1st Edition

Compression Meeting the Challenges of Sustainability Through Vigorous Learning Enterprises

By Robert W. Hall Copyright 2010
268 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Productivity Press

280 Pages
by Productivity Press

COMPRESSION: Meeting the Challenges of Sustainability Through Vigorous Learning Enterprises sounds a clarion that we cannot afford to ignore. Global crises are squeezing us from all directions. Mostly they have to do with not enough: not enough natural resources to maintain our standard of living, not enough carbon rich soil to grow crops enough to feed the world, not enough fresh clean water,... Read more

Introduction

Chapter 1 Understanding the Challenges of Compression

Challenge #1: Resource Shortages

Fossil Energy

Fresh Water

Challenge #2: A Precarious Environment

Honeybees

Freon and the Ozone Hole

Oceanic Plankton

Challenge #3: Excessive Consumption

Challenge #4: Pushback from the Have-Nots

Challenge #5: Self-Learning Work Organizations

Meeting the Challenges

Vigorous Learning Organizations

Health Care as an Example

Rethinking Expansionary Assumptions

Taking on the Challenges of Compression Endnotes

Chapter 2 Learning from Toyota

The Toyota Way

The Toyota Production System

TPS Techniques

Objective of TPS: Eliminate Waste

Creating a TPS Learning System

The Role of Standard Work in Kaizen

The Seedbed: An Economic Microcosm

Ohno’s Method

Toyota’s Supplier Association

The Toyota Product Development System

Expert Engineering Workforce

Responsibility-Based System

Set-Based Engineering

The Chief Engineer

Ethnic Culture and The Toyota Way

Lean Manufacturing

Learning and Work Culture

Lessons from Toyota Today Endnotes

Chapter 3 Learning to Learn

Improving Your Learning Processes

Part 1: Individual Learning

Neural Learning Mechanisms

“Natural” Learning

The Limits of Rationality

Integrative Learning

Absolutism and Denial

Part 2: Compression of Process Learning

A Broader Definition of Waste

Big-Step Innovative Learning

The Implications of Learning Curves

Compression and Increasing Complexity

Energy, Information, and Process Learning

A Tree Doesn’t Grow to the Moon

Scientific Learning

Self-Similar Scientific Process Learning at Work

Broadening Your View of Waste

Mapping Your Opportunities

Life-Cycle Analysis

Practicalities of Measurement

Action Steps to Start Learning

Part 3: Organizational Learning

Creating a Learning Language

Innovative Learning

Forming Bonds of Trust

Higher Context Learning

Endnotes

Chapter 4 Dispelling Our Expansionary Habits

Compressed in the Cosmos

The Blinding Mind-Set

Dysfunctional Assumptions

Unlimited Growth

Economy of Scale

Short-Term Bias

Results Bias

Specialization and Inflexibility

Fragmentation and Tribalism

Inability to Simplify Complexity

Complacency and Panic

Commodity Traps

Market Rationality

Model Fixation

Ownership Dominance

Money as the Common Language

Inability to Simplify Complexity

Commercial Competition; Commercial Reciprocity

Health Care and Bioscience

Commercial Journalism

Spin Doctoring

Commercial Conflict and Reciprocity

Questioning the System

Endnotes

Chapter 5 Creating Vigorous Learning Enterprises Vigorous Learning Enterprise Overview

Common Mission and Goals

Behavioral Skill Building

Change the Environment, Change the Behavior

On Becoming Professional

An Integrated Learning System

Metaperception

Roles of Core Leadership

External Leadership

Leadership: Sustaining Trust

Leadership: Developing Others

Leadership: Defending a Learning Culture

Performance Measurement

Compressing Your Learning Processes Endnotes

Chapter 6 Developing the Constitution for Vigorous Learning

Deep Challenges

Toward a Stronger Constitution

Why This Approach?

A Global Tribe

Implications of Tribalism at Work

Trust and Tribal Bonding

A Process Theory of Value

Problems with Existing Theories of Value

Attempts to Overcome Weaknesses

What a Process Theory of Value Must Do

Process Evaluation

New Considerations

New Consideration: Accumulations

New Consideration: Life-Cycle Energy

New Consideration: Life-Cycle Operations

New Consideration: Thermodynamic Currency

Implications of a Process Theory of Value

Thermodynamic Efficiency

Financing Missions

Rapid Adaptability

Allocation of Commodities or Permits

Flat Age Demographic Profile

Employment and Unemployment

Little Distinction between Profit, Nonprofit, and Government Work Organizations

An End to Hot Wars Using Resource-Intensive Weaponry

Auditing Vigorous Learning

Committing to the Learning Constitution

Endnote

About the Author

Index

Biography

A founding member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, Robert W. Hall, Ph.D., is the Professor Emeritus of Operations Management at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, and the Editor-in Chief of Target Magazine.

Strategic leaders of private and public organizations in the 21st century are faced with unprecedented challenges. The principles and practices that helped them compete and grow in the past, no longer work. … Many of the problems are beyond complicated. They are problems generated by interlinked systems that prevent us from clearly defining the root cause. Their resolution requires reflection on the assumptions of the past and counter intuitive thinking.

In the 1980s and 90s Robert Hall (Doc) helped North American manufacturing and service companies address the competitive challenges of imports. Doc was a thought leader, articulator, and guide to hundreds of CEOs, presidents, operations managers and process engineers on the principles and practices of Lean, continuous improvement, and productivity.

Today, with Compression, Doc gives us a new perspective on the challenges of the 21st century. He gives strategic leaders a way to put their arms around the complex issues facing their companies, markets, and communities.

Compression is a practical management tool. Strategic leaders should not labor under the misconception that they will learn by reading this book. It is through using what they read that the real and important learning will occur.
—John (Jack) Ward, former CEO, Gabor International

Learning how to survive in this new Era of Sustainability will require a new way of thinking and working ... . Compression: doing more with less of everything by becoming a vigorous learning organization.
—Glenn Marshall, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Benchmarking & Sustainability Champion