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Every situation is different: Why I love contingency theory, but not how it is sometimes used.
“It depends” is by far one of my favorite answers when someone asks if they should do something. The answer to the questions asked are dependent on what they are trying to achieve and what their current reality is, which they have a far better understanding of than I ever could possibly have. There is…
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Why ask why?
I tend to ask why a lot (especially for someone who isn’t under 5). Sometimes when I note the importance of why people think I am a ‘lean zealot’ obsessed with getting to the root cause via my 5 whys, which isn’t it. It is seeking to understand: Why do we do what we do?…
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PhD: 7 years of thinking
I was very fortunate to have the luxury to spend seven years thinking deeply while pursuing my PhD. My dissertation title is: “A Contingency Theory Approach to the Deployment of Lean Principles: The Case of Advanced Research and Complex Product Development Environments.” The non-academic version of the title: There is no best way: Every situation…