(410d) The People Side of Process Improvement

The People Side of Process Improvement

Companies know that they must always be improving, and that the participation of every employee counts. After all, it is people who see opportunities, discover solutions, and implement improvements. Human assets are pivotal, whatever the initiative (CMMI, Lean, Six Sigma, Employee Involvement, Kaizen, 5S, etc.). Regardless of industry, organizations are facing similar pressures ? competition in the marketplace, ever-increasing demands for quality, and customer mandates for price reductions and increased efficiencies, to name just a few. These pressures are coupled with employees having more responsibilities and fewer resources than ever before.

The challenges faced by employees in a process improvement environment are many, and engineers in these organizations often find themselves confronted with an overwhelming amount of initiatives, programs, consultants, and acronyms. To help those in a Lean environment, it is the objective of this presentation to touch and highlight key issues:

Understand the continuum of process improvement

Appreciate the resulting impact on human behavior

Uncover key drivers supporting process improvement

Initiate a process to gain feedback

Recognize process improvement cultural challenges

Discover strategies to decrease resistance and stress

Develop a process and approach for coaching

Increase understanding of team dynamics and roles

Discover the impact of expectations and motivation

Gain increased alignment of colleagues and customers

Develop a standard communication process

Use the briefing system to spur process improvement

BACKGROUND: These key topics are the foundation of the People Side of Process Improvement (PSPI) program, developed by Dale Carnegie Training®(DCT), that focuses on the most consistent challenge of process improvement programs ? involving, engaging, and maintaining enthusiastic employee participation across all levels of the organization. Addressing the human side of process improvement is undeniably linked to overall success.

Testimonials for the PSPI program:

?The program mirrors the National Management Association (NMA) philosophy that the contemporary teaming environment necessitates finding people solutions to business problems. PSPI is a critical step in that endeavor.?--- Steve Bailey, NMA National President

?Exceptionally insightful and provides valuable tools for the resolution of conflicts and challenges encountered in process improvements.? --- Pete Kurzhals, NMA National Director and President, NMA Southern California Area Council

Dale Carnegie Credentials:

Founded in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training® has evolved from one man's belief in the power of self-improvement to a performance-based training company with offices worldwide. It focuses on giving people in business the opportunity to sharpen their skills and improve their performance to build positive, steady, profitable results. Headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, Dale Carnegie Training® is represented in all 50 of the United States and over 65 countries. DCT is dedicated to serving the business community worldwide. Dale Carnegie Training emphasizes practical principles and processes by designing programs that offer people the knowledge, skills and practices they need to add value to the business. Connecting proven solutions with real-world challenges, Dale Carnegie Training® is recognized internationally as the leader in bringing out the best in people.

Dale Carnegie by the Numbers: More than 2,700 instructors present Dale Carnegie Training® programs in more than 25 languages. Approximately 6 million people have completed Dale Carnegie Training.

Dale Carnegie's original body of knowledge has been constantly updated, expanded and refined through nearly a century's worth of real-life business experiences. The 160 Carnegie Managing Directors around the world use their training and consulting services with companies of all sizes in all business segments to increase knowledge and performance. The result of this collective, global experience is an expanding reservoir of business acumen that our clients rely on to drive business results.