Will Driven to Delight Principles Work

Mercedes has the money. They have the luxury automobile. They can create a customer experience. What about us poor folks? Can we do something similar to Mercedes? – I asked that question of Joe Michelli the author of a new book, Driven to Delight, In the book’s first week, it has become a NY Times best-seller. Read More …

A Broadening Perspective of Strength Based Principles

I have always viewed Lean as a knowledge building exercise versus one of a problem solving method. I believe that is what has attracted to me via Appreciative Inquiry to the Strength-Based approach. It was what I was doing with better definition. I could be wrong in this statement, but I find European "Lean" more Read More …

Can Lean Principles drive demand?

When people talk to me about demand, I get lost. Most of the time they focus on macroeconomics, governments, market identification, etc. But my struggle is that I have never seen a tax cut, training, better data, better methods create demand, just customers. Is that too simplistic? Many times we venture off in the world Read More …

7 Principles of Universal Design

The 7 Principles of Universal Design were developed in 1997 by a working group of architects, product designers, engineers and environmental design researchers, led by the late Ronald Mace in the North Carolina State University. An excellent poster is available, The Principles of Universal Design. These principles are even applicable to many marketing activities from Read More …

Are Kaizen Events against the principles of Kaizen?

Part of the Business901 video Series with Dr. Michael Balle, the Gemba Coach at the Lean Enterprise Institute, this particular video centers on why would you use Kaizen Events? Is a Kaizen Event against the principles of Kaizen? This series of videos has a central theme of Kaizen. Dr. Balle is a multiple Shingo Prize Read More …

Principles of Value Stream Marketing

On my podcast the other week, I had Robert Martichenko of LeanCor co-author of the Lean Enterprise Institute’s newest lean workbook, Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream. The book builds on the concepts of waste, flow, and pull. This workbook illustrates how to analyze the traditional supply chain as a flowing stream of products and information. Read More …