CRC Press Reality, Perception, and Your Company's Workplace Culture: Creating a New Normal for Problem Solving and Change Management

Reality and Perception and Your Company's Workplace Culture presents a demonstrable path for navigating the change-management process from beginning to end while fully detailing its obstacles and its triumphs. The book presents the view of a fictional 100-year old company called Acme Gyroscope, which is a family owned and run business, and the reader sees how the operation was ruled with an iron hand by the outgoing CEO. When the son of this current CEO assumes the role, he finds that the processes and culture within the organization are not quite as rosy as he thought they were. The new CEO finds that there is a wide divide between what is believed and what is real. The story follows the new CEO and his team as they uncover the problems that exist and discover solutions with the help of the Change Maestro who is an expert on understanding the difference between reality (see the problems, feel the problems, and create the new normal) and perception (preconceived notions of causes and solutions to problems). Utilizing the TLS (Theory of Constraints - Lean - Six Sigma) Continuum toolbox, the Change Maestro takes the management team through the process of resolving the issues at hand and assists in creating a new normal for corporate culture and problem solving. Presented in ten chapters, each representing points on the critical path, it walks the reader through the change process to its conclusion reaching the final point -- the argument for the new normal corporate culture for long-term strategy and survival. Review "Daniel T. Bloom does an excellent job in demonstrating the importance of distinguishing what is certain from what is opinion before determining the solution to a problem by telling a believable story that makes the information fun to read." Terra Vanzant Stern, PhD, principal of SSD Global Solutions, Lean6 Society and Rocky Mountain Quality Consortium "As Dan Bloom rightfully points out in his appendix, ‘The title of this book, Reality and Perception and Your Company’s Workplace Culture: Creating the New Normal for Problem Solving and Change Management, lays out the roadmap for moving organizations from a state of perception to a state of reality.’ And Dan is absolutely correct, he does provide an excellent roadmap for changing organizations. Dan explains that the current state of reality forces changes to the entire environment within the workplace, including the role of the human capital assets. These assets, the true, front line subject matter experts (SME’s), are no longer just considered expense items, but rather those employees who play a crucial role in the success of all organizations. These subject matter experts should be taking part in defining the organization’s problems because they are the true process owners. The SME’s truly understand the processes they work in because they own it and want their processes to be the best! Dan Bloom has done an excellent job of laying out the step-by-step process for improving every organization. In this book he lays out the ‘rules of action’ that, if followed, will result in significant profitability improvements and true and lasting customer satisfaction! I highly recommend this book to all, but especially for leadership in all manufacturing facilities." Bob Sproull, President, Focus and Leverage Consulting, author of The Focus and Leverage Improvement Book: Locating and Eliminating the Constraining Factor of Your Lean Six Sigma Initiative and The Problem-Solving, Problem-Prevention, and Decision-Making Guide: Organized and Systematic Roadmaps for Managers   "This book takes the reader on a journey within Acme Gyroscope and highlights real-life problems it was experiencing delivering products and services to its customers. As the operational frustrations continued to build early in the story, a Lean Sigma approach of problem identification, establishing clear expectations and ‘rules’ along with walking in someone else’s shoes (st