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July 2006
WINOC Public Programs for Fall 2006
WINOC is planning its fall schedule of public programs. We are packaging together half-day workshops on Lean Simulation and Lean Design for September 27th. We are collaborating with our OLMCP partners to plan the next Labor and Lean Workshop. Our very successful Lean Education Series this past spring, in partnership with Lean Enterprise, Inc. and University of Akron, will be offered on October 2 & 23 and November 6, 2006. For links to these various offerings, please see the side bar.
Mayor's Cleveland Operations Efficiency Task Force
WINOC's Vice Chairman Bob Meyer has been asked to participate with others on Mayor Frank Jackson's Cleveland Operations Efficiency Task Force. The Task Force has been created to develop and implement a model for how good government operates. [Story continued below.]
OITP Funding... by Dee Holody
I encourage you to take a look at OITP, the Ohio Investment in Training Program. It is probably the best, and easiest, pot of money to tap into from the State. The purpose of the OITP grant is to assist facilities, based upon the economic impact, with specific training objectives involving new job creation, job retention, training required by an outside entity, expansions, new equipment, new technology, and more. [Full story below.]
WINOC Receives ODOD and MAGNET Grants
Last year, WINOC, through its Chairman and Vice-Chairman, participated in the Global Roadmap for Manufacturing in Northeast Ohio project. This project resulted in the creation of the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET). [See the January 2006 COMMUNICATOR for an article on MAGNET.] One of the Roadmap issues that WINOC became actively involved in was the matter of creating a Provider Services Network. Toward that end, WINOC has applied new and reprogrammed ODOD OLMCP Grant monies, matched by MAGNET, to create a seamless network of local service providers. Such a network is needed in northeast Ohio because local companies, especially manufacturing, do not know where to go to in order to get cost-effective, regional, competent assistance to help them stay competitive. Contact Bob Meyer for more information.
Zero Percent Financing for Ohio-Based Automotive Suppliers
The State of Ohio announced that Ohio-based automotive suppliers are eligible for zero percent financing on loans related to the location or expansion of automotive manufacturing operations that make new investments and create jobs. See the press release here. One of the Supplier Support Conferences to present this will be held on July 27th from 8-10am at the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, One Cascade Plaza, 17th Floor, Akron. RSVP to Marcel van den Bosch at (330) 237-1220 or via email at vandenbosch@greaterakronchamber.org.
New WINOC Members
We welcome DairyPak, Dupont-Vespel, Valspar, Western Reserve Controls, and Zircoa as WINOC Members. The support of WINOC Members makes a valuable contribution to WINOC's mission of helping organizations in northeast Ohio achieve performance excellence through best employee involvement and quality management practices. For information on the benefits of membership and how to become a WINOC Member please go here.
Lakewood Leadership Development Pilot Program a Success
WINOC partnered with Ashland University's Telego Center for Performance Excellence and the Center for Leadership in Education (CLE) to conduct a six-month pilot of a Leadership Development Program for administrators of Lakewood City Schools (LCS). [See article in the April 2006 COMMUNICATOR.] That pilot program with ten LCS administrators ended successfully on June 14th. While support for the pilot group continues, plans are being made to extend the process to other district administrators. WINOC's role is program management, analysis and evaluation. Contact Don Plante for more information.
The People Side of Lean... by Rick Bohan
When it comes to leading and managing change... managers stink! Between 40% to 70% of all change efforts, including Lean Manufacturing, are failures! Why do managers manage change so badly? Continue reading below to find out.
Going It Alone... by Don Plante
In the fee for services side of our business model we like it when clients choose our services rather than go it alone... yet it is our mission to help northeast Ohio organizations become high performing, which implies that we want our clients to develop internal capacity for 'going it alone'. In deciding whether or not to seek external assistance, we think our clients should weigh the availability of internal resources, the potential value of an external perspective and the criticality of the required competencies to the mission of the organization. [Continued below, with decision tree.]
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The goals of the Task Force are to achieve and maintain an effective operating environment using standardized, cost-effective and efficient General Support Services and to create an employee culture focused on providing the highest possible level of service to the City's internal and external customers, in order to promote a positive experience with the City of Cleveland government.
