“It would be better if everyone worked together as a system.” W. Edwards Deming These few, simple words reveal a mindset and worldview capable of transforming everything we do. Transforming what? A divisive, zero-sum-game way of doing business and managing/controlling people. If the tragedy of the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we […]
Avoiding Compromise with a Win-Win Solution
I recently re-posted on LinkedIn something from Goldratt Consulting with a quote from Dr. Goldratt: “Our fear that conflicts will lead to a tug of war diverts management attention to constantly struggle with unacceptable compromises.” This is part of the introduction to a book Dr. Goldratt was working on called ‘The Science of Management’ before […]
Is the Theory of Constraints Systems Thinking?
Someone reading our business novel ‘The Human Constraint’ asked us if the Theory of Constraints is different from Systems Thinking so we would like to address that in this post. It is a particularly relevant question this week when an Italian physicist, Giorgio Parisi, was awarded the Noble Prize for his work on complex systems. […]
Changing the Conversation with the Customer to Achieve Win-Win Sales Part 2
One of the greatest opportunities that businesses have today lies in changing the conversation with their customer to alter the perception the customer has of them in a positive way. This sounds like a good idea but how can you actually do that? Fortunately, there is a highly effective and structured way that we can […]
Continuous Innovation and Finding Breakthrough Solutions in Turbulent Times
September is here and it’s time to move forward with the insight and understanding gained from months of upheaval. For many, this period has been devastating, for others it has opened up new opportunities. When the virus erupted back in March, we at Intelligent Management, like so many other businesses, were hit hard as most […]
A Practical Process for Working Remotely in a Team from the Theory of Constraints
Over the last three weeks of lockdown in Italy, the team at Intelligent Management has been working intensively with clients and partners remotely. We have been able to switch from working onsite to working remotely with great ease thanks to years of consolidated practice using the Thinking Processes from the Theory of Constraints. People always […]
The Theory of Constraints and Reaching New Heights
It’s complicated to shift our perception and the way we think if we live in a culture out of synch with what we are trying to achieve. That’s because we all live within networks of conversations that inevitably influence how we see the world. We are all ultimately free to choose our own path, but […]
Some Summer Reading for Whole System Change
The famous “brioche con gelato” in Salerno, Italy. As we take a few days off mid-August Italian style, we wish all our subscribers and readers a serene and regenerating summer period. We will be back soon with our regular blog. In the meantime, here is a selection of some of our most popular posts […]
Purpose and Brand – Can They Be The Same?
One of the themes that comes up regularly in our work is that of purpose. This is because we generally start a relationship with a new client by analyzing where they are stuck today and how to move forward towards a more sustainable and satisfying future. In order to do this, we help them to […]
Is Amazon a Dysfunctional Organization? Definition and Cure
“There is no such thing as a dysfunctional organization, because every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it gets.” – Jeff Lawrence. We were asked to comment on this statement. Here is our reply. The word dysfunctional contains the prefix dys- from the Greek meaning “bad”, “abnormal”, “difficult”, or “impaired”. We can say […]
