Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a national business group with a focus on health, recently took a survey among 275 employers to find out the key issues affecting employee productivity.

Their findings show the stress was identified by 72% of the employers as a key issue relative to productivity.

Stress has been building in the workplace as employers find it increasingly necessary to have more work done by fewer employees. The result has been that employees have been asked to take on additional responsibilities, work longer hours, cross train with other departments, and do more multitasking.

After stress in the survey, 59% said a key issue affecting employee productivity were personal and family issues. Personal and family issues include such items as day care, family illnesses, marital stress, financial troubles, and other personal issues.

Following close behind in third place, 58% cited chronic medical conditions. This issue barely squeaked ahead of unscheduled absences.

Stress becomes an issue because so many people are unable to deal with stress. A certain amount of stress is necessary and an important part of daily life. However people often will ignore this routine stress until it amplifies and starts to take a toll on their life.

What you can do

As an employer, you are able to do many things to help reduce stress in the workplace. Here are just some suggestions:

==> increase the lighting, particularly natural lighting, it has many workplaces as possible

==> do not overcrowd your employees, provide as much space as possiblespread live plants throughout the workplace as they create calmness

==> align an individual employees ability to handle stress with the normal stress of each position -- the use of employee of assessments is vital in this endeavor

==> encourage employees to cut absenteeism through programs that reward attendance or unused sick payprovide stress management classes for your employees -- companies like Max Impact offers viable stress management classes on-site or online

The bottom line with stress is that an employer can have a huge impact on the stress levels of the employees.

Through proper training and proper site management, stress can be significantly reduced.

------------------

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Building on a strong retail background, Rick moved to full supply-chain involvement, working with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results.

As Rick's interaction in varied industries expanded, he became troubled as he increasingly noticed that people and companies had untapped or unfocused talent.

Coupled with Rick’s passion for training and development, popular style of interactive workshops and seminars, and strong desire for continuous improvement, he founded Max Impact Corporation to be singularly focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve high performance.

Rick is a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences. He has spoken in 43 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. He is available to speak at groups of all sizes.

Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or [email protected].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Weaver

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a regional conference for long-term care professionals. It was very exciting to be selected to speak and to share what I had learned about employee online and computer based education. Not to mention a little bragging about our new corporate education center.

While I was waiting for my scheduled time to present I couldn’t help but notice how many speakers were not practicing administrators or directors of nursing. The session’s speakers were mostly consultants, academics or government experts.

The underlining message the speakers were giving was buy my services and I’ll give you this information for a fee. Which on its face value is fine if that is the only view you wish to evaluate. We flock to hear these experts pronounce what should be done to solve our problems simply because in most cases it is easy.

It got me wondering why more practitioners aren’t sharing their knowledge and experience. After all we are the ones with the hands on experience and practical knowledge that is applied everyday on the job. We constantly solve problems and create new opportunities for success without the help of consultants, academics or government experts. But we don’t share our knowledge and experience.

Sharing information, knowledge, experience, or a technique is the best and fastest way to become famous, particularly if your knowledge helps someone solve or prevent a problem. I also believe it is a hallmark of a skilled professional. So why don’t we seek out other practitioners, a fellow administrator, director of nursing, department manager or supervisor to learn from, to give presentations with or to write articles with? It is inexpensive, quick, fun and you share similar experiences. It is more practical and does not require any translation from a consultant, academic or government expert who has never done what we do daily to apply the information immediately on the job.

Is it because we are uncomfortable speaking in public, or self-conscious of our writing skills, don’t have the time, or don’t know where to start? Are we concerned about what others will say about our efforts? No one knows more about the job than those of us who are doing the job. Or are we afraid we will lose a base of power and control that then makes us vulnerable to others taking our positions? Or is it that we are simply more interested in entertainment that learning?

It is time to place that self-consciousness behind you and never look back, creating a legacy for future administrators, director of nurses, department managers and supervisors. It is a gift that will live beyond our tenure in our profession. Don’t think about it, do it. Share your knowledge and experience.

