A management consultant was hired by a manufacturer in Britain to help improve its general operating efficiency. At one plant on the outskirts of London, she spent weeks reviewing reports that tracked productivity, absenteeism, machine failure, et cetera, that were kept by the day, week, month and year. The reports were filled out by hand (the plant was small) on photocopied forms. At the top of one of the daily forms, the consultant noticed a small box that was always filled out with the... [read more]