How Much Quality Is Enough?How could it not be beneficial for a firm to improve quality? Well...
Tue, 05/31/2011 - 12:54
Often a firm is confronted with the key question of whether the quality of its products and services should be improved. For many readers, the question may even seem illogical: How could it not be beneficial for a firm to improve the quality of its… Cost Reduction ≠ Cost AdvantageCost leaders are linked with the supply chain
Wed, 03/23/2011 - 16:29
An excellent article by Donald Wheeler on the economic cost of quality, “What Is the Zone of Economic Production?” gave me pause to consider the strategic implications of reducing the costs associated with poor quality. As Wheeler pointed out in his… Cost Reduction ≠ Cost AdvantageCost leaders are linked with the supply chain
Wed, 03/23/2011 - 16:29
An excellent article by Donald Wheeler on the economic cost of quality, “What Is the Zone of Economic Production?” gave me pause to consider the strategic implications of reducing the costs associated with poor quality. As Wheeler pointed out in his… Lessons from Egypt: The True Nature of AuthorityIs held by subordinates
Thu, 03/03/2011 - 04:30
The recent events that have unfolded in Egypt and resulted in the overthrow of an authoritarian regime by the Egyptian people contains an important lesson for organizations: Authority does not exist unless it is accepted by those in lower… Lessons from the OrchestraDelivering excellence without a quality department
Tue, 01/04/2011 - 05:00
Imagine yourself seated in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center awaiting a concert by the New York Philharmonic. The orchestra’s musicians are on stage warming up, producing a cacophony of sound. The concertmaster raps his stand for the orchestra to… Learning to Adapt or Learning to Renew?Competitive vitality requires change from tactical moves to strategic advancement
Thu, 09/30/2010 - 06:00
Jack Welch, the famous and former CEO of General Electric (GE), once said that the markets in which GE competed were “brutally Darwinian.” The expression is apt because competitive markets always enforce a natural selection where only the fittest… Future Value Is in Core ProcessesBusiness sustainability depends on what drives excellent performance
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 06:00
The recession has been an extremely disruptive event for many organizations. Many bear relentless pressure to identify new market needs, create appropriate products and services, become more effective and efficient, and develop and modify systems… Linking Improvement to StrategyNot all improvements provide a permanent and sustainable competitive advantage.
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 06:30
I am often struck by a remark of W. Edwards Deming that the aim of a system must include plans for the future. As Deming wrote in The New Economics (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994), “A system must have an aim. Without an aim, there is… Linking Improvement to StrategyNot all improvements provide a permanent and sustainable competitive advantage
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 06:00
I am often struck by a remark of W. Edwards Deming that the aim of a system must include plans for the future. As Deming wrote in The New Economics, “A system must have an aim. Without an aim, there is no system. The aim of the system must be clear… The Productivity ParadoxWork productivity doesn’t mean working productively.
Wed, 04/07/2010 - 06:01
Recently, here in Canada, there has been a lot of talk about the need to increase productivity within Canadian businesses. Canada has consistently lagged behind other developed nations in productivity. According to 2009 data from the Conference…
