the Workplace” The Conference Board, in conjunction…
Barry Johnson
People naturally fear change. I hear that all the time, but I don't believe it. What people really fear is the unknown. People actually embrace change if they understand it. We see this when people try to change their habits, their bodies, their relationships, and their jobs. They don't fear those…
Harish Jose
In today’s column, I will be looking at kaizen and kaikaku through the lens of the explore/exploit model. Kaizen is often translated from Japanese as “continuous improvement” or “change for better.” Kaikaku, another Japanese term, is translated as “radical change or improvement.” Kakushin is…
James daSilva
One of the common complaints you’ll hear today is executives saying how there isn’t enough talent out there, not enough people with the right skills or even the willingness to learn. They say that people—almost always “young people”—are too eager to jump ship.
What are companies to do when there’…
