Hierarchies are ingrained in the western way of thinking. Dating back to ancient civilizations, entire countries were ruled by all-knowing monarchs, with different levels of leadership falling beneath them. Whatever these people in power said was the truth became law. Traditional business structures aren’t much different. Many Western entrepreneurs and business owners take pride in
Continue reading »Companies live and die based on the investments they make. Invest in the right people, programs, practices and equipment and the business will likely succeed. On the flip side, investing poorly can lead an organization to failure. This is especially true in today's economy, where budget is a real issue and companies can't afford to
Continue reading »There are three different learning types: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Most people are some combination of the three, although they may prefer one type over the other two. According to Prime Infographics, the majority of workers (65 percent) are visual learners, meaning they associate concepts and knowledge with visuals they saw when they first learned
Continue reading »Companies across the globe are waking up to the benefits of Lean and Kaizen. Whether they are in the healthcare sector or the manufacturing industry, they know about the advantages Lean can bring to the table, from increased efficiency and reduced expenses to greater sustainability. As a result, business leaders around the world are looking
Continue reading »Technology has grown increasingly common in modern work environments. At the very least, there are any number of personal computers and laptops that businesses use for communication and other work-related purposes. At some companies, employees may get complimentary smartphones or are provided with tablets to use for presentations or on business trips. This broader availability
Continue reading »The barriers to leveraging technology are getting smaller and smaller. Hardware and equipment is growing more versatile and at less cost, which means any business can afford devices such as computers and smartphones. Additionally, communication channels such as the internet are also evolving, with users able to communicate in real-time and download information instantly. Finally,
Continue reading »When businesses develop and launch training programs, the concepts of these educational courses tend to be abstract. Managers and leaders want to bestow the skills and knowledge that new hires or recently promoted employees need to succeed in their new jobs, but they don't always know the best way to achieve these end goals. “Training”
Continue reading »Competition is a very real threat to many modern-day businesses. This is especially the case given how the internet has figuratively shrunk the size of the world. Now, it isn't unusual for customers in one country to buy products and services from somewhere else in the world. For businesses, this means that competition has never
Continue reading »Training matters. The quality of businesses' educational initiatives can determine how quickly fresh hires and existing employees adjust to new tasks and positions. Poor training programs may result in greater downtime and less productivity, while highly effective ones may do just the opposite. So, the question many business owners ask themselves is this: How can
Continue reading »Japan is the home of the Kaizen philosophy and practices that many manufacturers uphold today. Kaizen was popularized by Toyota founder Sakichi Toyoda in the 1940s and has since become a common practice in companies throughout Japan. Now, as foreign businesses look to integrate Kaizen, many have considered making the long trek to Japan to
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