With lean thinking, the value stream can best be understood from the standpoint of the customer. After all, as we previously discussed, it’s the customer that defines value. Thus, it’s the customer that defines the value stream. The value stream is everything the combines together to make the product or service the customer pays money…
All lean thinking begins with value as the basis. Lean defines value from the customer’s perspective. Whatever you think is worthwhile or important is irrelevant. What matters is what the customer thinks. And, more specifically, what the customer is willing to pay you to do (which is at the essence of value). Beginning with the…
I’ve never seen myself as a perfectionist. I’ve often fancied myself a carefree, gun-slinging decision-maker who pushes the limits and takes risks. This has been true at times. But more often, I’m paralyzed with indecision, afraid to get things wrong. More often, I let tasks hang out in my inbox for weeks, turning them over…
When you become a dad, you become a teacher. You teach your kid about colors and numbers and animals and the alphabet and that you shouldn’t eat dead flies you find lying on the ground. When my kid gets older, I’ll teach him about more difficult concepts, like politics, religion, money, and sex. While imperfect,…
When I was growing up, my mother, a saintly woman who managed to raise and homeschool myself and my eight siblings, used to often teach us how to apologize to one another. With nine children, there were often sibling disputes and conflicts to be resolved. These conflicts ranged from the inoccuous (“Daniel won’t share his…
The Legend of El Dorado, the mythical town of legend where the streets and buildings are made from solid gold, has captured the imaginations of greedy, poor bastards like myself for centuries. The idea that somewhere there’s a place of unimaginable wealth has leaked its way from legend and into faiths and religious beliefs. The…
Brand-new research out of South Korea suggests companies seeking to gain a competitive edge should focus on increasing perceptions of organizational procedural justice. The study included 400 surveys from full-time employees in Korean organizations, but its implications for business in the West extends far beyond the shores of the Korean Strait. The research was particular…
Once in college I went to the gym. And then I never went again. I decided that me and the gym just weren’t meant to be. My decision was aided partially because I felt deeply uncomfortable there. In college, there’s a lot of super ripped dudes showing off for the ladies. As hyper-skinny, tall, lanky guy, I…
Daniel Diffenderfer 