ByMatthew Arnold
Or perhaps another questions for anyone that owns an iPod, iPad or iPhone: when was the last time you pressed “Buy” in the app store and it didn’t work? For me, this is at the heart of Systems Thinking.What does the customer want? –then design a process that delivers it right-first-time as quickly and as…
ByMatthew Arnold
I was reminded of this great quote from the master of the Toyota Production System today: Costs do not exist to be calculated. Costs exist to be reduced. – Taiichi Ohno As a Chartered Accountant, I am well trained to understand cost – especially with respect to Activity…
ByMatthew Arnold
“Do we need to understand Psychology in the business environment?” – yes. But we probably don’t all need degrees in it. What I think is essential for leadership, whether in operations or change management, is basic emotional intelligence – some understanding and empathy with those you work with. From my experience, these aspects can very…
ByMatthew Arnold
When I explain to people what it is that I do, the end result is often “Ah, you’re a change consultant.” The conversation rarely begins with “What are you actually changing to?” It’s a bit like talking about a journey from A to B – and focusing solely on the car you’re driving, without ever…
ByMatthew Arnold
Business issues can often feel either complicated or complex – and sometimes both. And yet I regularly see senior management trying to find a simple solution. If only life were that easy! I’m frequently asked to help diagnose serious business situations spanning 100s of employees doing their job, together with their team leaders, managers and…
ByMatthew Arnold
If “customer service” is a department you are probably missing the point… What does this mean to you? Are all of your employees in ‘Customer Services’? Have they got permission to take control of customer situations and resolve the issue completely? Do you learn from these issues and work to make sure that they are resolved at…
ByMatthew Arnold
If you can’t describe what you’re doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing. A fantastic quote from the man who helped design practical work flow based on customer demand. He certainly helped Toyota in both: – designing cars based on what the customer actually wanted; and a – production process that was…
ByMatthew Arnold
Rational behavior requires theory. Reactive behavior requires only reflex action. @demingSoS
ByMatthew Arnold
Arguing for an end to back offices and target driven approaches, John Seddon outlines theories that could permanently alter management approaches. When I was a young man the term ‘back office’ did not exist. Today it is in common parlance; it is considered axiomatic that back offices are a feature of efficiency; Whitehall extols their…
ByMatthew Arnold
Fans of Only Fools & Horses will remember Dell-Boy’s great line to the supermarket check-out girl, “Did you sue them?” When asked who, he replied “The Charm School!” And many of us will have found ourselves in circumstances when we would have loved to use the same sarcastic wit. Good customer service is one of…