Flanders Fields

  Assumptions we make define the quality of our thoughts leading to actions!! I recently had to carry out a certain math calculation, while appearing for an exam. It was not particularly difficult and I got the result in due time. But it did not sound right. I did sums, subtractions and divisions over and over and the result did not change. It was correct. Yet... it just could not be. Finally, I realized where the mistake was. I had started from a wrong assumption! As the starting point was wrong, all the subsequent operations, although they were carried out exactly, could not give the suitable result. This has been the premise of Rasmussen’s (1983) ‘rule-based error’ theory. If the ‘rule’ is studied without considering its ‘scope and limitations’, one tends to make a mistake by applying it incorrectly. A key ‘deployment’ aspect of any administered procedure/system is the ‘Scope’ and ‘Context’, to which it is developed. In spite, of a high ‘capacity’ system if the ‘assumptions’ are...

  Accepting the ‘real’ problem always precedes solution finding. The key aspect in ‘Kaizen’ approach to continuous improvement is not merely ‘finding’ the problem but to confirm, display, understand and accept to ‘clear’ it. This is the point where decision-making skills play an important role. We often tend to follow our instincts and have a kneejerk reaction to issues in our daily lives, which is likely to lead to ineffective solutions. Instincts have a very limited role in objectively defining the problem areas. It's better if we stop and give ourselves sufficient time to relax, reflect, wait for clarifying the problems and a possible solution to manifest. This essentially means to 'respond' to a problem rather than 'reacting' to it. Only after confirming and accepting the real problem, opportunities for improvement can be decided. The latter process requires a detailed deliberation. Proceed step by step. We cannot have the “whole” plan displayed in front of us i...

  ‘Feeling safe’ is very subjective and an indispensable need that everyone shares with the rest of mankind. Abraham Maslow has placed this at the second level of his hierarchy of needs. It’s indeed an inherent and vital component to live well and every human knows and works to secure their own physical and mental integrity. The problem arises when such need is jeopardized by some possible circumstances. What to do? There is no definite answer. Many steps can be taken in securing one's own personal affairs, but sometimes settling/fixing "things" might not be enough. The ‘feeling’ of safety goes beyond material stuff (physical needs). Having enough money to live comfortably is a good starting point... But a deeper inner feeling is necessary to make you relax and stop worrying about the future. Such a feeling can be fostered by the intuition of a greater 'plan' that exists beyond your physical perception. A plan that makes everything 'be well' in the end. Fo...

  We come across different type of personalities in our daily lives both at work as well as in personal spaces. Some believe in always keeping a relaxed attitude and tend to take everything easy. They don't worry, they willingly accept whatever or whoever comes along. They certainly are pleasant to be with. On the other hand, others choose to be vigilant, keeping a careful watch for danger or difficulties. The former are more optimist, the latter much less so. Which attitude is the best? No definite choice, here. It mainly depends on one's own nature because certain innate characteristics cannot be ignored in anyone's personality. Being relaxed certainly makes you live more cheerfully, less stressed. But it can also lead you towards laziness and carelessness. Being constantly alert will keep you busy and active, paying attention to and keeping updated with everything that is going on. But it may also make you apprehensive and strung up. The best way is always the middle one...

  All planned and thought out channges happens only after careful assessments and acceptance of the 'need' to change. Be it a business or a personal decision. We need to ask a simple question to ourselves - "Are we happy where we are?" If yes, Wonderful! Stay there and enjoy. But if we are not, there is no reason to feel disappointed. It only means that it's time for us to move on. And moving on means "change". In order to reach a different place (job, relationship, situation in general) the only possible way is to bravely face the unknown. We have to take a chance, leave the old behind so that the new can manifest itself. We need to experience a loss if we want to gain, to reach our goal. We need to feel secure, ofcourse, that's why we don't really like to abandon what we have been familiar with for such a long time, but the choice is in front of us. Either we stay where we are (and feel unhappy, unfulfilled, even a victim) or have the courage t...

  Do we really need a job change? Will it substantially ‘change’ and/or improve ourselves personally and professionally? Often it’s experienced that changing our job environment can't change what we are. If we want to experience something different from the present, we must decide to change the way we look at things, first. Before making a decision to change jobs, ask a few questions to ourselves. Have we tried to avoid, ignore, deny, and run away from something that we did not want in our own lives? Did we succeed? Were we able to improve our circumstances and our psychological state simply by changing the job environment? We might have, but usually, it's not that easy. The first change must happen "inside" before being mirrored, reflected "outside".