Pick up a pen, sit at your keyboard and write an article, a book, a course, give a speech, leave an easier path for the next generation of health care workers. Ask for help from a friend if you’re not sure where to start. In fact E-mail me [email protected] and I’ll help you get your message out and make you famous!

There is no try, there is only do! And I know you can do it.

Kenneth E. Strong, Jr., MS, is co-founder 0f http://www.greateststrategies.com a web based community devoted to educating, supporting and developing life-long learners

Mr. Strong has been a Health Care executive for 30 years. Mr. Strong received a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from Providence College and a Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Salve Regina College He has had articles published by the American Geriatric Society and has spoken on a variety of topics for the American College of Health Care Administrators and the New England Not-for-Profit Providers Conferences. Mr. Strong has also served as Adjunct Professor at Stonehill College. He is also an evaluator for the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission and a certified Retirement Housing Professional. He is certified by Walden University as an online instructor and certified by Langevin Learning Services as an Instructional Designer/Developer and Master trainer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Strong

The cost, speed and quality leaps of Lean Six Sigma are obtained through the application of appropriate tools. We conclude by reviewing some tools from the Analyse, Improve and Control phases of DMAIC.

The Analyse Phase

Purpose of Analyse:

In implementing Lean Six Sigma this phase identifies and verifies the relationships between causes and their effects. It helps in the discovery of factors that affect key process inputs and outputs. The analyse phase seeks to find patterns in the data obtained during the measure phase in order to make sense of it all.

Tools for Analyse:

Scatter Plots:

Two variables are plotted against each other on a graph. The resulting picture gives a visual indication of how well correlated the variables are.

Regression Analysis:

This can be regarded as a mathematical equivalent of the scatter plot. Here an equation is derived to express the dependence of one of the variables on one or more others. The equation can then be used to predict values of the dependent variable for given values of the independent variables.

Fish bone diagram:

A large arrow is drawn with the effect whose causes are being analysed show on the right at the end of the arrow. Main categories of probable causes are shown on branches emanating from the main line. For each category, detailed causes are brainstormed and indicated against the corresponding branch. x-process

Time Trap Analysis and Capacity Constraint Identification: A time trap is a process activity that inserts delays into the process and may be due to capacity constraints or other operational inefficiencies. Whatever the source of the delays, it finally shows up as long lead times. A capacity constraint is a sub-process or activity whose output per unit time is less than that of the preceding and/or subsequent sub-process or activity.

Non Value-Added Analysis:

From the as is value stream map, each process activity is examined to determine its contribution to customer requirements. Those which do not contribute to customer valued outcomes and are not necessary for other business reasons (e.g. regulatory requirements) are eliminated.

The Improve Phase

Purpose of Improve:

In the previous phases, defects (variability outside the customer's specifications) and wastes (non-value added activities and costs) have been identified, measured and their causes found through analysis. The purpose of the improve phase is to eliminate the defects and wastes.

Tools for Improve:

To Be Process Maps: A map of the desired process is created, in which identified non-value added activities have been eliminated

Setup reduction:

From the capacity constraint and time trap analysis carried out in the Analyse phase, we can determine whether the major source of delay was due to long setup times. In that case, the following steps are applied.

* Document and classify setup procedures

* Improve organisation-Study work area layout and analyse required movements. Use 5S if necessary to remove inefficiencies. Brainstorm improvement opportunities in the setup steps.

* Where possible convert internal (setup activities that are done with the machine down) to external (setup activities that do not affect the running of the machine) procedures. In transactional situations, this means converting serial procedures to parallel.

* Improve the remaining internal setup procedures.

* Eliminate need for adjustments.

5S: This lean tool results in a clean and organised work area, with a place for everything and everything in its place. The steps of the methodology are:

* Sort

* Straighten

* Shine

* Standardise

* Sustain

Applying 5S eliminates inefficiencies resulting from lack of organisation by reducing the amount of unnecessary motion and transportation.

