The Right Choice

The need for competent leadership remains one of the most pressing issues facing organizations. Introducing a powerful technique to help readers become better decision makers, The Right Choice: Using Theory of Constraints for Effective Leadership supplies the understanding required to manage effectively well into the future through the use of the coaching cycle and the reflection process.

Using case studies, the book explains how to create a leadership culture at the organizational, team, and individual levels through the development of the flight crew, as well as how to link that to effective strategies and tactics in leading the organization forward. The case studies illustrate what leaders have actually done, what they’ve struggled with, and the importance of understanding causal relationships.

Emphasizing the importance of consequences when making choices, the book reflects the author's vast experience with companies across a range of industries. It explains how to resolve conflicts and restore relationships through the use of time-tested tools, in particular, the cloud technique from the Theory of Constraints Thinking Processes.

The book details a practical methodology that you can use in various situations. Through the use of the coaching cycle and the coaching quadrant, it provides a solid platform for any leader wishing to take their organization forward. The tools and methods described in this book will help you become a leader who engages with the people in your organization and allows them to choose to engage rather than be forced.

Ted Hutchin, PhD, is the managing director of I & J Munn and principal of the TOC-Lean Institute. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, and an industrial fellow in the University of Nottingham Business School.

In his work with TOC he has led the teaching, implementation, and ongoing coaching support across the full range of TOC applications throughout the manufacturing industry and also into the service and voluntary sectors with organizations as diverse as hospitals and the Anglican Church. He has lectured on the Masters in Supply Chain Management and the MBA within the Business School at the University of Nottingham and also on similar subjects at Cranfield University.

As can be seen from his research and writing over the past twenty-five years, the dominant theme has been the management of change and the problems and issues change creates for people. He has a proven ability to guide people in the creation of breakthrough solutions that get to grip with the core issues of the organization, the team, and the person’s own life. Using a holistic approach to addressing such issues and developing.

Setting the SceneThe Background to the BookSome History!So What Is Leadership, and What Do I Mean by Effective Choices?OK, so Why the Focus on Making Choices?So Why Do People Delay?Why Do We Have to Make Choices?What Is a Choice?A Working DefinitionSo Here We Are!What It Means to Be Blocked—The Individual LevelWhat It Means to Be Blocked—The Team LevelWhat It Means to Be Blocked—The Organizational LevelSome Assumptions of My OwnThe Choice HierarchyThe Area Known as "Conflict of Subordination"References and Further Reading

Some Thoughts on LeadershipWhat Do I Mean by the Term "Leadership"?The Starting Point: The Tools of the TOC Thinking ProcessesThe Use of the TOC Leadership Coaching Cycle Station 1: What’s Holding Us Back? Station 2: Why Is This Holding Us Back? Station 3: What Is the Compelling Picture Going Forward? Station 4: How Do We Achieve the Objectives Set? Station 5: Review and Reflect on the JourneyWhat Are Undesirable Effects (UDEs), and Why Are They Important?What Are the Criteria for Determining a Good UDE?What Does a UDE Cost?A Case Study from the World of the Manufacturing IndustryBeginning the Process of Developing a UDEReferences and Further Reading

Gaining Consensus on the ProblemGaining Consensus on What to ChangeGaining an Understanding about "Clouds"A Discourse on MethodCase Study 1: Small-Scale ManufacturingReferences and Further Reading

Case Studies to Help UsThe Use of Case Studies to Help Us Understand the Predicament of Leaders in Organizations TodayCase Study 1 from an MRO EnvironmentCase Study 2 from an MRO EnvironmentCase Study 3 from an Outpatient Department in a Hospital
Leading the TeamUnderstanding the Dynamics of Team LeadershipLeading the Team to Achieve the GoalMeasuring the Progress of the TeamMaking It Happen The Flight CrewReferences and Further Reading

Focusing on "Knowing Myself " as a Core Aspect of LeadershipThe Legacy of LeadershipUsing "Personal Focus" to Gain BalanceA Final ThoughtReferences and Further Reading
Making It Happen—Or NotSo What Happened Next?So Why Does this Happen? A Question of ParadigmsParadigm Lock OverviewThe Importance of WorldviewParadigms: The Discussion Goes DeeperThe Four Elements of a WorldviewA Clash of ConstructsThree Perspectives The Seven Basic QuestionsReferences and Further Reading

Drawing It All TogetherBringing the Main Case Study up to DateDeveloping the "Flight Crew"Changes to the Organizational StructureMaking It HappenReflection on the Case StudyDrawing Conclusions from the Case StudiesThe Coaching Quadrant Healing and Restoring Reconciling and Mediating Sustaining and Nurturing Guiding and MentoringA Reflection on LeadershipFinal ThoughtsReferences and Further Reading
Index