Is Digital Transformation about Adoption or Innovation?
Digital transformation is a popular phrase in business today. The pandemic has created a massive shift to work from home, remote work, online ordering, and other digital transformation efforts. It has been a frequent topic in strategy forums, webinars, C-suites, and more. There is no question that we are experiencing
Read MoreDriving Innovation and the Role of the Board of Directors
Boards of Directors, and the shareholders they represent, always want more innovation from their management teams and the company. But what can they do about it? Boards spend more and more of their time on governance, risk management, compliance, compensation, and other factors, many of which have little to do
Read MoreHats off to Good Management in 2020
A great deal has been written and spoken on the importance of leadership in leading people through the pandemic, including by yours truly. However, there is also something to be said for the importance of management. Good, effective, focused, and diligent management through this pandemic has been essential for many
Read MoreLessons from Lincoln on True North, and the Perils of the Journey
Any transformation has a fundamental challenge embedded, that is you are on a journey into new territory. That’s what makes it transformational. This means that you can’t see the destination from where you stand. You must look beyond the horizon, and know that the destination is out there. This requires
Read MoreRethinking (beyond COVID) Your Training Strategies
“For too long, L&D has focused on creating day-long training programs where employees are all on the same path, regardless of their individual knowledge or experience” states this article in Chief Learning Officer. Covid-19 has forced us to test and challenge many of our assumptions, such as whether or
Read MoreLessons from The Map of Knowledge
This will certainly read a little different from my typical blog posts, and even my typical book reviews. It’s not even a business or leadership book (or is it?). I recently read The Map of Knowledge, and there are some important perspectives to take away from a book such as
Read MoreWhy should you have a Chief Engineer?
I’ve had conversations with numerous advisory clients this year about the role of the Chief Engineer. To be clear, I don’t generally advocate that an organization install this role. It is heralded in the lean product development community as a key aspect of such a transformation. Other than having clear
Read MoreSuccessful Lean Steering Committees [from the archives]
Do you have a group of people leading lean? Whether formal or informal, there is often such as group particularly early in the lean journey (meaning the first several years). I get a lot of questions by email, some by clients and others by readers. Many are two specific to
Read MoreIs the Right Attitude Enough?
Robert Fritz is the person who best articulated the concept of creative tension which I brought into the lean community as a perspective that in many ways personifies the lean thinking process. Because the book that exposed this concept to the majority of people is The Fifth Discipline by Peter
Read MoreWhat Job Does Your Product Do?
Especially now, if your company has been disrupted by the pandemic, or you’re looking for new strategies to grow into the situation, people are thinking about new products, services, and value propositions. Most companies think about what they already have, what they are already doing, and just focus on better
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