Dilbert – Type in All Caps

OK.  So this post really doesn’t have much to do with lean.  I just found this Dilbert cartoon hysterical.

Click on image to enlarge

We could talk about the lack of respect Wally shows his boss by leading him into a potentially awkward situation with another person at work.  I prefer to find the humor in people that TYPE IN ALL CAPS NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE SENDING.

What? I couldn’t read all of that.  Some of it was in lower case letters.

Have a great day!

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Dilbert – Google Kills Spirit of Inventing

Click on Image to Enlarge

Has anyone ever had this happen?

I have.  I had an idea and was researching the materials when I found several links to a very similar product out there.  In fact, I have been able to find something on any thing I have thought up.

What does this do to people trying to create new inventions?  Does it kill the spirit?

What are your though

Dilbert’s Pointy-Haired Boss Wants Innovation

This is a great Dilbert cartoon from Scott Adams earlier in January.

Cartoon by Scott Adams

I have heard a lot of people or company’s say they need to act like a start up to get innovation.  I find this to be alarming.  At one time, the company had to be innovative or it probably wouldn’t be in business today.

Somewhere along the way, the company hit on a big innovative idea and migrated from innovation and trying new things to care and feeding of the big idea that put them on the map.  It is an easy trap to fall into.  It isn’t about acting like a start-up, it’s about never losing your roots as a start-up company.  Innovation and care and feeding must happening at the same time.  It isn’t one or the other.  It should be both.  The ones who do both well…win.

Counting Down the Top 10 Viewed Posts of 2012 – 10 Thru 6

2013 is now in full swing.  Before 2012 is too far in the rear view mirror, I thought I would recap the Top 10 most viewed posts on Beyond Lean for 2012.

New followers of the blog can use this as an opportunity to read posts they might have not seen in the past.  While, long time followers can use this as an opportunity to re-read some of the top viewed posts.

This post will count down the 10th thru 6th most viewed posts of 2012.  Enjoy!

10. Guest Post: Selling Lean to People That Don’t Want It (July 2011) – This is a post from Joe Wilson before he became a full-time author at Beyond Lean.  Joe talks about ways to sell lean to people who are not bought into the benefits of lean.

9.   Making Leader Standard Work Visual (June 2011) – Previous Year Ranked #8 – An example of a visual board from a group I worked with.  The board makes the tasks and if they were completed by the managers visual.

8.  Dilbert Leading Transformation (July 2010) – Previous Year Ranked #10 – The Pointy-Haired Boss wants clear responsibilities and employee engagement.

7.  True Mentoring (May 2012) – This is my take on true mentoring versus fake mentoring that goes on in business today.

6.  Comparing Lean Principles to the 14 Toyota Principles (July 2010) – Previous Year Ranked #5 – The first part of a three part series where I compared the lean principles I learned from the Lean Learning Center to the Toyota Principles.  This post covers the first five Toyota Principles.

My next post will count down the Top 5 viewed posts of 2012.

Dilbert Takes on Transformational Change

Scott Adams does a great job of nailing how typically organizations take on transformational change.

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Two concepts I see Scott Adams touch on here.  The first one is the idea of just speaking about transformational change will cause transformational change.  It isn’t enough to just talk about it or say it.  It is very hard work to create transformational change.

Which leads into the second concept shown.  Transformational change does not have to be bad or painful on people..causing us to want to hurl.  It can be good and as management we need to convey a clear message and show actions that back that message up.  We have to consider how people process change differently and create change plans with that in mind.

If all else fails….just show them this cartoon.

Dilbert The Practical Jokester

We are coming to the end of summer and school either has started or is getting ready to start for elementary, high school and college students.  As we wind down summer, I thought a little fun would be in order.

The Dilbert cartoon is always funny and there are a lot of lessons that can be seen from a lean and leadership point of view…of what not to do.  This cartoon on the other hand I just find plain funny.  I have been laughing at it all summer, so I thought I would share it.  Enjoy and I hope you had a great summer.

