In the November 2013 issue of the Vanguard Newsletter, John Seddon, Managing Director of Vanguard Consulting Ltd., had this to say about me: More dumb lean I’m going to Sweden this month to speak at their annual public-sector jamboree. It will be my third time. I’m speaking alongside a public-sector … [Read more...] about Kudos to John Seddon
Archives for November 2013
“Very Innovative”
After about 4 months of study, the new president of Connecticut's Board of Regents for Higher Education has put forth a "sweeping plan" (named Excel CT) whose main focus is to increase enrollments, calling it "very innovative." Since when is increasing enrollments - doing what everyone else is doing … [Read more...] about “Very Innovative”
Discordant Realities
In universities, there is often a gap between what leaders think is happening and what students know is happening based on their daily academic experiences. Here is as example illustrated by two articles: one from a university publication (October 13) and the other from the student newspaper (30 … [Read more...] about Discordant Realities
Assessing Assessment Methods
Public university leaders and state legislators have gone assessment-crazy in recent years to answer the question: "What did students learn in the course or their degree program?" My question is different: "Does it make sense to assess student learning using methods that most students perform poorly … [Read more...] about Assessing Assessment Methods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions and answers that will help you understand who I am and what I do. What is your role and the intention of your work? My role is to expand people's understanding of Lean leadership and Lean management through research and teaching. This includes critiquing various aspects of … [Read more...] about Frequently Asked Questions
Lean as Decoration
As many of you have no doubt noticed, Lean is often used by top management as business decoration to appear fashionable or in-step with the times. The values associated with Lean are often missing (e.g. customer-first, developing people), as are the "Respect for People" principle and senior … [Read more...] about Lean as Decoration
Responding to Enrollment Declines
The article "U.S. Private Colleges Face Enrollment Declines" illustrates the typical, non-Lean way in which schools deal with reduced revenues caused by declining enrollment: Closures Layoffs Cutbacks Mergers Outsourcing Shared services Increase fundraising from alumni and donors And how … [Read more...] about Responding to Enrollment Declines
The Back Story – Real Lean
This is the back story to the six-volume REAL LEAN book series. Soon after updating and publishing the second edition of Better Thinking, Better Results, I embarked on a journey to answer the most important questions that people had about Lean management and Lean leadership. Over the years it … [Read more...] about The Back Story – Real Lean
Undergraduates’ Skills Gap
These days there is a great deal of rhetoric about the existence of a canyon-like skills gap between what new graduates possess and what companies need, which is often characterized as an inability to write well or to perform basic math calculations. The ability to write well or to perform basic … [Read more...] about Undergraduates’ Skills Gap