LEAN ADMINISTRATION - LEAN ENTERPRISE GOING NOWHERE

Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you're riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. By David R. Dixon

"It takes extraordinary courage and a deliberate disregard for income opportunities to tell a client that our very effective set of continuous improvement tools is not the answer to their declining revenue, sagging profits, or stagnation--that becoming better, faster, cheaper is simply not enough to create or preserve the company's future."

Better, Faster, Cheaper
TCA uses a mental model that we call the Competition Quad to help our clients drive continuous improvement. Lean Manufacturing Technology, Total Organization Commitment, Total Resource Management, and Six Sigma make up the Competition Quad.
The best companies in the world use these powerful tools to hone their business processes and to achieve extraordinary performance. However, even when applied with great skill and tenacity, these techniques will not substitute for sound, strong business strategies.

The Conundrum
There lies the source of concern… an abiding, healthy uncertainty regarding our clients’ strategies. At times, it seems to us that a client is in perilous condition —delivering obsolete (or nearly obsolete) products or services to rapidly shrinking markets, often in industries convulsing with change. The handwriting, it appears, is on the wall.
Working with these companies, we struggle with the role we’re asked to play. In the best and most gratifying instances, attentive executives use our services to begin a real strategic transformation. In the worst cases, we could instead collude with the client in a valiant effort to do the wrong things more efficiently.

It takes extraordinary courage and a deliberate disregard for income opportunities to tell a client that our very effective set of continuous improvement tools is not the answer to their declining revenue, sagging profits, or stagnation—that becoming better, faster, and cheaper is simply not enough to create or preserve the company’s future.
Yet, this is never an easy call to make. There’s no crystal ball that reveals when a company’s strategic position is so dysfunctional that it cannot be rescued or improved. Often the opposite is true. We’ve used our techniques to great effect to revitalize companies in shrinking, “old economy” industries. We have also worked with clients who, in the course of pursuing continuous improvement, have challenged their industry’s competitive status quo and seemingly stumbled upon strategies that work.

Our Promise
Here is TCA’s promise to you. We will always, at a minimum, test the effectiveness of your strategies and examine your strategic position to the extent possible before suggesting rollout of a continuous improvement program. If we’re concerned that your strategy cannot succeed even through the Competition Quad, we will plainly (and tactfully) discuss our concerns with you so we can, together, decide how to proceed.
Our goal for you is to be sure the competencies we develop or enhance can ensure survival, growth, and profitability.