I caught an article on the front page of the WSJ yesterday that was just fascinating. It talked about how the "hand-off" of patients from surgical theatre to ward or from ward to ward was not done well at most hospitals - indeed, it was implicated in a lot of post-surgery complications - and how some doctors at an English hospital who were Ferrari fans had received advice from Ferrari on how to improve the process.
Very interesting article and some principles that could be used in a lot of our work environments. I'm a firm believer in standardizing roles as much as possible so that an organization can grow and staff know exactly what they are doing on a given day.
More time seems to be wasted with people either working on the wrong project or doing work in the wrong order. I strongly recommend The E-Myth Revisited for a well-written explanation of how to optimize any start-up business.
I'm running what amounts to a startup group in my agency right now and find myself going back to these principles in an attempt to build a sound infrastructure for growth.
Posted by artandscience at November 15, 2006 08:36 AM