Systems Thinking
“The bottom line of systems thinking is leverage – seeing where actions and changes in structures can lead to significant, enduring improvements.”
(Senge 1990, p. 114) Read more
Concept Maps
Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge.
They include:
- Concepts – usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and
- Relationships between concepts – indicated by a connecting line linking two concepts.
Theory of Constraints Logic Trees
The Theory of Constraints, or ‘constraints management’ focuses efforts on finding and exploiting the true leverage points of a system for maximum effectiveness.
Theory of Constraints Basics
At its heart, the Theory of Constraints (TOC) searches for the fundamental constraints of a system… its root causes…
“A system’s constraint is nothing more than what we feel to be expressed by these words: anything that limits a system from achieving higher performance versus its goal.â” (Goldratt 1988, p. 453, 1990, p. 4)
In this way, TOC allows us to target critical leverage points, or bottlenecks, within the system at hand.
“The TOC approach epitomises systems thinking: a philosophy that recognises that the whole is much more than the sum of its parts, and that a complex web of interrelationships exist within the system.” (Mabin and Balderstone 2003, p. 570) Read more
Exemplary business management (video)
First Solar grew from a 50 person company into a 1,500 person company in 5 years with further large scale growth in the pipeline.
Watch this eye opening presentation to find out how.
Introducing TOC-Marketing to clients
Some thoughts on the matter of introducing TOC Marketing… (posted on LinkedIn TOC Marketing group here.)
Undesirable Effects
Here’s a few expressed UDEs.
* Despite the logic of TOC, getting sufficient interest by the client to evaluate a solution and then make a change is not an easy sale.
How To Create A Mafia Offer
First, a Mafia Offer is a value proposition that:
your market category finds compelling possibly to the point of disbelief, and
your competitors are incapable of competing against it.
Is such a thing possible?
Discussing Theory of Constraints in Service Based Organizations
In a Linked-in thread on TOC in Services, Richard said:
“…how would one apply ToC to an organization where it is project and service-based, but almost all of the services on any given “project” are handled by a single resource (a consultant)?
Crafting Your Mafia Offer In-Situ to Re-Invigorate Business Growth
Combining my approach as a copywriter with my love of Theory of Constraints methodology provides us with a powerful blueprint for developing Mafia Offers (the irrefusable offer for your marketing)
Theory Of Constraints Simulation Cartoon
Just found a great cartoon demo which explains some of the basic principles of the Theory of Constraints.
