Re: Searching for LOs LO2491

Barry Mallis (bmallis@quickmail.markem.com)
21 Aug 1995 08:44:59 -0400

Replying to LO2467 --

Reply to: RE>>Searching for LOs LO2467

To: Peter Smith
From: Barry Mallis

Your comments on the LO as a means to an end.

I am very impressed by your last sentence in the posting in which you say
that a clear and present business connection fuels cultural change.

While there are no doubt cultural changes which are indirectly related (in
such a complex realm as the business organization, chaos reigns, options
are infinite, few rules are inviolable), I agree with you that a clear,
direct connection to a business need is a superb driver.

My company, having just completed a successful two-year ISO 9001
implementation effort, is now more actively deploying TQ ideas and tools
into the organization. We are finding that "just-in-time" training is
effective. When a team is tackling a problem, they are also ripe for
learning how to use a KJ, or collect data using check sheets, and
completing the 7-Step Problem Solving Method.

There's a side of me that grows bleary-eyed after reading more than twelve
or so of our usually abstruse entries (responsibility for this adjective
is wholly mine). I wear contact lenses, and after 20 minutes in an air
conditioned store or shopping "Mall" or "estate" something in the air
makes my eyes go bonkers. I want to buy what I need at the moment and get
out.

Browsing is crucial if I want to see what else there is outside my realm
of experience which might add some better dimension to my life. A new and
outrageous necktie; a bottle stopper which maintains the soda fizz; a
device which cuts water usage in half in lavatory fixtures; a particularly
brilliant and unexpected flower to bring to a Friend.

But I'm a just-in-time kind of guy. I strain in the unconventional air.
My eyes tear. Well, perhaps it's simply that I want instant
gratification, like most business people, eh?

There. I've tried hard to yank at the rug beneath our LO feet. Nothing
will topple, but the tremblor is worth noting, especially since ivory
towers are usually built of stone, not the more flexible wood.

--
Best regards,
Barry Mallis
bmallis@markem.com