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D uring the last year or so we’ve been subjected to automotive recalls and government mismanagement. There’s a distinct difference in how these incidents are handled. In the corporate world, people who have been responsible for misconduct or malfeasance are, in general, summarily fired. In…
I have heard people say that geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is a black art, and I agree—it can almost seem that way sometimes. My experiences in coordinate metrology throughout the past 20 years demonstrate a widespread lack of understanding, confusion, and even resentment for…
In almost everything in quality there are multiple facets of responsibility. The same applies when we talk about cybersecurity and threat assessment.
The last time I spoke about this topic I addressed our responsibility for protecting our own organization’s intellectual property and security.…
(Humantech: Ann Arbor, MI) -- To effectively present the business case for ergonomics to today’s leaders (even the enlightened ones), it’s essential to demonstrate how the investment of resources, time, and effort will results in long-term, sustained gains. Humantech’s complimentary ebook offers a…
The first axiom of data analysis is: “No data have meaning apart from their context.” Yet we all encounter measures that have been dreamed up without regard for either context or use. This column gives a couple of the more egregious examples I have encountered over the years.
Kentucky Higher…
(Ames Laboratory: Ames, IA) -- Scientists at the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) at Ames Laboratory have developed a two-step recovery process that makes recycling rare-earth metals easier and more cost-effective.
Rare-earth metals are valuable ingredients in a variety of modern technologies…
I am grateful for the opportunity to work for the Baldrige Program. We’re blessed with an engaged community of Baldrige practitioners—folks who have served as examiners at all levels, across the country. These practitioners not only understand but have often mastered how to use the Baldrige…
Recently, while providing training for new clients, I heard a comment from two different people that went something like this: “That gemba walking stuff is really nothing new; it used to be called ‘management by walking around.’” Admittedly I was caught off guard, especially the first time I was…
(ANSI: Washington, DC) -- Global supply-chain policy issues took center stage at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) event held on March 12, 2015 in Washington, D.C., opening opportunities for policy discussions and collaboration. The event had nearly 150 attendees, including…
Suppose you have designed a brand-new product with many improved features that well help create a much better customer experience. Now you must ensure that it’s manufactured according to the best quality and reliability standards so that it gets the excellent long-term reputation it deserves from…
Over on the Harvard Business Review blogs, there’s a wonderful debate on the subject of strategy between Roger Martin, who wrote “Stop Distinguishing Between Strategy and Execution,” and Don Sull, an MIT scholar who believes there’s a meaningful distinction between strategy and execution.…
A big challenge facing academic medical centers is how to maintain a focus on patient care in an artificially divided environment.
Most academic medical centers were developed in a system with abundant resources, cost-based reimbursement, and a traditional academic departmental structure. This…
After a one-day observation at a local company, I participated in a wrap-up meeting with the general manager and his team.
“We’ve been at this for five years,” the general manager said to me, proudly referring to his division’s lean implementation. “Our 5S rating is over 85 percent, and every…
Right now I’m enjoying my daily dose of morning joe. As the steam rises off the cup, the dark, rich liquid triggers a powerful enzyme cascade that jump-starts my brain and central nervous system, delivering potent glints of perspicacity into the dark crevices of my still-dormant consciousness.…
In November 2014, I participated in the Hooked On Customers Summit, a webinar series hosted by Bob Thompson of CustomerThink. I joined Thompson, along with Jeanne Bliss, in the first webinar, “Creating Actionable Insight from a Customer Listening Engine.” Bliss talked about the role of the chief…
One of the primary objectives of surface metrology research, functional correlation refers to the relationships between surfaces and the phenomena that influence or are influenced by their topography. Surface topography is also called texture, particularly in mechanical and manufacturing…
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is moving from vision to execution as though it’s a linear process. The widely held assumption is they are two ends of a spectrum, and that vision is about planning, while execution is about action.
The truth is that vision requires action to be clarified…
As a consultant and trainer specializing in the field of organizational psychology, I’ve come to realize that certain psychological conditions that affect individuals also apply to companies as a whole. That makes sense because, after all, a company is nothing but a collection of people.
In this…
What role does trust play in employee engagement? It’s a fairly large one, according to this Towers Watson research.
The study cites leaders’ ability to “earn the trust and confidence” of employees as one of the top drivers of employee engagement. There is also compelling evidence that…
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. has long demonstrated an organizational culture based on strong customer service. It received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice. And it has also earned hotel industry recognition for top customer satisfaction. So when an organization wants to learn how to…
One could argue that quality programs today share a common skeleton, with prototypes stretching back to the medieval guilds of 13th century Europe. The ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS), the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the Deming Prize, Six Sigma, the European EFQM, the FDA’s…
(Phillips Precision: Boylston, MA) -- Phillips Precision’s products division has introduced the Rapid-Loc pneumatic vise for CMM inspection. Designed to take advantage of the air at your CMM, the soft jaws of the Rapid-Loc vise can be customized to hold most parts. Regulated air pressure can…
Before you read further, get your tissues out. I’ve had many memorable moments over the years at Quest for Excellence conferences. And I’ve never left an annual conference without some immediate action items and feeling inspired that excellence is achievable in every type of organization. But…
NFPA 70E, full title “NFPA 70E—“Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace,” is a standard written by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). NFPA 70E was created primarily to assist companies and their personnel in avoiding potential fatalities and injuries from electrocution, arc-…
Smart as they are, I doubt robots worry about things that keep CEOs up at night. But then, robots don’t “stay up at night,” unless they’re running continuously. Insomnia is just another cultural difference between us humans and our new co-workers, the sort of thing we’d want to talk about over a…