 |
Aim and Stats Now in our sixteenth year of operation for our "OD" sessions and the fourth year for our "TTA" sessions, the aim of both is to continue to foster an appreciation of InThinking within an emerging network that is developing inside Aerojet Rocketdyne and beyond. Dates for future "OD" and "TTA" sessions along with additional "thinking" opportunities for 2015 can be found in this announcement. OD + TTA Stats
For an update on OD and TTA statistics, this month's invitation is going out to 2,000+ partners in the U.S., as well as fellow InThinking partners in Australia, Austria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chile, Dubai, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K. Taken together, these individuals represent over 600 organizations in this list of nations, from elementary schools and senior high schools to colleges and universities, from one-person consulting firms to GenCorp, United Technologies, GM, IBM, General Electric, NASA, Bechtel, Kuwait Energy Company, Philips Electronics, and The Boeing Company. |
Welcome First Timers
Your names have been added to this announcement list by virtue of your attendance in our series of InThinking Roadmap seminars, workshops, and overviews within Aerojet Rocketdyne, or attendance at the annual In2:InThinking Network Forum, through a personal request, from you or a friend. Welcome to our thinking networks.
Click either link below to send me the name(s) and e-mail address(es) of anyone you would like to have added to this mailing list, or let me know if you would like to be removed. Thanks!!!
ADDITIONS DELETIONS |
Meeting Notice Service - OD and TTA If you'd like to receive meeting notices on your Microsoft Outlook schedule for upcoming Ongoing Discussion conference calls and Thinking Together About... webinars, reply to Bill Bellows at william.bellows@rocket.com and your name will be added to our meeting notice list. |
International Participants
Our conference call sessions are toll-free within the U.S. and Canada. Several international participants have been able to connect toll-free using Skype for a VOIP connection, which we now recommend to others calling in from outside (or inside) the U.S. and Canada.
First, you'll need to establish a Skype account at www.skype.com. Once Skype is set up and functioning correctly the only thing that is different when connecting with our "InThinking Roadmap" conference call sessions ("OD" or "The New Economics Study Sessions") is the use of a pass code and security code. For our "OD" sessions, these numbers are provided once the "participant survey" is completed. For the "The New Economics Study Sessions," these numbers are provided in an email from Tim Higgins, who hosts these calls. In either case, when prompted by Skype to enter these codes, use the keyboard not voice option and be sure to turn off the computer's microphone, otherwise the numeric keys don't function. If the microphone is left on when the codes are entered, Skype's automated operator will reply with "number not recognized," as no number has been transmitted. Also, please note that the "pound key" in the U.S. (#) translates to the "hash key" in the U.K. New users of Skype are encouraged to perform a conference call test in advance of the scheduled "InThinking Roadmap" conference call. Contact Bill Bellows to arrange for a test call. |
Additional Reading Beginning in 2009, a series of articles have been prepared for the Lean Management Journal (LMJ) to share InThinking insights with the Lean community. This month's feature LMJ article, Contact Bill Bellows with questions, comments, or observations about this article. |
| Good morning from the Los Angeles campus of Aerojet Rocketdyne, located in Canoga Park, California, on the western end of the San Fernando Valley. Aerojet Rocketdyne's InThinking Network welcomes Mike Beck, from Farmington, Connecticut, to lead our third Ongoing Discussion conference call of 2015 on March 26th and 27th and also our 183rd session since we began in January 2000. As for a topic, Mike has selected By What Method? (A Reflection on Approaches to Leadership) in his second time with us as a Thought Leader. Mike begins his Thought Piece with these words, This paper intends to start a discussion on the approaches applied to leadership in organizations, specifically around obligations of leaders to define methods. It starts with some context, including a brief summary of Management by Objectives, including highlights of criticisms provided by Deming and others. Next, an alternative management method provided by the Toyota Production System is summarized. This is followed by discussion and analysis of potential limitations, as well as considerations for adaptation of the alternative approach to new environments. Context Summary I first heard Dr. Deming ask the question, "By what method?" in the summer of 1984. The context of the question was a discussion of the use of goals in organizations. My personal frame of reference at the time was strongly influenced by the fact that I had just graduated in the Spring of 1984 with a management degree, where I had learned a wide range of the prevailing approaches to business management. One of those approaches was introduced by Peter Drucker as "Management by Objectives" in his 1954 book The Practice of Management (3). By the early 1980's, this approach had achieved near universal adoption among business leaders in the USA, and was followed without question. Deming's question, "by what method?" was a direct challenge to this conceptual hegemony. Mike's Thought Piece continues with these ideas, It can be seen that in contrast to the approach of MBO, wherein a manager provides a goal for worker attainment without providing the method attainment, within TPS the manager provides both a goal and a highly detailed method. It should be noted that goals are used liberally within the Toyota system, they are based on outcomes needed to meet current and future customer requests. When issues arise that get in the way of goal attainment, managers are expected to respond and provide the support needed to get back on track. This approach applies whether the application at hand is production of product or service, or project management, design, analysis, or even creative work.
