Blog Posts

The Center for Operational Excellence recently hosted the 12th Annual COE Summit. This year’s conference focused on the power of people and the critical connection between strong teams and strong performance. Through four engaging keynotes, 20 breakout sessions, and exclusive opportunities for hands-on learning, the COE Summit equipped participants with tools and tactics for connecting, collaborating, and reach their full potential with OpEx. In this blog, Joe Boroi—a COE Summit participant and IBM technology leader—reflects on his experience and learnings.

In a March 2025 COE webinar, Jason and Michelle Risser explored effective hoshin planning. Using real-world examples from Michelle’s business, the duo demonstrated the value of hoshin and offered strategies for asking the right questions, defining true north, and maintaining accountability. In this blog, Jason continues the conversation with a deep dive into an unanswered question from the audience Q&A: “How do you use hoshin to drive changes in associate metrics? It seems like what they’re measured on doesn’t align with strategic goals.”

The best leaders are always right, right? Wrong.  I know you know the type… they must have the last word in the conversation, they consistently assert rather than inquire, they “just know.” They “may not always be right, but they are never wrong.”

This project focuses on revolutionizing hospital operations by transitioning from traditional push systems to innovative pull systems that ensure seamless, continuous patient flow from the Emergency Department to admission and discharge. The initiative targeted bottlenecks caused by batching decisions and tasks in clinical settings, which often create "idle time" for patients and constrain hospital capacity.

In today’s business world, successful organizations understand the critical connection between people and performance. Strong processes start with strong cultures and teams. It’s time to unlock the power of the people.