My guide on a tour of an ancient windmill, dressed as the 18th-century miller, explained with a nasty smile that he used frogs as lubricant. “Not the best lube,” he chuckled, “but widely available and virtually costless.” Simple and effective, like all ingenious things. Indeed, if cost-cutting is your only concern and “biotic resources” are […]
Category: productivity
Reviving Canada Post: A Blueprint for Resurrecting Canada’s Economy
Introduction: The Amazon Returns Experience A few weeks ago, I had to return an item I bought on Amazon. Recently, Amazon added a drop-off option at Staples stores—just show the QR code they provide, no packaging or postage required. Although it takes me a few minutes longer to drive to Staples than to the nearest […]
Canada Post: Road to Reinvention
Is it time to shut down Canada Post? Canadian postal workers plan to strike if their demands aren’t met. While this news could raise eyebrows, it didn’t raise much concern for most Canadians, who are unlikely to feel the impact even as the holiday season approaches. Canada Post’s slide into irrelevance seems almost inevitable—but is […]
The Value of Values
Aligning Organizational and Individual Values: A Guide for Business Leaders, Part 1 Imagine you’re the founder or the CEO of a growing business. You’ve heard about the importance of company values, so you gather your team for a brainstorming session. After a few hours and several pizzas, you emerge with a list of inspiring words: […]
Enhance Your Process Performance
Are you looking for ways to improve your business processes without a hefty investment? Look no further! Our simple and effective method and tool will help you assess and enhance your process performance, delivering measurable results within days. Introducing the Process Performance Potential (PPP) tool, developed in collaboration with a client striving for excellence. This […]
When Quality Meets Diversity, Diversity Wins
Apparently, not many people wanted to admit that When Lean and Safety Meet, Lean Wins — but today many businesses are more cautious with Lean, thanks to Boeing. And here’s more good news! Recently, we learned that When Diversity meets Quality, Diversity wins. This time, it did not cost 346 lives, thanks to Boeing again! […]
Boeing Lean Blowout: Losing It on the Fly
The news of loose bolts and other ‘installation issues’ in the grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 jets is undeniably concerning. However, there is a silver lining to this revelation: I am confident that these appalling disasters are direct consequences of “lean” production, regardless of what it may be labelled at Boeing for political reasons. Ironically, […]
STEM Gender Gap: Shining Light on the Path to Fulfilling Future
Gallup is worried that females born between 1997 and 2011 are somewhat less interested in STEM sectors, compared with males. The rest of us should have more to worry about. According to a recent survey, the primary reason for ladies’ reduced interest in STEM is simple: more women than men “don’t enjoy STEM.” It is […]
Weekend Reading from Home
The truth about working from home: It is less productive than coming to the office. If you really want to add value, that is.
The Performance Triangle – Balancing Workplace Hygiene, Motivation, and Engagement
The Performance Triangle components – workplace hygiene, motivation, and engagement – shape organizational performance.