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The Culture to Cultivate
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleThe CEO of Kaiser Permanente writes that instilling a foundational culture of continuous improvement is the only way to unify an organization as large... -
Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Operations strategy Digital ArticleHow one Wisconsin health system did it. -
Power of Internal Guarantees
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleAn internal guarantee is a commitment by one part of an organization to another to deliver its product or service to the complete satisfaction of the... -
Lean Knowledge Work
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleThe “Toyota” principles can also be effective in operations involving judgment and expertise -
Holding Hospitals Accountable for Patient Safety
Government Digital ArticleThe Biden administration has proposed relaxing regulations around reporting medical errors, which are the third-leading cause of death in the United States. -
Beyond Toyota: How to Root Out Waste and Pursue Perfection
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleMany managers have grasped the power of individual lean techniques--such as just-in-time deliveries and kaizen, or continuous improvement--pioneered by... -
Measuring the Strategic Readiness of Intangible Assets
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleMeasuring the value of intangible assets such as company culture, knowledge management systems, and employees' skills is the holy grail of accounting.... -
Organizational Grit
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleGrit, a combination of passion and perseverance, predicts success in many demanding fields. A perfect example is health care, where the grit of individual... -
Why (and How) to Take a Plant Tour
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleAlmost everyone who leads, works for, or interacts with a manufacturing company can benefit from seeing a factory firsthand, David Upton and Stephen Macadam... -
The IT Transformation Health Care Needs
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIn recent years, health care organizations have made sizable investments in information technology. They've used their IT systems to replace paper records... -
Quality Circles After the Fad
Organizational Development Magazine ArticlePrompted by the success of Japanese products in the United States, American companies are seeking to upgrade quality and productivity by adopting quality... -
Time-and-Motion Regained
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleWestern manufacturers have long believed that standardized work in a hierarchical environment alienates employees, poisons labor relations, stifles initiative,... -
Made in U.S.A.: A Renaissance in Quality
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIn the opinion of some journalists and business leaders, Japan's preeminence in product quality is a direct consequence of lectures delivered 40 years... -
Why Six Sigma Is on the Downslope
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleI was never a big fan of Six Sigma. As approaches to business process improvement and management go, it always had some glaring shortcomings. First, there... -
Crafting the Luxury Experience
Communication VideoRobert Chavez, CEO of Hermes US, explains why employee engagement and an online presence are key. -
The Contradictions That Drive Toyota's Success
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleToyota has become one of the world's greatest companies only because it developed the Toyota Production System, right? Wrong, say Takeuchi, Osono, and... -
Coming Commoditization of Processes
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleDespite the much-ballyhooed increase in outsourcing, most companies are in do-it-yourself mode for the bulk of their processes, in large part because... -
The Risks of Botshit
AI and machine learning Digital ArticleDon’t let inaccurate chatbot content harm your business. -
Reign of Zero Tolerance (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleSimon Pemberton, a materials chemist at Applied Devices, is escorted by security guards to the company parking lot, where an HR manager tells him he's... -
How U.S. Health Care Got Safer by Focusing on the Patient Experience
Customer experience Digital ArticleAlmost 20 years ago, two reports changed the game.
