All Features
Jones Loflin
I love gardening and growing fresh vegetables. Recently I had checked in on my Brussels sprouts seedlings and, well, they looked awful! The reason quickly became obvious to me: I had overwatered them.
I was so excited about growing Brussels sprouts this year, I didn’t want anything to happen to…
Matt Fieldman
If you look around your plant floor, I’m sure the layout, equipment, and technologies are different today from what they were 10—or even five—years ago. You’ve put time, effort, and money into improving every aspect of your operations. You’ve cut costs and made investments where they were necessary…
Etienne Nichols
If you’re a medtech professional who’s been working with the quality system regulation (QSR) in the United States, then you’re probably familiar with the three terms the U.S. Food and Drug Administration uses for record-keeping requirements: 1) device master record (DMR), a compilation of records…
Bruce Hamilton
As years roll on, I’m noticing more parts of me breaking down: Teeth, eyes, knees, cardiovascular, stomach—the list keeps getting longer, as does the list of docs I see. I’m blessed to be living in an area with the world’s finest medical care and lucky that healthcare innovation (and Medicare) have…
William A. Levinson
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and ISO have published a joint communiqué to require organizations to “consider” climate change in the context of risks and opportunities relevant to the management system.
Although this is pursuant to the London Declaration, which has goals for…
Stephanie Ojeda
Look through even a few FDA warning letters and you’re likely to find violations related to change management.
For instance, a recent warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cited a pharmaceutical manager for changing drug components without justification. Another noted a lack of…
Mike Figliuolo
You can learn a lot about leadership from Master Oogway in Kung Fu Panda. He emphasizes leading today rather than worrying about yesterday or tomorrow.
My expectations for the movie were quite low. I mean, a panda that does kung fu? A jackrabbit I could buy. But a panda? Then again, I’m a huge…
Daniel Marzullo
Be honest: How satisfied are you with your work right now?
When was the last time you took a step back to assess your level of job satisfaction?
Whether you’re self-employed or work full time, it’s essential to regularly check in with yourself to measure your well-being at work.
Over time, roles…
Veronica Muzquiz Edwards
Health connects each one of us to one another. No matter where we are in the world, who we are, or what we do, the state of our health is a key determinant in our quality of life. Simply put, it’s our most valuable asset.
Individual health crises can be disastrously grim, and if not addressed…
William A. Levinson
Although quality management has been around in some form or another for thousands of years—a cover of Joseph Juran’s Quality Handbook depicted Egyptians making very precise measurements for the construction of pyramids—this article will show that quality is but one aspect of value, which should be…
Gleb Tsipursky
In the evolving landscape of workplace dynamics, the trend toward revoking employee flexibility and mandating a return to the office (RTO) is gaining traction among corporations, as evidenced by significant players like Boeing enforcing near-full-week office attendance. Leaders often cite the…
Mike Figliuolo
One of the most exciting things you can do as a young tank platoon leader is participate in a tank gunnery exercise. Essentially it’s going to a shooting range with some really big cannons mounted on a 68-ton chassis. One particularly hot summer in Colorado, I went to my second gunnery.
About six…
Jim Steventon
Integrated quality, when done correctly, plays a vital and pivotal role in enhancing any business, especially manufacturing operations. But, in fear of sounding like the archetypal head of quality, I say it shouldn’t be seen solely as something you do in manufacturing operations. In fact,…
Andy J. Yap, Winnie Jiang, Mark Mortensen, Spencer Harrison
Imagine a world where your boss could be fined for contacting you after hours. California is considering a law to make this a reality.
The “right to disconnect” movement is gaining traction globally, with Australia joining France, Italy, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Portugal, and the Canadian province…
Mike Figliuolo
I just rewatched The Green Hornet, and it was awesome. As I finished the movie, I wondered what made him a great leader (or not) and how those lessons might apply to the business world. I know. I’m weird like that.
The good news is I’ve unlocked the secret of great leadership, Green Hornet-style.…
Sara Harrison
As a newly hired assistant professor of organizational behavior and sociology at the Yale School of Management, Walter (Woody) Powell observed a strange phenomenon through his office window. It was 1979. Bold colors and patterns were in style, and his students came to campus dressed in jeans and…
Mitutoyo Corp.
Choosing the right microscope for your application is no small feat. It’s a decision that requires a deep understanding of the task at hand and the tools available to you. From magnification to resolution, and from ease of use to customization options, there are several aspects to consider when…
Daniel Marzullo
When was the last time you asked your clients for genuine feedback on working together, beyond just revisions on projects and deliverables?
Over the years, I’ve found it incredibly beneficial to do quarterly check-ins with every client to get a sense of how things are going.
Not only does this…
Knowledge at Wharton
Nano Tools for Leaders, a collaboration between Wharton Executive Education and Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management, are fast, effective tools that you can learn and start using in less than 15 minutes, with the potential to significantly affect your success and the engagement and…
Mike Figliuolo
My platoon was out in the field on training exercises. We had been out there for about two weeks, so we all smelled kind of “ripe” at that point. One of the more senior officers in my battalion came to my unit’s area to see how things were going. This “gentleman” personified the term—he was an “…
Luk Van Wassenhove, Akhil Bhardwaj, Henk Akkermans
Disasters can act as brutal audits of organizations to which even venerable institutions like Boeing are subject. In the wake of two fatal crashes, as well as a midflight door blowout, Boeing has shaken up its C-suite and pledged to prioritize safety over profit.
Will these measures solve its…
Kristen Goodell
Women make up nearly half of the working population in the United States. But they are underrepresented in the manufacturing industry. According to Women in the Workplace, women constitute approximately one-third of the manufacturing workforce and only 24% of manufacturing C-suite positions.…
Mike Figliuolo
As leaders, we like being decisive and making quick decisions. We know our businesses well and are willing to act. Doing so without true contrarian input can be dangerous, though.
You can make better decisions simply by identifying and relying on your own personal Mr. Spock. Yes, I’ve been…
James Chan
Preventive maintenance (PM) is a proactive maintenance strategy built on calendar-based maintenance tasks, regular inspection, and preemptive repair of physical assets. Physical assets may refer to equipment, production machinery, and operational facilities. Preventive maintenance tasks are…
Katie Gilbert
Researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Business have pushed past the limitations of A/B testing into another area of experimentation focused on “multi-armed bandits.” Mohsen Bayati, a professor of operations, information, and technology who has been exploring these problems for the past 15…
