Communicating Change - the best way to communicate such changes are to explain how they tie into the long term vision of the organization.

  • Bigger Impact: 15 to 18 mpg or 50 to 100 mpg? - amazingly you save 111 gallons improving from 15 mpg to 18 mpg and just 100 improving from 50 to 100 mpg.
  • Deming Companies - I see Toyota as the best example of a Deming company. Dr. Deming did not propose a cookbook to follow. Instead he proposed a theory that requires learning and application within the specific institution. Toyota has created a management system that is based on Dr. Deming's ideas and then they have evolved that over 60 years into something that is consistent with Deming's management philosophy and has new ideas Deming did not mention.
  • Randomization in Sports - My father was a professor (of statistics, chemical engineering... at the University of Wisconsin. I remember one time he wanted the football coach to randomly select the play for certain situations.
  • Playing Dice and Children's Numeracy - he asked all the kids what number do you think will show up when you roll the die. 6 was the answer from about 80% of them (which I knew was wrong - so I was feeling very smart).
  • Backyard Wildlife: Merlin Falcon
  • Google's Search Results, Should Factors Other Than User Value be Used - But it is not in Google's interest to punish otherwise good sites that do not comply (by lowering their rankings in search results).
  • Open Source: The Scientific Model Applied to Programming Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux: "free and open-source software is just the scientific model applied to programming: free sharing of work open collaboration; open publication; peer review; recognition of the best work"
  • Arbitrary Rules Don't Work - You can't expect people to think the way you want them to. You have to understand how people will interact with your product or service and create solutions based on that.
  • Housing Inventory Glut - Across the country in the last year the median price has actually increased slightly. It looks like the data for the calendar year 2007 will show a decline for about 2%.
  • Best Research University Rankings - This ranking focuses on providing a way for China to get a feel for how they are progressing toward developing world class universities. The methodology values publications and faculty awards and is provides a better ranking of research (rather than teaching).
  • The Lazy Unreasonable Man - I have become more reasonable over time and while it makes me less difficult to put up with I think I am less effective
  • The Importance of Science Education - I disagree with those that believe the USA is producing more science and engineering graduates than the market demands. Smart leaders know the huge positive impacts of a large, well educated science and engineering workforce.
  • Bringing Lean Principles to Service Industries - Iteration is very important. It is important in proper use of the PDSA cycle - many quick iterations are much better than one long slow one.
  • 12 Stocks for 10 Years Update - top performers PetroChina (298% return, 11% of portfolio), Google (210%, 17%), Amazon (173%, 7.5%), Templeton Dragon Fund (116%, 17%), Cisco (67%, 7%)...
  • Deming Prize 2007 - Companies based in India took home both Deming Prizes this year and the Japan Quality Medal. Countries of organizations receiving the Deming Prize since 2000 (prior to that almost all winners were from Japan): India - 14, Thailand - 8, Japan - 4, USA - 1 and Singapore - 1.
  • Make the World Better - donate using the widget displayed in this post: to William Kamkwamba who built his own windmill in Malawi to get electricity for his home. The donations go to help him with his education and engineering projects.
  • Charge It to My Kids - If you want to cut (or not raise) taxes the honest way to do so is to cut spending. It is not honest to claim you are not raising taxes when you spend more than you have and pass on debts. Those debts are just future taxes.
  • Early History Of Quality Management Online - There really was a small number of good online resources for managers back then. We forget how lucky we are today. The first article I can find (right now anyway) is from the Spring of 1995. It listed a total of 2 web sites in addition to a BBS and several email lists.
  • Bring Me Problems (with Solutions or Without) - it is much better to bring problems to managements attention than to fail to do so because they know the manager thinks that doing so is weak. It is the attitude that problems are not to be shared that is weak, in my opinion.