GDI ´¯`·-· Publications, Tapes & Software

Friends-of-the-Firm Briefings. These very special publications are short but meaningful essays on topics of importance to executives. We send these in mass to all of our "Friends-of-the-Firm" on a regular basis. Briefings previously distributed include:

Ailing CEO Ties His Life To His Product . . . A Moving Story of One Business Leader's Extraordinary Sense of Urgency To Accelerate the New Product Introduction Process. (PDF)
To Be the Executive Director of FASB! . . . A Tongue in Cheek Article Describing How Accounting Rules Really Do Drive Individual Performance. (PDF)
Lessons Learned About Transforming Public Sector Organizations . . .A Checklist of Cultural Changes That Must Occur Prior To Beginning a Reengineering Effort In Federal & State Government Agencies.
Never, Never, Never Trust Your Computer! . . .A "Must Read" Briefing For Any Manufacturing Executive Who Is About To Spend Big Money On Integrated Information Systems Implementation Efforts. (PDF)
So You Want To Start Your First New Company? . . . A good primer for anyone in corporate America who wants to strike out on their own. Originally written as part of a university's entreprenuer class courseware, this briefing explains the technical, financial and emotional issues that MUST be developed in any startup company. (PDF)
Lessons Learned About Transforming Public Sector Organizations . . .A briefing that describes why public sector organizations resist change and what must be done to mitigate this resistance. This briefing presents a number of transformed public sector entities and describes what they did to facilitate transformational change. This briefing will sound like common sense to non-public sector leaders . . . but will sound revolutionary to those who live within these types of organizations.

Friends-of-the-Firm Mini-Briefings. These special small reports are written by our professionals whenever they have something profound to share. Topics vary widely and reading is generally quick and easy. Previously distributed mini-briefings include:

World Class or Madison Avenue Manufacturing? . . . A small paper written out of one GDI Consulting & Training Company's Team Member's frustration with management teams that believe everything written by advisors who have never had to make a payroll. (PDF)
Stopping Remote Control Management . . . A small briefing that focuses on the need for senior executives to be more in touch with their organizations. (PDF)
Consultants Should Be Business Doctors . . . A short paper to remind consultants that it is their job to ALWAYS approach client situations in a clinical manner. A strong medical metaphor is used to drive home this point. (PDF)
Our Most Precious Corporate Asset . . . A briefing that promotes a new way to value human capital. This briefing also suggests new directions for Human Resource professionals to pursue when trying to enhance the capabilities of an organization. (PDF)
A Strange New Phenomenon . . . This briefing explores what happens when employees rely on e-mail as their primary communications vehicle. A must read for all culture change agents. (PDF)
The Modern CEO Job Description . . . A mini-briefing that presents an outline of how a CEO should spend his or her time in today's ultra-competitive business world. A bit provocative, but worth reading. (PDF)
The Scope of a Manufacturing Systems Implementation
A consultant's perspective behind why so many systems implementation projects fail. The author looks at the behavior problems that virtually all systems projects suffer from and suggests some improvements. (PDF)
Illusion Based Leadership . . . A provocative briefing that suggests that leadership principles are probably being described incorrectly by those who study and write about leadership for a living. (PDF)
Why People Work . . . A fascinating discussion of what really motivates people to go to work every day. This briefing presents evidence that it really is money that motivates people to go to work each day. . . and not the various other motivators industrial psychologists have suggested for decades.

Video Tapes, Audio Tapes & CD-ROMS. Most of our interactive training materials were developed in order to provide a mechanism for training our consultants. But what we discovered is that our clients find these tools helpful to their people, especially when we are transitioning out of a project. Interactive tools which our clients have indicated a particular fondness for include:

Using Brown Paper Process Flow Charts (available on video tape & CD-ROM).
Executing the 2²4² Process Reengineering Decision Matrix^sm (available on video tape & CD-ROM).
How To Develop a Cost Flow Map (available on video tape & CD-ROM).
How To Develop a Transformation Map (available on video tape & CD-ROM).

Articles. Over the years, our professionals have published many articles. Most of these have appeared in trade magazines, journals and newspapers. We keep copies of each of these articles in order that our clients can have access to the best of the past and current thinking on management and leadership issues. Article titles in our GDI Knowledge Network Library include:

A Switch From Traditional Thinking.
America's Future.
Communications & the Analyst.
Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems Relationships.
Educating for Success: Train the Trainer.
Education & Training to Meet New Challenges.
Executive Decision Making in the Computer Age.
Executive Overview of MRP II.
Financial Computing Models For Activity Based Costing.
Foreign Product Tariffs: To Apply or Not to Apply, Is That the Only Question?
Fundamentals of MRP.
Generic Commodity Coding Scheme for an Electronics Company.
Getting Rid of Special Interest Group Management.
How to Determine the Real Cost of Your Product.
How to Develop, Write, Use & Maintain Policies, Procedures & Interactive Guides.
How to Hire a New Boss: The Complete Job Hunting & Career Planning Book.
How to Manage & Implement Engineering Changes.
Improving the Material Handling Process
IMPT: Integrated Master Planning Techniques.
Industrial Robots: What are the True Costs?.
Innovator or Entrepreneur?.
IPIP: Integrated Production Introduction Process.
Just-in-Time Manufacturing Management: A Significant Concept or Yet Another Buzzword?
Justifying the Expenditure for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM).
Making the Management Consultant More Efficient.
Managing Your Education Program.
MRP II Under Fire: Separating Fact from Myth on the DCAA Position.
MRP II: It's All Academic Without Program Management Leadership.
Order Entry, Accounts Receivable & Billing: More Than a Cash Engine.
Overview of Program Management Principles.
Productivity Reinvestment: An Alternative to Free Trade & Protectionism.
Robots & Flexible Manufacturing Systems: A Primer.
Strategic Rethinking.
Successful Software Selection: Proven Techniques.
The Balance Between Material Planning & Inventory Control.
The Great American Cost Accounting Show.
The Last Word on Cycle Counting.
The Poverty of Accounting.
The Quality Improvement Initiative.
Utilization Driven Burden Rates: A New Concept for Cost Accounting.
Why Executives Won't Use Computer Terminals.