All Features
Chris Caldwell
The quest to optimize equipment efficiency, ensure consistent quality, and lower operational costs while empowering a stronger workforce continues to permeate the industrial landscape. While challenges persist, the transformative potential that high-performance robotic automation is bringing to…
Donald J. Wheeler
When do we need to fit a lognormal distribution to our skewed histograms? This article considers the basic properties of the lognormal family of distributions and reveals some interesting and time-saving characteristics that are useful when analyzing data.
The lognormal family of distributions…
Divina Bisuelan
With remote work on the rise, more companies are facing the operational challenges that come with remote teams. According to one U.K. study, for instance, 67% of respondents aged 18–34 expressed difficulty building relationships with colleagues since they began working remotely.
In my experience,…
Phil Geldart
When it comes to customer service, few companies do it better than the UPS Store, Chick-fil-A, and REI.
That’s not according to me. That’s according to a recently published Best Customer Service list, which was compiled in a partnership between Forbes and HundredX, a data analytics company focused…
Mike Figliuolo
My favorite time of year is rolling around (and no, it’s not the holidays with their nauseatingly excessive tinsel-before-turkey consumerism). I’m talking about the time for end-of-year progress reviews. They’re those agonizing, mandatory, and often confusing reams of paper we’re forced to suffer…
Kelly Nault, Andy J. Yap
Nothing is more annoying than someone bragging about their success. Right? Not necessarily, it turns out. When bosses brag, it can inspire employees to put more effort into their own work. Specifically, when bosses who are regarded as role models by their employees brag about their work…
Gleb Tsipursky
Are employers walking into a legal storm by enforcing rigid return-to-office (RTO) mandates? The post-pandemic era presents a unique challenge as employers grapple with shifting workforce dynamics. The insistence on a full return to the office without considering individual circumstances could lead…
Kate Zabriskie
Although a fix-it-the-first-time approach may be the gold standard of customer service, addressing potential issues before they materialize is the true mark of an exemplary user experience.
Consider the pace of our modern world: Customers today want instant solutions, and any hurdle might be a…
Mike Figliuolo
It’s hard asking for help. Getting rejected stings. But by not asking, you’re probably missing out on some great opportunities.
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up I was a little bit of a dork. OK, OK... a huge dork. I sold comic books (and incidentally made 100 times what my…
Stephanie Ojeda
There’s an old saying in regulated industries: If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.
In the past, maintaining fully compliant documentation meant handling a mountain of paper, which created extra work—and hidden risks—from a quality perspective.
Today, document management has become the…
Zach Winn
For professor Elsa Olivetti, tackling a problem as large and complex as climate change requires not only lab research but also understanding the systems of production that power the global economy.
Her career path reflects a quest to investigate materials at scales ranging from the microscopic to…
Mike Figliuolo
Anyone who has ever seen a crew team rowing down the river has likely wondered why one person is a passenger and everyone else in the boat is rowing like mad. It would seem the coxswain has the easiest job in the boat.
It’s actually incredibly difficult, and my 16-year-old daughter (who is a…
Master Gage and Tool Co.
Calibration is essential in almost every facet of industrial processes. The calibration process verifies test instrument accuracy by comparison with recognized standards, and measurement validity hinges on one crucial concept: traceability.
Traceability adherence ensures a continuous link between…
Lee Simmons
Why are some pro sports teams perennial contenders while others can’t seem to get out of the cellar? Great players are essential, but that’s not enough. Often, the unheralded MVPs of a successful team are people who wear suits, not uniforms, to work.
In his research, George Foster, the Konosuke…
Mike Figliuolo
Nothing annoys me more than being told how to do something. It’s OK to have an opinion, but to position oneself as having the authority of an expert and tell others the right and wrong way to do something is a slippery slope. Unless you’re instructing someone on brain surgery, defusing a bomb, or…
Margaret Graziano
Dealing with troubling workplace environments can be difficult. It’s not always clear what the deeper issue is, and the friction and conflict that breeds can be tough to reverse.
At the heart of any organization are its people. Without a dedicated, aligned, and fully engaged workforce, no progress…
Graham Ward
In the workplace, we are often in a semidependent state. We seek approval and guidance from colleagues and superiors, all while hiding our deepest vulnerabilities.
Our insecurities drive us to seek external validation, which shapes our actions and decisions. In essence, we exhibit what…
Henning Piezunka, Sanghyun Park, Linus Dahlander
In the quest for groundbreaking solutions, businesses actively seek a wide range of distinct ideas. However, the suggestions they receive—whether from employees or external contributors—eventually end up being quite similar. Why does this happen?
Our research shows that businesses influence the…
Chris Caldwell
As the growth in fulfillment warehouses, e-commerce, and third-party logistics skyrockets, and unique customer demands evolve, more companies are exploring the concept of dark warehouses—fully automated, “lights-out” facilities that use intelligent, interconnected devices to operate without human…
Dawn Bailey
During the recent celebration of Manufacturing Day, thousands of U.S. manufacturers showcased the realities of modern manufacturing to students as a way to inspire the next generation.
The importance of this can’t be overemphasized. During the next decade, four million U.S. manufacturing jobs will…
Brent Simpson
When people work for discriminatory managers, they put in less effort. That’s true whether managers are biased against them or when they’re biased in their favor, according to a new paper that Nicholas Heiserman of Oklahoma State University and I have published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour…
Mike Figliuolo
It’s not worth getting upset over little things (or even big things) at work. Being hotheaded gets you nowhere. Just know that karma eventually works everything out.
Perspective and patience: It’s a challenge, especially in a lightning-fast business world filled with Type A’s, Cro-Magnons, and…
Gad Allon
Amazon’s incredible growth over the years has made it a textbook example of what it means for a business to scale, going from a scrappy startup in Jeff Bezos’ garage to a multinational corporation with more than 1.5 million employees.
The retailer recently announced it’s hiring 250,000 full- and…
Jón Bergsteinsson
Clinical investigations play an important role in your journey of bringing a medical device to market. While the relevant standards are often perceived as difficult and complex, having a good grasp of them makes the process less confusing.
Understanding ISO 14155:2020 is essential. It’s a guide to…
Mike Figliuolo
Most companies fail due to dumb mistakes made by senior managers. The biggest mistake of all: a hubristic unwillingness to accept that there’s plenty you don’t already know.
As we get more senior in our organizations, we get a lot smarter. Our wisdom grows. We understand the business better than…
