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…
ByMatthew Arnold
Change is an inevitable part of the modern business environment. But change rarely comes easily. Organizations, and the people within them, must constantly re-invent themselves to remain competitive. As a result, today’s leaders must do more than manage the status quo – leaders must be champions in change readiness – the ability to continuously initiate…
ByMatthew Arnold
The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage. – Arie De Geus
ByMatthew Arnold
The ability to really change organisations lays with the senior team. We’ve all heard of the need for a “burning platform” as an ignition for change – put who at the top will “admit to failure” if a burning platform exists. We’re immediately into a conundrum, which locks most management teams into continuing with what…
ByMatthew Arnold
Toyota may well train their employees, but the real investment is allowing these employees to engage their brains at work – giving them time and space to make continuous improvements. And yes, they may well need a little help in learning how to do this. The “investment” here is time away from immediate productive work…
ByMatthew Arnold
A few weeks ago I attended a conference where one of the speakers (a charismatic and knowledgeable young man) spoke about the need to engage the workforce in the change process. All good, sensible stuff. During the presentation one of the attendees asked “but what if we can’t get the senior managers to agree to…