It is quite interesting to note that the mindset required of leaders and managers to practice the TPS approach is nearly 180 degrees from that associated with MBO. With MBO, managers review the environment, determine needs of the organization, translate these into goals, and then flow down goals to workers. Workers are on their own to determine their methods. With TPS, a similar environmental review is completed and organizational needs are identified, along with organizational goals. The next step however requires the managers to very specifically define the methods to be applied in the work of transforming resources into delivery of product or service, and they are responsible for ensuring that the workers are achieving the results needed. Link here to download Mike's Thought Piece. Link here to register to attend.
After earning his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University, Mike Beck started his career in the auto industry, working for General Motors, initially at the Oldsmobile Division. His early roles were in new product development, reliability and test engineering, and included participation in a GM Fellowship, obtaining a Master of Management degree from Northwestern. After returning to GM, Mike met and worked with Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a consultant to the GM Powertrain Division. Mike was selected to become an internal consultant in quality and continuous improvement, spent one year in training with Dr. Deming, and transitioned from Engineering Management to a position co-leading the Powertrain Statistical Network from 1987 through 1992. Strongly influenced by Deming, Mike obtained a second master's degree during these years, an M.S. in Applied Statistics from Oakland University. In this period Mike developed deep expertise in continual improvement, quality, statistical methods and organizational transformation.
The next step in Mike's career led him to join Toyota, where he assisted in organizing the new Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America headquarters in Erlanger, KY. Experiences at Toyota led Mike to appreciate the power of simple, concrete, visual methods, based on clear principles, to align teams and deliver value for customers. After Toyota Mike's career path included executive management positions in quality, operational excellence, manufacturing, and field operations at United Technologies Corporation and Terex. Starting in 2009, Mike provided consulting and leadership for applications of lean manufacturing, quality, engineering, and continuous improvement to a range of organizations, including the gaming industry, aerospace manufacturing, construction, and green energy.
In early 2014, Mike joined Joan Wellman and Associates, where he now serves as an engagement leader and consultant in application of the Toyota Production System (TPS) applied to health care. Mike is currently working to improve quality, safety, access and engagement through application of TPS at several hospital systems across the US. Looking ahead, our next OD session is set for April 16-17, with our Steve Dightman and Dave Nave on the topic of "Thinking in Community While Framing Your Project - Beyond Playing Nice." Link here to register to attend this conference call in advance of the announcement in mid-April. Coming next is our Thinking Together About... (formerly known as Better Thinking About...) webinar next month, with a focus on Causes, led by Ian Bradbury on Thursday, April 9th, from 11:30-1pm Pacific Time. Link here to register to attend in advance of the announcement, coming the first week in April.Cheers...