Expected benefits are reduced operating costs, enhanced City services, increased employee productivity through better use of technology and improved customer service.
The initial phase of the Task Force's work will focus on core work processes within four targeted City departments and on operational improvement within four targeted areas of General Support Services. Contact Bob Meyer for more information.
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continued Getting OITP Grant Money from the State of Ohio... by Dee Holody
I was out on one of my usual sales calls the other day, visiting with a small northeast Ohio manufacturer. In trying to help clients find, and fund, ways to improve, I usually ask folks two questions, 1) “Have you asked your larger customers to provide you with some expert advice (lean, best practices, quality, etc.)?” and 2) “Have you applied for OITP grant money to help you fund improvements?”
The reaction to #2 from most small and medium size manufactures always surprises me…”What’s OITP?”…or worse yet, I hear something like….”Getting grant money from the state of Ohio is tedious, a long shot, and just about worthless.”
For those of you who fit in these categories, I encourage you to take a look at OITP, the Ohio Investment in Training Program. It is probably the best, and easiest, pot of money to tap into from the State. The purpose of the OITP grant is to assist facilities, based upon the economic impact, with specific training objectives involving new job creation, job retention, training required by an outside entity, expansions, new equipment, new technology, and more. OITP targets primarily manufacturing and/or manufacturing-related businesses and provides up to 50% reimbursement to fund instructional costs, materials and training-related activities. Larger manufacturers in northeast Ohio take full advantage of this grant but we need to get the word out better to the smaller and medium size manufacturer.
The process for application takes on the average of about one hour and the variety of training that the OITP supports is extensive: Basic Skills, Quality (TQM, ISO/QS, business process re-engineering, lean manufacturing, six sigma, change management, etc.), Communication Skills, Customer Service, Employment Orientation, Product Knowledge, Maintenance/Skilled Trades, Managerial/Supervisory, Information Technology, Technical Processes.
Of course, there are a few hurdles (it’s a State program isn’t it?).
A Training Budget: Since the grant only reimburses up to 50% of your training costs, you would need a training budget line item that reflects the 100%. If you apply and qualify for $25k, you would need a training budget of $50k to expend since you pay the costs up front and then submit the paper work (proof of training costs) for reimbursement.
Timely Application: The pot of money is big, but it does have a bottom, so it is a first-come first-served grant. The budget year starts on July 1 and usually by early December, the money is all spoken for. It is imperative that you get your application completed and submitted as early in the process as possible. NOW is a good time.
The Paper Trail: Once you have the grant, it is important that you keep accurate records of training costs (trainers and materials), participants (individual names), and the goals that were met. This information will be needed for your reports to the State in order to receive the actual reimbursement.
Training is key at every level of an organization if you want to improve productivity, efficiency, innovative, quality, …and the list goes on. Sometimes it is tough to find the time to dedicate to training, and there is no grant for time. But with OITP, there is a way to offset your cost. So bite the bullet on the “lack of time”, and take a few minutes to learn about the OITP and how you can tap into it. WINOC has great relationships with the regional reps for the OITP and we would be happy to get you in touch with them. You can reach me at DeeHolody@winoc.org or 330-725-4885. You can also visit http://www.odod.state.oh.us/oitp.htm for more information on the OITP.
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Programs
and
Events
9-27-06 Lean Simulation Workshop - Learn the power of Lean hands on!
9-27-06 Lean Design Workshop - Value Engineer your product design process!
October 2 & 23 and November 6 Lean Education Series - Lean education with real-time payback!
Date TBD Labor and Lean Workshop - Learn Labor-Management Employee Involvement approaches to lean Production.
Date TBD WINOC Manufacturing Forum - Once scheduled, information on the next Manufacturing Forum will be posted at www.winoc.org/programs.html and notice will be sent to COMMUNICATOR Subscribers.
9-14/15-06, Ohio Partnership for Excellence annual Quest for Success Conference.
10-4/5/6-06, Ohio Labor Management Cooperation Program (OLMCP) Buckeye Labor Management Conference, Sawmill Creek Resort, Huron.
