Through the lens of the business novel The Goal, you have been following many characters, complex business issues, and various management methodologies proposed for correcting problems.

Through the lens of the business novel The Goal, you have been following many characters, complex business issues, and various management methodologies proposed for correcting problems. In choosing to write a novel, the authors are able to explore abstract concepts in an informative and accessible format. In effect, they are comparing and contrasting strategies in a realistic setting, rather than presenting their argument in an academic article. This format helps meet the intent of the Discussions for this module, in which you can relate the concepts of this book to your experiences and understanding of the business world.

This week is a continuation from Week 6, in which you used critical thinking skills to analyze business issues from the business novel The Goal. You will analyze the relevance of systems thinking concepts described in the book to effective business practices.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To prepare for this Discussion:

Read pages 124–236 (Chapters 17–28) of The Goal.

As you read this part of the book, consider passages that contain ideas that you find compelling and particularly relevant to effective business management. You will select at least three passages to discuss this week.

In addition, consider how understanding these concepts might have influenced your past decision making.

BY DAY 3

Post your analysis of The Goal, to include the following:

Identify three or more short passages from this week’s assigned reading in The Goal that contain one or two essential ideas that you found compelling, and explain why each passage you chose is relevant to and important in effective business management. Be sure to include the citation for each passage in your explanation.

(Note: A theme you can focus on this week is explaining why the techniques that the team are implementing are working, as well as how “breaking the rules” in this case makes sense from a systems performance perspective.)

Then, reflect on and complete this statement based on your own experience: “If I had only known this back when…”

include references***