Dilbert Cartoon by Scott Adams (click image to go to website)

Dilbert Deals with Budgeting Issues

Have you ever seen your company play with budget numbers?  Cut in one area but pay out of another area and name it something different?

Well the Pointy-Haired Boss is playing the game to perfection in this Dilbert Cartoon by Scott Adams.

My favorite part of the cartoon is the Pointy-Haired Boss saying, “If we reduce the training budget this year, we’ll get less next year.”

If I had a dollar for every time I have run up against that statement I would have enough to fund the Pointy-Haired Boss’ Contract Employee budget!

People shouldn’t be given less money just because they used less one year.  That may have been good for that year but it may not be even close to what is needed for the next year based on the current circumstances.

In the end, it all comes out of the same pocket.  Companies still don’t realize they are spending a lot of time managing minute details of their finances.  Sometimes it is just best to take a step back and take a look at a bigger picture.

I try to imagine my own finances.  There isn’t a detailed budget for every line item money could be spent on.  Groceries, gas, cable, electric, etc…  It is cut into bigger slices like Food/Entertainment.  That could be eating out, groceries, going to the movies, etc…  Each item is budgeted in detail.  It is known this is the amount and how it is spent among the line items can vary from month-to-month.

Why can’t companies say this is how much will be spent on Research and Development.  R&D can decide if that is on salaries, contractors, equipment, etc…  But what the money they have is all the money they have so use it wisely.

Be smart with the money and always manage costs appropriately.  In the end, what is best for the company needs to be done before anything else.  In Dilbert’s case, it is paying the contract employee.

Counting Down the Top 10 Viewed Posts of 2011 – 10 Thru 6

2012 is now in full swing.  Before 2011 is too far in the rear view mirror, I thought I would recap the Top 10 most viewed posts on Beyond Lean for 2011.

New followers of the blog can use this as an opportunity to read posts they might have not seen in the past.  While, long time followers can use this as an opportunity to re-read some of the top viewed posts.

This post will count down the 10th thru 6th most viewed posts of 2011.  Enjoy!

10. Dilbert Leading Transformation (July 2010) – Previous Year Ranked #3 – The Pointy-Haired Boss wants clear responsibilities and employee engagement.

9.   Adding Inventory…A Good Thing? (March 2011) –  Sometimes adding inventory might be the right thing to do based on your business. Take time to understand your business and its needs before deciding.

8.  Making Leader Standard Work Visual (June 2011) – An example of a visual board from a group I worked with.  The board makes the tasks and if they were completed by the managers visual.

7.  Beyond Lean Joins Twitter (February 2011) – Beyond Lean announces the venture out onto Twitter.

6.  Redbox Produced in the U.S. Using Lean (October 2010) – Previous Year Ranked #5 – News article about Redbox manufacturing using Lean to produce the Redbox dispensers close to it’s customers in the U.S.

My next post will count down the Top 5 viewed posts of 2011.

Dilbert Animated Cartoons

I hope everyone had a great Christmas yesterday.  A little Dilbert treat for the holidays.

The Pointy-Haired Boss makes it so hard to get clear objectives and Dilbert is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

Does any of this sound familiar?  Clear objectives and misaligned values can cause a lot of confusion in an organization.  The confusion can lead to nobody taking action.  No action means no improvement.  I hope your objectives for 2012 are clear.

Dilbert – Exceed Performance….Don’t!!!!!

I read Dilbert everyday.  In fact, I downloaded an app for my Blackberry so I can read it anywhere.  This one caught my eye a few weeks ago and thought I would share it.

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 Does this sound familiar?  Every year we sit in a chair with a blank stare as a boss tells us in order to get an Exceeds rating we need to go above and beyond.  Only to have your boss see you go above and beyond and ask themselves, “Do they have too much time on their hands?”  So then more work comes your way.  The boss considers the extra work normal.

The next review comes.  You go through the same process.  Eventually, the employee becomes disengaged and dissatisfied with their job.

Another reason that performance reviews are waste in the system.  Can you imagine the amount of time for continuous improvement that would be gained if your company eliminated performance reviews?  Would it help or hurt employee engagement and satisfaction?