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Maestro Pizza (F): A New Direction
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza... -
Designing a Surgical Quality Improvement Project at Eastern State Medical Center
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case considers the challenges, benefits, and costs of hospital participation in a widely recognized surgical quality improvement benchmarking program.... -
On Weldon's Watch: Recalls at Johnson & Johnson from 2009 to 2010
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In October of 2010, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was unable to extricate itself from a year long recall crisis that had subjected the firm to criticism from... -
Nestle: Agricultural Material Sourcing Within the Concept of Creating Shared Value (CSV)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Corporate Head of Agriculture Hans Jöhr's mind raced in anticipation of the executive board meeting that afternoon. Jöhr recognized the meeting as a key... -
LongXi Machinery Works: Quality Improvement (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Lin Zhang has just received approval for the formation of a new quality control group at LongXi, located in Zhangzhou, China. This new group must investigate... -
Business Process Mapping: Prospective Student Visits to the Darden School
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Appropriate for courses in operations management and process improvement. Hundreds of prospective students visit the Darden Graduate School of Business... -
Royal Bank of Scotland Group: The Human Capital Strategy
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Describes the development and implementation of one of the world's most advanced human resource management support systems. The Royal Bank of Scotland... -
Six Sigma at Academic Medical Hospital (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details For 10 years, Academic Medical Hospital's chief of staff had struggled to decrease the amount of time patients spend waiting in the emergency department.... -
GE: We Bring Good Things to Life (A)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Jack Welch and the Corporate Executive Council of General Electric are faced with a decision about whether and how to implement a six-sigma quality-improvement... -
A Maestro without Borders: How André Rieu Created the Classical Music Market for the Masses
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details For several decades, the classical music industry has been in decline with demand down, costs up and profits shrinking as many orchestras struggle for... -
Wainwright Industries (B): The Customer Challenge
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Ritz-Carlton: Using Information Systems to Better Serve the Customer
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Explores the interface of an information system that keeps track of guests and their preferences, and the people systems that deliver multiple services... -
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Considers whether New Balance, one of the world's five largest manufacturers of athletic footwear, should respond to Adidas' planned acquisition of Reebok--a... -
AT&T Paradyne
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details A company making data communication devices has adopted a Total Quality philosophy for working with suppliers, employees, and customers. The finance group... -
Sachem Head's Activism at Autodesk
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details In 2015, activist hedge fund Sachem Head Capital, led by founder Scott Ferguson, launched an activist campaign at (computer aided design) CAD software... -
Inspiral: A Contrast in Operations Strategies
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details One of the first local manufacturers of screw caps in Chile, INESA expanded rapidly in the region. By 2015, the company had achieved almost 55% market... -
Jaguar Comes to Halewood: The Story of a Turnaround
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details The case describes the turnaround process of one of the worst car assembly plants in the world to a showcase plant ready to produce the new Baby Jaguar.... -
Note on Quality Function Deployment
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details This note explains the need and importance of quality function deployment (QFD), a customer-driven quality-planning tool that translates customers' needs... -
Porcini's Pronto: "Great Italian cuisine without the wait!"
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Porcini's Inc. operates a chain of 23 full-service restaurants located near shopping malls and downtown areas in the northeastern United States. Known... -
Hong Kong Teachers' Language Benchmark Assessment
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details In 2000, the Hong Kong government introduced the Language Benchmark Assessment for all teachers in Hong Kong. As part of its education reform, the government...
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The Culture to Cultivate
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleThe CEO of Kaiser Permanente writes that instilling a foundational culture of continuous improvement is the only way to unify an organization as large... -
Maestro Pizza (F): A New Direction
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza... -
Designing a Surgical Quality Improvement Project at Eastern State Medical Center
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case considers the challenges, benefits, and costs of hospital participation in a widely recognized surgical quality improvement benchmarking program.... -
On Weldon's Watch: Recalls at Johnson & Johnson from 2009 to 2010
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In October of 2010, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was unable to extricate itself from a year long recall crisis that had subjected the firm to criticism from... -
Nestle: Agricultural Material Sourcing Within the Concept of Creating Shared Value (CSV)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Corporate Head of Agriculture Hans Jöhr's mind raced in anticipation of the executive board meeting that afternoon. Jöhr recognized the meeting as a key... -
LongXi Machinery Works: Quality Improvement (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Lin Zhang has just received approval for the formation of a new quality control group at LongXi, located in Zhangzhou, China. This new group must investigate... -
Business Process Mapping: Prospective Student Visits to the Darden School
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Appropriate for courses in operations management and process improvement. Hundreds of prospective students visit the Darden Graduate School of Business... -
Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Operations strategy Digital ArticleHow one Wisconsin health system did it. -
Royal Bank of Scotland Group: The Human Capital Strategy
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Describes the development and implementation of one of the world's most advanced human resource management support systems. The Royal Bank of Scotland... -
Too Much of a Good Thing? Quality as an Impediment to Innovation
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleThe belief that there is a positive link between quality and innovation is widely shared among quality professionals. Yet the experience of Japanese manufacturing...
