Running healthcare organizations is no easy task. Everyone from doctors to secretaries frequently needs to juggle a variety of tasks at any given moment. At major hospitals, the chaos of everyday operations is even more apparent. Busy waiting rooms, unhappy patients and stressed staff are common occurrences due to the pace of work at these
Continue reading »Leadership is a difficult thing to train for. Management classes and seminars can help, but when it comes down to it, developing successful leadership skills is a matter of getting the requisite experience. All the business tools and strategies in the world can't replace real-life management experience and being in the front lines of a real
Continue reading »How do I engage my employees? For many businesses, that's the million-dollar question to which they are still trying to find the answer. While there may be no clear cut ways of truly engaging and empowering workers, employers should always be on the lookout for signs that their workforce is unengaged – this is much easier to
Continue reading »The software development industry has traditionally used a set of practices called the Agile method, which calls companies to respond to changes instead of following plans and collaborate with customers. However, many developers are now beginning to see the overlap between the Agile methodology and Lean manufacturing practices, and are beginning to implement both as
Continue reading »K. Girdharlal International, a diamond company that employs more than 2,000 people at its factory in India, has identified Lean manufacturing practices as being pivotal in the business' efforts to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. Up until recently, K. Girdharlal had been using more traditional top-down management techniques. However, the organization is now looking to continuously
Continue reading »The benefits of Lean are manifold – companies using these mindsets and practices are able to reduce waste, improve efficiency and effectively engage their employees. As such, many businesses are now considering undergoing Kaizen transformations in an effort to embrace these new operational strategies and philosophies. Lean is a major driver of change and can
Continue reading »Businesses are always looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint, with the hope that doing so will improve their reputation amongst consumers. A 2011 report from Cohn & Wolfe 60 percent of consumers globally would rather buy products from environmentally responsible companies, highlighting the fact that going green can help businesses secure more sales. The
Continue reading »If businesses asked consumers what the most frustrating part of the brand-customer relationship is, having to deal with customer service over the phone would likely be towards the top of the list. Although many companies have invested substantial resources into their call centers, many are still characterized by customers spending hours at a time waiting
Continue reading »Amazon is one of the most prominent retailers in the world, handling billions of dollars worth of transactions and delivering millions of products to consumers every year. It goes without saying that Amazon's warehouses are tremendously efficient to handle all of that activity without missing a beat, even in traditionally busy times for retailers such
Continue reading »When patients think of doctor appointments and visiting specialists at hospitals, the first thing that often comes to mind is long waiting times in cramped lobbies. Although many doctors do what they can to limit this problem, the fact of the matter is that setting up for patients can be a very time-consuming and exact
Continue reading »