Bill |
| Memories of and from Russ Ackoff  The one and only Russ Ackoff served as our "January" Ongoing Discussion Thought Leader on four occasions between 2006 and 2009. In addition to these "visits" with us from his home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, he also traveled to Canoga Park every year, from 2003 through 2007, to deliver half-day and full-day lectures in our Leadership & Learning Center (picture above), as well as in Boeing's Conference Center in nearby Huntington Beach. In doing so, he inspired us with his countless "systems" stories, from his chance visit to AT&T's Bell Labs to experience the account of the "overnight destruction of the Bell telephone system" (and his discovery of their use what came to be known as the Idealized Design process) to the tale of a cost-cutting paper company client, who continued to offer sales of a paltry amount (think "loss leader") of specialty photographic paper to Claire Booth Luce, whose husband's company, Time magazine, was their number 1 customer. One of these stories, plus many more from his career in the U.S. Army, stationed in the South Pacific, to his lengthy career as a management consultant, is told by Russ in the first of two recent posthumous publications by Triarchy Press, titled Memories. Follow this link for more details on this book, in addition to news of the second book, Differences That Make a Difference. To view a 10-minute video of John Pourdehnad's fond memories of Russ, follow this link on YouTube. Link here to download a 90-page transcript of a video with Russ Ackoff and W. Edwards Deming. The conversation took place in l992 and was edited and released as Volume 21 of The Deming Library series in l993. It is called "A Theory of a System for Educators and Managers" and is available from the W. Edwards Deming Institute at this link. |
Podcasts from The W. Edwards Deming Institute Beginning this year, The W. Edwards Deming Institute has recorded podcasts on a monthly basis, featuring 20 to 30-minute interviews by Tripp Babbitt with members of the Deming Community who are advancing the use and explanations of Dr. Deming's ideas. In this latest episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp interviews David Langford, CEO and Founder of Langford International, Inc. and Deming Institute Advisory Board member.
In David's third podcast he explores ways to get started in employing the Deming philosophy in education. In many instances this requires an "out of body experience"; stop playing the blame game, stop being a victim. He tells us to stop worrying about the bigger system and start optimizing the performance of the group, which you have influence over.
David shares an example of a student whose "new" knowledge and appreciation for a system led to a study of the most common systemic questions asked by students. Listen as he reviews what they learned - to stop wasting time on things that are not meaningful, to start concentrating on things that are and get those to a higher degree of performance and to concentrate on deep learning experiences with lasting impact.
David explores how a small group of committed people working in a consistent fashion can transform an organization. You don't have to be "all in" to create transformation. It can start with you.
Link here to listen to this podcast.
Link here to find the previous podcasts, featuring Doug Hall, Keith Sparkjoy, Bob Mason and Clare Crawford-Mason, Dick Steele, Monta Akins, Paula Marshall, Bill Bellows, Bob Browne, Kelly Allan, Kevin Cahill, Andrea Gabor, Steven Haedrich, David Langford, and Dan Robertson. Link here to find these podcasts on iTunes. |
Leader of One, by Gerald Suarez "Endorsements like these are seldom needed. Heed this one, read, study, and learn. Gerald Suarez is the future." Russ Ackoff 
Gerald Suarez, our inaugural "Better Thinking About..." in February 2012 on the topic of Leadership, has released his first book, titled "Leader of One: Shaping Your Future through Imagination and Design." Find it on Amazon at this link. Link on the book image to learn more about Gerald.
With endorsements from two of his mentors, Stephen Covey and Russ Ackoff, Gerald has fulfilled his dream of "writing a book that reflects my philosophy and experiences in the White House, the boardroom, and the classroom and to pay tribute to the major influences in my thinking." This 18-chapter book offers a 4-phase "methodology" that consists of a cycle of activities that "work together in a holistic fashion"; Contemplation, Desire, Design, and Creation.
Gerald offers this advice at the outset:
Becoming a "Leader of One" and taking on the challenge of shaping your future is not easy. Transformative efforts never are. The task ahead will feel overwhelming, but commitment to initiate and sustain action, no matter how small, will move you closer to a new and desired reality.
There are no short cuts. Every building begins its steps upward with a single brick, every marathon race with a single step, and every book with a single word. The same can be said for every minute of your life, so seconds count. The first steps are always the most difficult, but each one will bring you closer to "there." |
March 26th - 27th OD Details Please join us for one or all of this month's series of OD conference calls. As always, you are invited to participate for as long, or as short, as you can in one or more of these sessions, Options 1-4. Note that these conference calls are "conversations, not presentations," which vary from session to session, due to a variety of causes, such as who participates, what questions are asked, and what learning transpires. This diversity is captured every month, as the calls are recorded, with links to these audio files shared with all who register to attend. Option - Date/Time (Pacific Time); 1 - Thursday, March 26th, 12:00-1:00pm 2 - Thursday, March 26th, 1:00-2:00pm
3 - Friday, March 27th - 12:00-1:00pm
4 - Friday, March 27th - 1:00-2:00pm The agenda for each option will be: Opening 15 minutes: Call in and Introductions Next 40 minutes: Ongoing Discussion Last 5 minutes: Farewells and Close
Please reply to this note by noon, Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 25th to confirm your plans to participate in one (or more) of these options. If you do plan to attend, please complete the OD PARTICIPATION SURVEY by using the link below...
