A placeholder to continue some thoughts on complexity....
The drastic ultimate solution once suggested at a Communist Party Conference by Vladimir Kabaidze, General Director of the Machine Building Workshop who has been reported as saying ‘I can’t stand this proliferation of paperwork. It’s useless to fight the forms. You’ve got to kill the people producing them.’
Continual pressure for growth has driven most companies to both expand their product lines significantly and promotional activity in an effort to stimulate customer interest and gain share. One of the consequences of all this activity has been an enormous increase in the complexity of their businesses. Complexity tends to increase the fixed costs of conducting their business. Smart complexity can create meaningful differentiation that wins in the marketplace. unfortunately, that is less frequently thecase.
Complexity manifests itself in many forms affecting everything from the day-to-day operations of the business to senior management’s strategic plans. Economies of scale, scope and skills appear to be wiped out by ‘economies of complexity’. Many companies have expressed serious concerns about their capability to successfully manage complexity and have sought to simplify their business, retrenching to a stable portfolio of core products and processes. Others have attempted to manage complexity through systems, structures, procedures, complex organization, and group decision making. Managing complexity is a highly leveraged opportunity.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Packaging as the 5th P
One of the great advantages of work in packaging is the many touchpoints packaging has. Packaging has been cited as the 5th P in a marketing paradigm. Certainly, packaging has been used to revitalize brands, launch new concepts and differentiate use. Anyone who i sinvolved in supply chain recognizes the ripple effect packaging has on costs, service and distribution.
To me it doesn’t matter what part of the packaging world you see, it’s always interesting to find the newest things that designers come up with. Okay, I’ll grant you that some of the things they dream of can border on the kooky, impractical, and just plain odd. But...
Regardless, even those “out-there” ideas can yield a wealth of inspiration and insight on packaging of all types. Often, the concepts that challenge us the most are the ones that are the most valuable in terms of making us really think of how we view packaging and the many possibilities for it.
Two excellent sites for packaging design are The Dieline and Box Vox. They're updated frequently and are almost always loaded with new stuff -- a feast for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking visuals and "out-of-the-box" structures.
To me it doesn’t matter what part of the packaging world you see, it’s always interesting to find the newest things that designers come up with. Okay, I’ll grant you that some of the things they dream of can border on the kooky, impractical, and just plain odd. But...
Regardless, even those “out-there” ideas can yield a wealth of inspiration and insight on packaging of all types. Often, the concepts that challenge us the most are the ones that are the most valuable in terms of making us really think of how we view packaging and the many possibilities for it.
Two excellent sites for packaging design are The Dieline and Box Vox. They're updated frequently and are almost always loaded with new stuff -- a feast for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking visuals and "out-of-the-box" structures.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Success Factors: Candor & Differentiation
I have always been interested in the sometimes controversial Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. I have been a follower of Jack Welch since I entered management consulting in the 1980’s where myself and other freshly minted professionals would talk about Neutron Jack, Six Sigma and how he was changing GE.
While in Dallas last week, I visited a used bookstore and stumbled upon a used copy of Jack Welch’s book "Winning" published in 2005. I had some free time and picked it up.
The 2nd and 3rd chapters are insightful. One is titled Candor; the other Differentiation. Like his other books, I was impressed by his ability to articulate complex business subjects in an easy read without sacrificing too much detail.
In chapter 2 on Candor, Welch discusses how valuable candor is in today’s fast and global business but how rare it actually is. His best quote is “since retiring from GE, I have come to realize I underestimated its rarity. In fact, I would call lack of candor the biggest dirty little secret in business.” Wow, I couldn't agree more but to hear it from one of the most celebrated and at time feared CEO is astonishing. Imagine, the guy known for grueling questions and follow-ups called this the "biggest dirty little secret in business".
Then in chapter 3 on Differentiation, Welch summaries his passion and love for Differentiation, a management method in which employees along with business divisions and product lines are separated into the top performing 20%, middle 70% and bottom performing 10%.
The best lines on differentiation are
-“I learned it (differentiation) on the playground when I was a kid. When we were making a baseball team, the best players always got picked first, the fair players were put in the easy positions, usually second or right field, and the least athletic ones had to watch from the sidelines. Everyone knew where he stood.”
- “middle players worked their tails off to get better, and sometimes they did, bringing up the quality of play for everyone. The kids who couldn’t make the cut usually found other pursuits, sports and otherwise that they enjoyed and excelled at.”
While in Dallas last week, I visited a used bookstore and stumbled upon a used copy of Jack Welch’s book "Winning" published in 2005. I had some free time and picked it up.
The 2nd and 3rd chapters are insightful. One is titled Candor; the other Differentiation. Like his other books, I was impressed by his ability to articulate complex business subjects in an easy read without sacrificing too much detail.
In chapter 2 on Candor, Welch discusses how valuable candor is in today’s fast and global business but how rare it actually is. His best quote is “since retiring from GE, I have come to realize I underestimated its rarity. In fact, I would call lack of candor the biggest dirty little secret in business.” Wow, I couldn't agree more but to hear it from one of the most celebrated and at time feared CEO is astonishing. Imagine, the guy known for grueling questions and follow-ups called this the "biggest dirty little secret in business".
Then in chapter 3 on Differentiation, Welch summaries his passion and love for Differentiation, a management method in which employees along with business divisions and product lines are separated into the top performing 20%, middle 70% and bottom performing 10%.
The best lines on differentiation are
-“I learned it (differentiation) on the playground when I was a kid. When we were making a baseball team, the best players always got picked first, the fair players were put in the easy positions, usually second or right field, and the least athletic ones had to watch from the sidelines. Everyone knew where he stood.”
- “middle players worked their tails off to get better, and sometimes they did, bringing up the quality of play for everyone. The kids who couldn’t make the cut usually found other pursuits, sports and otherwise that they enjoyed and excelled at.”
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Blog Presence
The purpose of this blog is to bring in prior written materials and create new ones to enhance internet presence. Sometimes hard for people to find one with such a common name!
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