October 31, 2006
Matthew May/The Elegant Solution Interview
This week's interview is with Matthew May, author of The Elegant Solution: Toyota's Formula for Mastering Innovation.
Toyota's growing dominance in the automotive sector is not by luck or chance. Much has been written about the company's operations and the Toyota Production System. What has been missing is a book that describes what Toyota's management philosophy and innovation is at the heart of that.
Matt's assignment from Toyota University was :
We need to translate the Toyota Production System for the knowledge worker. We really want to figure out how to bring the levels of employee productivity, engagement, continuous improvement and constant creativity found in our Toyota factories and warehouses to the corporate environment.
We talk about what innovation is, what qualities do organizations need to foster innovation, and how tension between measurements can create more innovative solutions.
mp3, 37:36, 25.8MB
October 18, 2006
Marketing Champions with Roy Young
Here's Todd's conversation with Roy Young, co-author of Marketing Champions. You may know Roy from MarketingProfs. Listen on as they talk about marketing's role in organizations. To steal Roy's words, "marketing plays a different role in every company...and it's often misunderstood."
Learn how marketers can better spread the word on the value of marketing.
October 4, 2006
Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps/Mark Yost Interview
I love the NFL. I have followed the Green Bay Packers since I was a kid. I play fantasy football. I just love the game. So, I couldn't pass this book by when it came across my desk - Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps: How The NFL Became The Most Successful Sports League In History.
Journalist Mark Yost has written a great book on the business of the NFL. He makes sense of the salary cap. He describes how football is the perfect match for television. He talks about how revenue sharing has been the key to the league's success. He also talks about how merchandise went from an over-distributed sideline to a $3.5 billion business.
If you are a fan of football or a fan of business, this one is worth a listen.
mp3, 45:16, 31.09 MB