Tag Archives: customer

Cloud cuckoo-land

Posted on December 27, 2016 by

“What matters to me as a customer is getting everything for free. I’d appreciate it if all organisations could just go ahead and arrange that please. No, I didn’t think so.” This comment left on a recent post shows the typical command … Continue reading →

Posted in clarity of purpose, command and control, customer, Demand, systems thinking, vanguard method | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

What’s the purpose of a-SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

Posted on September 28, 2016 by

I went into PC World last week to help make them into a business. I was going to do this by making myself into a customer of theirs. Until that happens, PC World is not a business, it is just … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, customer, systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

What colour is my work?

Posted on January 7, 2014 by

Here are coloured beads in 2 jars. A man (a slightly famous games designer in his 60s) every day takes a bead from the right jar and pops it into the jar on the left. Each bead represents a day. … Continue reading →

Posted in customer, me doing it, purpose, systems thinking | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Empty chairs and Teddy Bears

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

Who’s the most important person in your meetings? In Amazon, it’s an empty chair. When Amazon was starting out Jeff Bezos , the founder, made sure that at every meeting there was an empty chair brought to the boardroom table … Continue reading →

Posted in customer, knowledge, purpose | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Zombie Deming takes issue with a poster

Posted on October 7, 2012 by

Oh dear! Somebody should have warned him! So, what would cause a perfectly sane manager to stick “WORK HARDER” posters up and not expect to be lynched? Command and control thinking as at it’s heart control through commands. The purpose … Continue reading →

Posted in customer, deming, systemz comix, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Victoria Pendleton post

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

I am not what I think I am. I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am. Got that? It’s called “the looking glass self”  theory. Briefly, people construct their identity based on … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, customer, psychology, systems thinking | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

9 questions about your cake and you

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

Organisations are layer cakes. There is a long way between the cherries on the top and the damp base at the bottom. Answer these 9 questions to align yourself in the cake and find out what that means for you … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, customer, deming, purpose, systems thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment