“Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.” — Verywellmind Typically, we associate this behavioral issue with individual humans. Yet, aren’t organization comprised of human beings? Well at least until the AI robots take over. There can be many issues causing individual and collective angst and some
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” – Richard Feynman “I am the science.” You have got to be kidding me Mr. Fauci. Clearly, you have no training in the Scientific Method or maybe your just plan arrogant. Home many lives have you and you colleagues destroyed,
With a Big Smile and a hand stretched out, customers are greeted as if they are long lost cousins. Sound like the used car sales guy of the 1950″s? Perhaps, but still fairly typical today in many cases. So how does one assess the honesty of a business executive, sales representative, customer service or anyone
The days of the so-called gentlemen’s/gentlewoman’s handshake agreement are over if they ever truly existed. One of the most famous handshake deals was the 1983 acquisition of Getty Oil by Pennzoil. Texaco sought to sweeten the deal with a superior offer that Getty accepted. The original deal made in New York was later upheld in the
The word Systemic is tossed around quite loosely these days. Especially when discussing social issues and politics. But what does it really mean when we say something is systemic by nature? By one definition it is, “Of or relating to a system or a system and other relating to or affecting the entire body or
Are Leaders born or made? I was the executive officer for an air defense (military) battery. The battery Commanding Officer was not someone I would walk across the street to follow. At the same time, there was a three star general that I would have followed to hell and back. A one star general I
Why, How, When or Does It Matter? It seems at times we have more questions than answers. And, sometimes the questions seem unanswerable. Yet we continue to seek a response. I guess it is the human nature that makes us so inquisitive. Certainly the advent of the Internet has changed the very nature of research–which all
Listen closely and pay attention as our menu has changed. The frustration to the automated phone operator are legend. All of us have had our issues with this form of (non) customer service. Recently this pundit placed a call at a number provided by the vendor and went though all the (voice) menu items, only
According to no less than the Cleveland Clinic, ” Studies (regarding multitasking) show it makes us less efficient and more prone to errors.” Cleveland Clinic goes on to make the case: When tasks are easy and routine such as, “like listening to music while walking, or folding laundry while watching TV,” these are generally not
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage but are these laudables premature? Is it in really Artificial Unintelligence (AU) or just latest manifestation of the 30+ year old Expert System and a passing fad? Recently, none the less than Google (parent Alphabet) suffered a $100 billion market setback when their AI strategy suffered a lack
Burr! Its winter in the northern hemisphere and many shiver from the cold. The ‘Many’ include batteries. We have know for generations that cold weather negatively affects electrical batteries. So, it should come as no surprise that Electric Vehicles (EVs) performance can suffer greatly when the temperatures are extremely cold. This phenomenon is not limited
Once Again Organizational Safety Cultures Have Failed. Why Does This Keep Happening? The controversial Normal Accident Theory suggests that in complex systems accidents are enviable. So it would seem with continued major disruptions in Critical Infrastructure Sectors. We have argued that this is not necessarily correct. Systemic Safety Culture Following the Deepwater Horizon incident in
Organizational Conflict may not be visible. Passive Aggressive executives may not exhibit the classic signs of stress. The stresses of everyday business are well understood by those in that mix. Each individual has an agenda based on his/her personal desires as well as organizational job description and target (goal) requirements. By definition, this puts all
The (credited to) Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times” was once reframed by a colleague of mine. He suggested, “May we live in less interesting times.” His statement was made years ago in yet another major economic downturn. Today, we are living in the turmoil of economic inflation as well as civil unrest,
How many times have you seen someone do something incredibly stupid, even risking their life? What a turkey! Story goes that Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the American National Bird. Almost 250 years later, this bird often carries a different connotation. Often maligned, this tasty fowl has its day once a year. Even two are
Incredible!! The level of hate as shown on any media today is just that, incredible. Thieving, beating, sexual abusing and murdering seem taken as the “New Normal.” Young people are throwing away future careers as they appear in the omnipresent media shouting hate towards one group. Wearing masks simply make them look like common criminals.
According to one source, “The (Halloween) tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.” Is your organization dressing up to fight for an old dead culture? The Answer is NO, Even if it Kills Me!! Decades an organization I know well acquired
In our forthcoming book, “Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making” we coined the term, Valid, Reliable and Timely (VRT). “This term identifies all data dimensions including its temporal component.” Check Up When we go to the doctor we expect that the information conferred by this professional is Correct, Consistent with the current
President George H.W. Bush famously quipped, “Read my lips: No new taxes.” He went on to raise taxes and many believed this contributed to the reason he did not serve a second term. Another famous saying, in 1971 an automobile engine oil filter manufacturer heavily advertised their product using the threat, “You can pay me
Remote Working was once heralded as the ‘New Normal,’ many employers are now less enamored with this business model. Having worked remotely in one way or another since the early 1980s, this pundit had some reservations when the tidal wave of glee over the opportunity to stay home and work in your robe or even
“Per McKinsey research from June 2022, nearly 70 percent of the top economic performers, compared with just half of their peers, are using their own software to differentiate themselves from their competitors.” McKinsey went on to state that: Digital products are driving the need to embed software across the board Increasingly, more value is being
When asked when something is needed, how many of us have heard or even said, “I need it yesterday?” Our world is turning faster all the time. The now quaint old phrase, “Internet is like dog years. One human year is equal to seven Internet years” now seems like slow motion. Change is all around us
A recent TEXT from a possible vendor did not identified himself as a referral. I did not pay any attention to it and both of us missed an opportunity. In our social media age with its shorthand, i.e. HRU, much can be lost in the exchange. Like most of us I am bombarded with those
Today, those of us in the United States and indeed many other parts of the world celebrate the 247th year of Freedom. Generally, freedom is seen as a function of speech, religion, lifestyle choices and even entrepreneurship. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt proposed Four Fundamental Freedoms: Freedom of Speech Freedom of Worship Freedom from Want
In one case, a new cell phone (2023 purchase) went dead. The replacement and the subsequent replacement did the same thing. Now on the 4th phone, a work around has been found. The promise of technology is legendary. However, the hype is often over the top and not a statement of realty. The movement towards, MVP
Over 200,000 members of the US Armed Forces are discharged and return to civilian life ever year. Some will have difficulties with this transition. In 1970 this military ‘brat’ graduated from North Georgia College (a military school) and served four years in the US Army. In 1974, this business ‘clueless’ individual entered the civilian workforce.
The first thing a statistician, data scientist, medical researcher, engineer, social scientist or anyone depending on data is to assess its quality. As of this writing, the recent release of the Durham Report suggests that the FBI was lax in their assessment of the alleged Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election cycle. This resulted
Seems we live in a world of FAKE. How do you know what is fake and what is not? A recent article described certain activities in Silicon Valley as the end of fake. The point being that in the recent VC heyday, some have feed the market crap and taken advantage of the Greed is
Hard to believe that 13 years ago the offshore oil and gas industry changed forever. On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, later sank. “Approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the Gulf, the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.” One recent LinkedIn comment suggested that nothing had changed
We are pleased to announce the publication of our new book, Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability. The first sentence in the Abstract of Chapter 2, Operational Technologies reads, “There is a lot of information about ‘Smart Manufacturing’ albeit precious little information about its implementation and ongoing sustainability. Without a set of
