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News, articles, books, podcasts, and videos about how to make the workplace better.
Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation
Beyond Tools: the mindset that drives real problem solving
Many operational excellence practitioners and organizations rely on a set of tools or a problem-solving framework and then stop there. Sometimes basic tools are sufficient, but other times they fail, leading organizations to conclude that the approach “doesn't work here.” Why does this happen? Because the most effective solutions stem from how you think, act, and lead, not just from the method itself.
Hospitals still harm people…
In 2007, I vividly recall a moment that nearly triggered a leadership upheaval at a hospital where I worked. The CEO courageously stated that patients were being harmed during their hospital stays. Clinical leaders took offense, but the facts were undeniable. Every day, there were preventable falls, medication errors, infections, and other types of harm. The CEO wasn't implying that staff were intentionally negligent. Instead, he highlighted that the current systems and working conditions were poorly designed. He emphasized that these issues could be solved. Some leaders agreed and even volunteered to help improve the situation.
Fast forward nearly 20 years. Today, transparency about the risks of harm in hospitals is no longer shocking. Yet, the problem of hospital-acquired harm remains alarmingly widespread. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, in 2024-25, one in 17 hospitalizations–about 153,000 patients–suffered preventable harm. The situation is likely even worse, as under-reporting is common. Despite years of efforts, progress has been minimal. We owe it to patients, families, and healthcare providers to do much better.
…but some hospitals get everyone involved
Over ten years ago, I had the privilege of visiting UMass Memorial in Worcester, Massachusetts, to learn how they involve employees directly in improving processes and working conditions. I was struck by how different their approach was from most hospitals. Instead of relying on consultant reports, unfunded committees, or education campaigns to remind staff of best practices, they prioritized systemic engagement and empowered their employees to drive change.
At the same time, I had seen many improvement initiatives in other hospitals quickly fade away within months. These efforts often focused on quick fixes without the sustained leadership and commitment needed to foster real change within a system.
So, how has UMass Memorial fared over more than a decade? They now have nearly 200,000 frontline improvement ideas and have invested millions in grants to turn those ideas into action. I hope others continue to learn from Dr. Dickson and the dedicated team at UMass Memorial. Their model shows what is possible when frontline staff are truly empowered to lead improvement.
…and there's more encouraging signs in surgery
The theme of the 2025 ACS Quality and Safety Conference was “embracing change and the future of quality” attended by over 1500 surgeons where they discussed improving quality through better use of data, AI, and better reimbursement models. But notably, keynote speakers shared about the importance of communication and culture to quality, learning from crew management practices from fighter jet pilot and retired Navy captain Jack Becker, as well as the importance of frontline employee involvement in championing improvement in the OR.
Pet Peeve: Unlabeled charts
In today's era of Power BI and abundant data, I find myself interpreting charts more than ever at work. Early in my career, I was fortunate to have a leader who set high standards for creating great charts. He introduced me to Edward Tufte's work and the core principles of presenting quantitative data effectively. Over time, my appreciation for clear, well-annotated charts has only deepened, especially in a world flooded with automated “chartjunk.” While elegant design is important, at the very least, charts should be properly labeled. Michel Baudin reminds all analysts to label your charts.
Creating a Culture of Improvement
Being too busy means your strategy sucks
Strategy is about making choices, and that includes choosing what not to do. Tiffani Bova and Roger Martin remind us all that busyness is not the same as creating value and discuss how subtraction is the new superower on Playing to Win Practitioner insights episode 6.
Leaders: slow down and ask better questions
Most leaders have a bias for action. It's probably what got them noticed and promoted. Yet we all have endured the consequences of jumping to superficial solutions rather than taking the time to actually solve the real problem. Become a question-first leader to uncover the power of deep leadership inquiry.
Create a marketplace for ideas
Ideas are a plentiful and low-cost resource that many companies overlook for various reasons. I mentioned UMass Memorial earlier as an example of how a marketplace of ideas can be powerful. The costs are minimal, but the potential benefits are enormous. So, why don't more organizations tap into an idea marketplace? Common obstacles include weak management, organizational silos, excessive bureaucracy, and the effort required to evaluate ideas. To establish an effective idea marketplace, you need a well-designed process for generating, assessing, and implementing ideas. It also requires decentralizing decision-making and creating an environment that encourages innovation and recognizes contributions.
Coaching – Developing Self & Others
The key norm for high-performing teams
You've built a team with diverse talent and carefully selected members based on their strong interpersonal skills to ensure good collaboration. Despite this, the team struggles. They compete against one another, communicate poorly, and form exclusive groups. Why does this happen? What is missing?
High-performing teams need more than shared goals, talent, and interpersonal skills. They must have the ability to truly understand and connect with each other on a deeper level. The most effective teams I have worked with or led shared this trait. For more insights, listen to Coaching for Leaders episode 753: The Key Norm of a High Performing Team, with Vanessa Druskat.
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If you’re working to build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, solve problems, and improve every day, I’d be glad to help. Let’s talk about how to strengthen Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement in your organization.
I love the UMass Memorial story and what they’ve done over a decade plus…
Here’s my podcast with him from 2015:
Eric Dickson on Leading UMass Memorial Through Crisis with Lean and Kaizen
The KaiNexus team loves having UMass as a customer, using our continuous improvement software platform to support and document their improvement work.