PARTICIPANT SURVEY Telecon lines (including a pass code and a security code) have been arranged for those who cannot join us in a conference room at our Canoga Park facility and are provided upon completion of the participant survey.
As always, please forward this announcement to anyone we missed who would also like to participate.
Regards...
Bill |
Future Ongoing Discussion Conference Calls Mark your calendars - future Ongoing Discussion conference calls will be held on the following dates (subject to slight changes), from 12-1pm and 1-2pm Pacific Time.
Month, Dates, Thought Leader(s), Topics (link on each session to register): |
Future Thinking Together About... Webinars
Mark your calendars - future Thinking Together About... (formerly Better Thinking About...) webinars will be held on the following dates, from 11:30-1pm Pacific Time. Details for how to participate in this webinar series are provided upon registering using the participant survey for each event.
Date, Presenter, and Topic (link on each session to register): |
InThinking Together Seminar Description: This seminar explores the philosophies of a variety of management theorist, including but not limited to Russell Ackoff, W. Edwards Deming, Edward de Bono, Tom Johnson, and Genichi Taguchi, among many others; as they apply to the management of organizational resources, including ideas, innovation, knowledge, money, equipment, and space. Among the topics of discussion will be the concepts of "better thinking about thinking" (InThinking) and Purposeful Resource Management as well as Purposeful Resource Leadership. The seminar will introduce you to these ideas through a series of questions that are specially selected to create awareness of a new approach to working together, learning together, and thinking together. Registration Fee: there is NO fee to attend Prerequisites: there are NO prerequisites Format: two 4.5-hour sessions over two days, offered as an in-person event Presented by: Bill Bellows Schedule for InThinking Together classes in Canoga Park, CA for Aerojet Rocketdyne Class #CP-2015-03, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Canoga Park Part 1 - 26-Mar - 7:00-11:30am (Pacific Time) Part 2 - 27-Mar - 7:00-11:30am Class #CP-2015-04, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Canoga Park Part 1 - 16-Apr - 7:00-11:30am (Pacific Time) Part 2 - 17-Apr - 7:00-11:30am Class #CP-2015-05, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Canoga Park Part 1 - 14-May - 7:00-11:30am (Pacific Time) Part 2 - 15-May - 7:00-11:30am
Register to attend InThinking Together |
The New Economics Study Session Description: A group of participants assembles, some in-person and some via teleconference, for this 14-hour series. Participants discuss W. Edwards Deming's last book, The New Economics, in which he introduced his concept of a "System of Profound Knowledge." The group reads specified chapters before each session and discusses the meaning and application of the ideas, as well as personal reactions to the ideas. Supplemental reading material become part of the conversations, as do reactions to video tapes of Dr. Deming. Registration Fee: there is NO fee to attend. In addition, this is a toll-free call from the United States and Canada. International participants are welcome to join in as well, provided they do so at their own expense for the conference call. Aerojet Rocketdyne attendees will be given copies of The New Economics. Non-Aerojet Rocketdyne attendees can purchase copies on Amazon at this link, with used copies selling for $15 and Kindle copies available for $15.95. Prerequisite: there are NO prerequisites
Format: seven 2-hour sessions over three and a half weeks, presented as a teleconference event Presented by: Tim Higgins Schedule for The New Economics Study Session
Class #CP-2015-02 Starting on 11-May, seven sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3:00-5:00pm, Pacific Time (ending on 3-Jun) Class #CP-2015-03 Starting on 14-Sep, seven sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3:00-5:00pm, Pacific Time (ending on 5-Oct) |
| | | | | |
