4 ms·
Great recommendation! The book is mainly credited with introducing the Theory of Constraints [1], which asserts that any manageable system's throughput is limi
by anymouse123456 3y ago
Great recommendation!
The book is mainly credited with introducing the Theory of Constraints [1], which asserts that any manageable system's throughput is limited by exactly one bottleneck.
He goes on to encourage us to instantiate operating (and thinking) processes whereby we repeatedly discover and mitigate this bottleneck as each mitigation may result in a migration of the constraint.
The main observation is that most of us are inclined and almost always incentivized to focus on local optima (our area, our lane, our discipline) and that this striving is a great way to destroy any given system, or at best, do nothing useful. Any small experience in the world of business will illustrate this quite clearly, IME.
The sequel to The Goal is also quite good and is called, "It's Not Luck." This book takes the same characters into a larger organization where the constraints are in how their products are marketed, rather than produced in order to more fully demonstrate how the Theory of Constraints is not limited to activities on a factory floor.
As mentioned elsewhere, the narrative and writing style can be distracting, but the concepts are timeless and extremely powerful.
I have re-read or re-listened to both books at least once every year or two since the early aughts and I learn something new and relevant with each pass.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_constraints https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_constraints
[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157385.It_s_Not_Luck https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157385.It_s_Not_Luck
- shanusmagnus 3y agoI tried to read The Goal and bounced off due in part to the aforementioned writing style, which seemed super trite and straw-mannish. Does the fact that you keep re-reading the books suggests that you haven't found a better way to re-approach that material?
- koliber 3y agoI listened to it as an audio book. It was possible to ignore the style. It simplifies situations and trivializes the road to success bit. However, that seems necessary to keep the book clear, to the point, and of manageable size.
- anymouse123456 3y agoFor me, the writing style is hard to get past and just isn't executed well when compared with high quality literature. Despite the relatively naive execution, the underlying themes are powerful. I think the narrative approach is what makes it possible to revisit repeatedly and pattern match across widely varying contexts. We're story telling creatures and a smarter, more academic recitation of a set of facts and observations probably wouldn't have held up as well. I also agree that it doesn't appear to stand against even small amounts of critical argument while it unfolds, but the central position is so powerful, it's worth suspending disbelief for a bit, enjoy the story and then start taking it apart after it's complete.
- specialist 3y agoIIRC, Critical Chain, the 3rd installment in that series, details transitioning from making widgets to a widget-as-a-service business mode. Radical at the time, the preferred strategy today. Talk about foresight. Reading Goldratt, Deming, Drucker, Buckminster Fuller, and a few others, blew my mind. Most of my really good ideas and works were inspired by them. Alas, being reality-based also impaired my career. Like during the dot-com bubble, the so-called New Economy, I just couldn't figure out wtf everyone was talking about. So I very pointedly did not jump on the crazy train. My loss. I wish there someone like Goldratt explaining grifts, cons, and investment banking.
- unethical_ban 3y agoI learned the theory of constraints from Factorio, apparently.