Of late, been reading a few articles on "Reliability and Safety ". What are their properties, how are they correlated, do they have a cause-and-effect relationship and so on. While reading all this, a question dawned on me. Do we talk about reliability in the same way we do about safety?? Is it ubiquitous as safety is??. Ask anyone in a plant, “who is responsible for safety?” You are most likely to hear, “everybody, from the cleaner to the maintenance tech to the CEO.” Now ask, “who is responsible for the reliability of the plant?” You will likely get a variety of different answers, but it will not likely be, “everybody”. But shouldn't it be? As we say reliability and safety is a 'system' property and it relies heavily on its interconnected/inter-depended components. From asset design, procurement, installation, risk management, operations and maintenance—everybody who touches the system—they are all responsible for reliability. But we have often treated reliabili...

  "It is not enough to do your best. You have to KNOW what to do and THEN do your best." - Deming. "Succession planning" is crucial to maintaining the momentum of a business's processes and initiatives. It’s not unnatural to see experienced and trained employees leaving their positions for different reasons, and untrained people take their place. Often, this is not well managed in companies. The expertise is not effectively passed on, and the processes/initiatives tend to go awry. This is not so because the successor is not competent or not putting enough efforts. It’s the usual battle between ‘capacity’ and ‘capability’. Capacity of a person is intrinsic, while capabilities are often based on external expectations. A competent person can adapt quickly and will be able to meet expectations if given the right direction. If we have a team of people, we should be able to bring the newcomers up to speed through the expertise/experience of others in a structured mann...

As the saying goes, “you are only as good as your TEAM! ” People rarely succeed without the support of their team. But then why are there individual KPIs and performance assessments? Isn't it better to have team KPIs and evaluations where the score is equally distributed? Well, most of us will agree that we need to evaluate performance at individual levels for improvement. So, what's the deal with 'performance normalization', the much-hyped HR thing where you get pulled down to the team's 'bell curve' no matter how high you score? Never heard of normalising where low scores are raised to match a bell curve? This essentially mean that employees are evaluated based on their contribution 'relative' to others, not based on their actual performance. As a result of such performance normalization, many employees feel disengaged for not being rated as they perceive they should be. Does this normalization process achieve the original goal of enhancing perfor...

  Nowadays, it appears that the 'truth' prefers to hide behind conformism in all social groups, formal and informal. It is common for feelings to be disguised under a mask of complacency, or even hypocrisy. One can convince another of their fidelity, admiration, and dedication while concealing different feelings in the depths of their hearts if they want to achieve something. It seems this lack of sincerity is necessary to rise up the ladder of success, maintain useful mundane relationships, and achieve your goals. The good news is that it works! We tend to hide our true feelings because being totally honest makes us vulnerable. In doing so, we end up facing depression. The reason is the deeply ingrained dissatisfaction (and guilt) that comes from feeling compelled (but still choosing) to wear "clothes" that aren't ours.

  Another 'Tool' added to the culture transformation program. This is the sixth one in the last year. It's time to shine and sort a few others in line so they can be launched next year. A parallel plan is being developed for cost optimization by the organization. Hearing whispers from employees all around. "..not sure what they are planning, or what our future will be."  Are they aware of this 'big bang' culture transformation initiative? Wouldn't it be better to give them it three times a day and keep them satisfied? Many organizations invest heavily in tools and technologies to support culture transformation programs. Performance outcomes can be improved by these, but only when they are matched to specific organizational needs and maturity levels. No one-size-fits-all tool or program exists; there is no blueprint that fits every organisation. Transformation is a risky endeavor when they do not have the necessary programs and tools. It is, however, le...

  https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Entropy Entropy at Work Pradeep Govindan, PhD, CSP Safety/Loss Prevention/ESG Professional 1 article December 10, 2022 Open Immersive Reader Murphy's Law states: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". Life has a nasty habit of causing trouble and making things hard. Problems seem to pop up on their own. But solutions always require effort, energy, and attention. We can't just expect life to work itself out. In fact, our lives become more complicated and gradually devolve into disorder, rather than remaining simple and orderly. Murphy's Law is often thrown around in conversation, but it really refers to one of the most powerful forces in the Universe. We are influenced by this force in almost every endeavour we undertake. Many of our problems can be attributed to it. This is the force that governs every aspect of our lives - ENTROPY! Why does Entropy matter? Imagine that we take a box of puzzle pieces and dump them ou...