Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly from Ryan via email.
News, articles, books, podcasts, and videos about how to make the workplace better.
Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation
Is Your Lean Approach Doing More Harm Than Good?
Dark Lean. Fake Lean. Toolbox Lean. Lean Theatre. These terms describe the misuse of lean principles, where organizations apply lean tools without truly embracing their core values. Instead of fostering genuine improvement, these practices often maintain outdated command-and-control, cost-cutting, and top-down approaches. Don't be part of the problem–avoid the harmful effects of Dark Lean, Dark Scrum, and Dark Taylorism
Unlocking Hidden Knowledge: How AI is Transforming Organizational Intelligence
Companies are racing to unlock the hidden value of their internal knowledge–often too late, just as valuable expertise walks out the door with retirements and turnover. Toyota is leading the way, using AI to capture and share critical knowledge, from past engineering designs to regulatory insights and even handwritten notes from veteran engineers. Don't let your organization's expertise slip away–discover how AI can transform the way your team accesses and leverages knowledge.
Creating a Culture of Improvement
Data-Driven Micromanagement: The Shortcut to Disrespect and Inefficiency
Good news for efficiency junkies: there's more data than ever on how people work. Bad news? That same data is being turned into a weapon to micromanage and treat employees like numbers on a spreadsheet.
Take Woolworths, for example. This giant retailer is using data to pressure workers into ‘stopping the time-wasting' and hitting a ridiculous 100% efficiency target. Of course, there's no mention of using that data to actually improve the work, redesign the workplace, or fix the issues that create inefficiencies. A little reminder to all the so-called leaders and consultants out there: just telling people to ‘work harder' isn't a magic fix for efficiency. It's like the lazy boss slapping up a ‘be more careful' sign and expecting safety to improve–spoiler alert: it doesn't work.
Building a Culture That Thrives: Lessons from Bain's CEO
Everyone's obsessed with culture these days–buzzwords are flying, new tech is popping up, and companies are scrambling to “fix” things. But let's be real: half the time, people confuse culture (how stuff actually gets done) with employee engagement (how much your team cares about being there). They're not the same thing.
Want to know who's nailing culture? Organizations that have been crushing it for years. Take Bain & Company. CEO Manny Maceda spills the beans on why their culture is sustainable excellent:
- Your culture is not HR's problem. Leaders lead. Don't pawn this off to HR or some fancy software. Step up.
- Put your money where your principles are. If your big shiny values don't link directly to real results, they're just corporate wallpaper.
- Track it like you mean it. Measure how your culture shows up in the day-to-day. If you're not checking, it's probably not happening.
- Reward the good stuff. People who live the culture and deliver results? Celebrate them. Loudly.
So, stop overthinking it. Get clear, get real, and make your culture more than just a poster in the breakroom.
Another Large Company Ditches Annual Performance Reviews
Is there anything worse than an end-of-year performance review loaded with surprises and disappointments? That's why Yahoo, along with other big names, is scrapping those dreaded annual or biannual reviews. Instead, they're embracing more frequent, informal feedback sessions throughout the year.
This shift isn't exactly new. Decades ago, Deming famously trashed the idea of annual reviews and merit ratings, calling for their outright elimination. Sounds like a win for his followers, right? Not so fast. Many of these “modern” feedback systems still rely on merit-based ratings to rank employees.
Coaching – Developing Self & Others
Is It Important To Get Work Done Just In Time?
In a word – yes. Delivering late influences the perceived quality of work and reliability of the individual. Surprisingly, research suggests that finishing early confers no benefit. As us lean thinkers have long known, “just in time” is best!
The Myth of the ‘Data-Driven' Leader
Every organization loves to claim they're all about “data-driven” decision-making. Sounds great in theory, right? But in practice, it's often a letdown. Despite my long-standing belief in applying scientific thinking to business and operations, I've repeatedly watched leaders default to their gut instincts or go with whatever the crowd agrees on.
Even worse, when new data challenges their initial decision, most leaders double down instead of adapting. It's no wonder no one's using that shiny dashboard you built–they were never really interested in the data to begin with.
Here's the harsh truth: confidence doesn't need information. A lack of data rarely stops people from making bold (and often flawed) decisions. Until that mindset shifts, “data-driven” will remain more buzzword than reality.
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Check out my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation:
