This Focused Performance Weblog is a "business management blog" containing links and commentary related primarily to organizational effectiveness with a "Theory of Constraints" perspective. TOC is noted for its applications in Project Management and Multi-Project Management (Critical Chain) and Operations Management (Drum-Buffer-Rope), as well as in Marketing, Strategic Planning and Change Management (TOC Thinking Processes). If you are on an archive page, current postings are found here.
"Innovation is thinking outside of the box. Growth is accomplished by adapting to an ever larger set of boxes"
Innovation is looking at and addressing the constraints that either keep you in a box, or keep you from growing it.
These constraints are typically perpetuated by conflicts, which are perpetuated by erroneous assumptions or paradigms, which can be addressed using the TOC Thinking Process known as the "Evaporating Cloud." Also known as a conflict cloud or a conflict resolution diagram, this is a logical tool whose purpose is to identify the elements of a conflict or dilemma t facilitate the development of non-compromise, win-win solutions. The process relies on surfacing underlying assumptions which, though initially accepted as valid, may not be so. The invalidation and or replacement of these assumptions "evaporates" the conflict.
Although useful on its own, this technique is also integrated into a Current Reality Tree, because seemingly insurmountable problems identified in the CRT are often due to an underlying conflict or dilemma -- like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. When used in this way, the Evaporating Cloud results in a breakthrough idea which can be tested for its utility and fleshed out into a complete solution.
I don't think this is exactly what Jay meant by the title of his note, but it's what I got from it.
posted by Frank - Permanent Link -
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