The Evolution of Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence: From Tools to People

The Evolution of Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence: From Tools to People

I was recently the Chairperson at the 10th Annual Global Process Improvement and Operational Excellence Summit in Amsterdam this past March.  In my opinion, it is one of the best summits on the subject that exist; it and it is counterpart in Orlando held annually in the Fall. I have been the Chairman of both…

Best Practices For Becoming a High-Performance Organization

Best Practices For Becoming a High-Performance Organization

I started XONITEK in August of 1985 in Endicott, New York.  I still own its latest incarnation, now located in Sheridan, Wyoming.  Having owned my own businesses for the last 40 years makes me uniquely unemployable.  Perhaps that could change given the right circumstances (whatever those might be). Since the very beginning, the purpose of…

The need for both KPIs and OKRs

The need for both KPIs and OKRs

Headline: “Business Metrics Gone Awry: The Dark Side of Relying Solely on KPIs” Subheading: “Corporate Missteps Highlight the Pitfalls of Blindly Chasing Key Performance Indicators” We read about it all the time; in a shocking turn of events, the business world is abuzz with meteoric fall of some company and its CEO, its CFO, or…

Considering the Entire Employee Lifecycle

Considering the Entire Employee Lifecycle

I wrote an article entitled “The Strategic HR Department” where I shared my thoughts on the characteristics of a Human Resources Department that is strategic with a purpose of being an accelerant of the organization’s ambitions rather than one that is a bureaucracy whose emphasis is on compliance. Of course, compliance is an important responsibility…

Safety Comes Third: A Contrarian Approach to Prioritizing Workplace Values

Safety Comes Third: A Contrarian Approach to Prioritizing Workplace Values

Several years ago I was at an Operational Excellence Conference here in Frankfurt.  As with most talks, the speaker started by introducing the company he worked for and what it did.  He then proceeded to list the companies values, of which there were five or so. The last value on the list was “Safety” to…

Design Thinking for Operational Excellence

Design Thinking for Operational Excellence

I was the Chairman at an Operational Excellence and Business Transformation conference in Amsterdam this past March (2023) which was produced by CParity.  The lead-off workshop was on Design Thinking. I must admit; my first impression of the workshop was mixed.  I thought the concepts of Design Thinking and its approaches were novel.  But it…