The Dangers of Systems Illiteracy
This recent article makes a good point that we need to be reminded that our global activity and the related science and technology is all connected. In the early days of deep thinking, most thinkers were simply called “philosophers” or some variation of the term. Today, complex thought has been broken upon into countless disciplines…
Keep readingAn Historic Look at the Stock Market
The latest news in the stock market is tough to swallow, but hardly new to most folks who follow such things. I wanted to get a better historical perspective, so I pulled up a table of the S&P 500 Index, a highly watched measure of a diverse range of stocks, along with the historical Consumer…
Keep readingBaldrige for Project Managers
Think the Baldrige Excellence Framework only applies to organizations? Think again. We’re not all CEOs, but all project or team leaders can benefit from the wisdom of the framework.
Keep readingFusion, fission, or something else?
Great discussion of transformative organizational strategies. https://www.kmworld.com/Articles/Columns/The-Future-of-the-Future/Fusion-fission-or-something-else-151619.aspx
Keep readingThe Progressive Roots of Management Science – MIT Sloan Management Review
It’s back to the future on management best practices. The previous practices were not sustainable, so it’s good we recognizing CSR and ESG…again. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-progressive-roots-of-management-science/
Keep readingLeaders Say the Baldrige Framework Promotes Organizations’ Resilience and Sustainability | NIST
[No surprise here. Building broad understanding across the employee base of how a business runs, how it measures success, and how it will engage everyone in that process can only support a culture of lasting strength and viability. Leaders aren’t there for their own benefit, but the lasting benefit of the company long after they…
Keep readingTwo Creative Problem Solving Pathways
McKinsey recently published this article about a 7-step process for structured, creative problem solving. It’s a classic “problem-backward” strategy. It’s good, but it’s NOT the only strategy. The McKinsey strategy is not unlike the “Jobs to be Done” strategy (popularized by Christensen, Ulwick, and the “design thinking” others) where a problem space is identified, observations…
Keep readingWhy Good Arguments Make Better Strategy
Makes the right points that strategy is hard, but that simple structures (open debate and strategy maps) can help bring clarity, logic, and testability to any strategic concept. This is not unlike the structural processes for creative ideation (see Systematic Inventive Thinking). In both cases, folks tend to think these processes have a mystical or…
Keep readingFighting Backlash to Racial Equity Efforts
Excellent discussion of racial equity issues commonly found in the workplace, and ways to address them. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/fighting-backlash-to-racial-equity-efforts/?og=Leadership+Editors+Picks
Keep readingSharing Experiences Leading to Political Perspectives
“sharing personal experiences about a political issue—especially experiences involving harm—help to foster respect via increased perceptions of rationality.”
Keep readingThe eight trends that will define 2021–and beyond
From: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-eight-trends-that-will-define-2021-and-beyond InnovationConsumer behaviorThe environmentHealthcareCoping with increased government involvementRestructuring of corporate portfoliosShifting supply chainsAir travel With the exception of the “corporate portfolios” comment (which is very vaguely discussed), most of these get a lot of play in the media, and I won’t belabor them. For a good take on making strategic R&D a part of…
Keep readingThe mindsets and practices of excellent CEOs
From 2019, but still worth keeping in my databank… https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-mindsets-and-practices-of-excellent-ceos
Keep readingDoes Chester Need Its Own Business & Career Resource Center?
I’m interested in your thoughts on building a business & career resource center in Chester that helps the community by offering needed services affordably while providing a workforce development opportunity for challenged workers.
Keep readingIt’s Summer! How to Throw a Zero Waste Party or Event
I’ll admit up front that I’m a complete newbie at this. I was made sensitive to the issue of reducing waste when a local citizens group in Chester, Pennsylvania, who has been working for OVER 30 YEARS to stop, Covanta, the largest US incinerator from continuing to spew noxious gasses into the air and lungs…
Keep readingCalling Reuse and Repair Entrepreneurs
We can all fight for clean air in different ways, and keeping stuff out of landfills and incinerators is definitely one of them.
Keep readingBiden’s Stimulus Is Also (Sort of) a Climate Bill – The Atlantic
Climate change is going to create massive opportunities for small business. With a little research, you can prosper at the same time we improve our climate.
Keep readingDemocratized 3D Scanning
Impressive step up in technology for the iPhone 12. Interior decorators and remodelers take note. Also, all trades, landscapers, builders! https://screenrant.com/apple-iphone-12-pro-max-lidar-benefits-features/
Keep readingRawls at 100 | Boston Review
Rawls’ fairness, aka good ethics, underpins everything, and every challenge we see can be traced to bad ethics. (See also the Categorical Imperative.) http://bostonreview.net/reading-lists-philosophy-religion/joshua-cohen-boston-review-rawls-100
Keep readingSpringfield Cameras Violate Privacy
Like any intrusive technology, the benefits of deploying public video cameras must be balanced against the costs and dangers. Because we can doesn’t mean we should. The unnecessary use of surveillance needs to stop.
Keep readingExistential Questions: Some Questions We Don’t Get To Ask
When you begin to ask questions or make assertions that the US should not exist, or that our Constitution or the rule of law should not guide us, or you begin to gather people together with the intent of violating that Constitution, our laws, and/or of harming or overthrowing our government or its leaders, you…
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