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
I recently travelled to the Czech Republic to visit a training organisation, Centrum Andragogiky. Lean and Systems Thinking is well embedded in the Czech Rebublic and Centrum Andragogiky currently train many organisations both in service and manufacturing. They know their stuff, both theory and practice. Working with Laurie Denton and Paul Thomas from LD Associates we…
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
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
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, or “turn native” when faced with a problem, a way of working, or when a decision is needed. And when working in groups, you may also sometimes wonder where others’ viewpoints are and where their suggestions (which may not always appear helpful) are coming from. Edward do…