Abstract: Many organizations today maintain a steadfast commitment to eliminate variation and non-value added activities, all the while in pursuit of a quality goal of zero defects and a productivity goal of zero waste, seen together as the attainment of perfection. Yet, might it be possible that goals such as these stem from how individuals within organizations think about their efforts as separate parts and tasks and not how they connect with each other? This presentation highlights the opportunities which exist by acknowledging self-imposed restrictions on our thinking; specifically, thinking in terms of good parts and on-budget tasks, rather than in terms of the interactions between parts, actions, and elements, not these efforts taken separately.

Biography: Bill Bellows is an Associate Fellow in the InThinking Network at Aerojet Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, California, where he is known for his efforts to provide insights to the advantages of thinking together, learning together, and working together. Audiences for his classes have also reached after-school program in elementary schools, graduate students at Northwestern University, as well as corporate, university, and public classes across the United Kingdom. Bill earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Away from work, Bill serves as president of the In2:InThinking Network, and as a board member of the W. Edwards Deming Institute, and the Volunteers of America – Los Angeles chapter. He also serves on the editorial board of the Lean Management Journal. He lives in Valencia with wife, Monica, and their two college-aged children, Allison and Wilson.

Contact: Bill can be reached by e-mail at william.bellows@rocket.com for additional information about this Weekend Conference session.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-bellows/0/435/218/