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What Breaking the 4-Minute Mile Taught Us About the Limits of Conventional Thinking

Harvard Business

Whether it’s an executive, an entrepreneur, or a technologist, some innovator changes the game, and that which was thought to be unreachable becomes a benchmark, something for others to shoot for. Was there a genetic engineering experiment that created a new race of super runners? What changed was the mental model.

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How People Analytics Can Help You Change Process, Culture, and Strategy

Harvard Business

The people analytics team was surprised — as was finance team in that country, which had no reason to benchmark themselves against other countries and had no idea that they were such a bright spot. One people analytics team in an engineering company was struggling to help develop the company’s managers, for example.

Culture 141
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Five Ways to Spur Lean in the Office

Markovitz Consulting

If meeting takt time is not an issue—for example, in closing the books at the end of the month— then measure and benchmark the time it takes to perform those tasks and challenge the team to figure out how to do them faster. How long does the item of work—an invoice, a customer order, an engineering change order, etc.—sit

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Our engineering ratchet

Seth Godin Blog

Quietly, over the last thirty years, engineering has become dramatically more efficient and effective. Insulated glass, cars that don't break down, keyboards with just the right feel to them… Mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering are all moving faster than ever.

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Brews, News and Booz & Company: Interview and Culture Insights

Management Consulted

Booz, Business Engineering Service; Edwin G. Most recently, Booz & Company acquired Management Engineers , based in Dusseldorf, Germany. We call what eventually became Booz affectionately, “the firm” because it went through so many name changes till it became what it is now. Booz Surveys; Booz, Fry, Allen & Hamilton; and more.

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If Your Company Isn’t Good at Analytics, It’s Not Ready for AI

Harvard Business

With automated pricing engines, insurers and banks can roll out new offers as fast as online competitors. One traditional insurer, for instance, shifted from updating its quotes every several days to every 15 minutes by simply automating the processes that collect benchmark pricing data.

Company 134
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Is the Confidence Gap Between Men and Women a Myth?

Harvard Business

If employee warmth desired — as might be healthy for a collaborative organizational culture — it should be made an explicit benchmark in employee development, hiring, and evaluation for men as well as women. Highlight a wider array of role models.

Talent 132