For other programs and events of potential interest to WINOC COMMUNICATOR Subscribers, such as those sponsored by MAGNET or WINOC Partners, go to our Public Programs Calendar and/or to our Partner News and Events page.
For further information on Programs and Events contact us at Programs@winoc.org.
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Contact WINOC WINOC 445 West Liberty Street, Suite 225 Medina, Ohio 44256 Tel. 330.725.4885 Fax. 330.721.2933
Or email our staff at AdvServ@winoc.org Dee Holody for Sales and Marketing Bob Meyer for Labor Management and Programs Don Plante for Advisory Services and operations Maty Jo Lupica for financial matters
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continued The People Side of Lean... by Rick Bohan
Managers manage change badly because 1) they misunderstand the nature of resistance, 2) they underestimate how disruptive even small changes can be, 3) they view their organization as a mechanical system to be "engineered" rather than as a social system to be "facilitated", 4) they don't align change efforts with strategy, and 5) they don't have a model of change to guide their planning efforts.
The Nature of Resistance Managers need to understand that resistance is always there. Managers need to anticipate it, plan for it and never ignore it. There is no cure but it can be mitigated. Create an open environment of trust through broad communications. Involve those affected by the change as much as possible. Commit to train employees in the new competencies that might be required. And do these things quickly so that elapsed time doesn't become your enemy (resistance can build exponentially if time is not well managed).
The Disruption of Change Change is always disruptive and nobody likes disruption. Disruption can be threatening. Competencies may decline until the new skills that are required (because of the change) are mastered. Explain this to employees and explain to employees that you understand this. Then as employees develop their new skills over time they will also get comfortable with the change.
Facilitating Change Managing change does require knowledge transfer (i.e., training in how the new system works) but that only partially addresses the human dynamics of change. Even as they "engineer" the design of changes to organizational systems they need to facilitate the change to human/social systems. Make sure that the vision and "business case" for the change is clear to everyone. Keep the action plans visible and keep the goal in focus. And above all "walk the talk"; model the new skills and behaviors in every way possible.
Align Change with Strategy If your change is tied to a secret strategy it probably has already failed. And from the employee's perspective (remember they don't like disruption and they might be fearful about learning new skills), an unknown or misunderstood strategy, because they cannot see the alignment, looks the same as a secret strategy. Make the reasons for the change clear in terms of how it aligns with stated strategy and how it helps to achieve stated goals.
A Good Model for Change We have plans for running our current system and we have a plan for running the new system we want change to... where's the plan for changing from the old system to the new system? Does it address the people side of change? A good model for change includes developing the vision for the change, establishing a guiding coalition to manage the change, communicating to the nth degree, generating lots of action, aligning systems to support gains and continually monitoring, assessing and re-planning as required to keep the change efforts on track.
For more information you can contact the author at RickBohan@winoc.org.
You can learn more about the author at http://www.winoc.org/staff.html.
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continued Going it Alone... by Don Plante
Even if you have the required competencies internally you need to ask "Are they available?" There may well be other higher priorities for those resources. Even if internal resources are available, it may be still be worthwhile to use an external resource. This is especially true of assessment... it's hard for internal people to see/assess the system they are in, from inside the system. Also, sometimes an external resource is more credible; so if acceptance is important consider using external help. It's that old adage that the definition of an expert is someone from out of town!
This logic is captured in the Yes leg of the decision tree below.
[If you have trouble seeing the graphic, click here.]
If you do not have the required resources internally you may want to hire, not buy, those resources. You probably do not want to outsource competencies that are critical to your mission. In that case if you have the time to recruit/secure the needed resources do so; if not, consider getting external help temporarily. It may well be up to you to keep "temporary" temporary.
If the required competencies are not mission critical consider securing those competencies externally... the cost might be more at first but would be controllable in the long run.
Of course there will be other factors peculiar to your own circumstances, but these are some key factors to consider.
For more information, you can contact the author at DonPlante@winoc.org.
You can learn more about the author at http://www.winoc.org/staff.html.
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