Total Productive Maintenance

Where downtime is a major cause of low process cycle efficiency, total productive maintenance, which aims to reduce the percentage of downtime, should be applied.

Mistake Proofing:

By proper design of the processes and equipment, the possibility of errors (and with them the need for inspections) is eliminated. Examples are designing online forms that cannot be submitted if data is incompletely entered, or if the wrong type of data is entered. Similar to this are parts that can only be assembled in one way.

Design Of Experiments:

This is the statistical design of experiments to enable you determine the impact of two or more variables on another variable of interest. This tool also accounts for interaction effects between variables.

Hypothesis Testing:

This is a statistical tool for testing the validity of assumptions. In this case the assumptions might relate to the impact of causes on effects. For example, if performance is suspected to be operator dependent, tests might be carried out to verify whether observed differences in performance between two operators are statistically significant.

Solution Selection Matrix:

Generally there will be more than one possible solution identified to the problems under consideration. The selection matrix compares them using a set of weighted criteria to determine the most appropriate.

Project Management:

Actual implementation of agreed solutions will be in the form of a project, and will require use of the usual project management tools for planning, communication, risk assessment, and monitoring.

The Control Phase

Purpose of Control:

The purpose of the control phase is to ensure that the gains from the improve phase become embedded in the organisation.

Tools for Control:

Standard Operating Procedures:

The improved process design will certainly include new operating practices. These must be codified in an operating manual to which operators can refer. Having a standard operating manual helps prevent slippage into old inefficient practices.

Statistical Process Control:

Control charts, reflecting the improved capabilities of the process must be constructed and used to monitor process performance over time.

Visual Management:

The essence of visual management is captured in the idea that an employee should be able to walk through the work area and come away with 90% of the information. This is achieved through 5S organisation, illustrations of process steps placed close to the process, SIPOC diagrams and value stream maps, the use of shadow boards etc.

Conclusion

The list of tools considered in this article and the last are only a few of the several available. On any one project, only a few are likely to be used.

Samuel Okoro is the CEO of Leapfrog Alliance Ltd, a management training and consulting firm that helps organisations to reduce costs and improve quality through better business processes. His personal passion is to help move Third World business to world-class levels. For further details please visit http://leapfrogalliance.com or email
[email protected]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samuel_Okoro

 am not a lawyer or financial advisor by any means, but sometimes we need some help in business. From what I’ve heard statistics show that 85% of all small businesses that start up fail in the first 5 years.

So, there’s a good chance that there will come a time when you look at your bank account and say to yourself, “I don’t have enough money to pay my bills”, or at the very least say, “I can’t go on holidays because there’s not enough money to pay for it”.

You have recognised the red flags that warn you in business that something is wrong. People with money didn’t come about it by luck. Many times they have had their business go broke and have had to start again.

They may have gone broke in the first place because they hadn’t learned their lessons well when it came to managing money rather than just make it. If you’re in or starting a small business you must be aware of or have access to information on how to handle a cash crisis should it come up in your business.

The hard part is recognising the crisis in the first place so that you can do something to fix it before it is too late. There are 7 steps that may enable you to handle a crisis in your business successfully. Complete the checklists below to assess your situation. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Check If Your Business Is In Crisis

Is your business generating enough income to cover your expenses without having to touch your savings? If it is not there are many reasons why this may be the case. This analysis of your situation is not comprehensive enough to cover all situations but should give you a broad picture of your situation.

We have to start from some point in your business to move forward in assessing crisis. I assume that you have sales coming in, you have a marketing program and you are physically able to work.

If any of these things are apparent in your business, for example, no sales coming in the door, you are probably too far-gone to bother assessing your situation. However if not, some of this information may be relevant to a certain degree.

Evaluate the information if it suits, that’s great. If it doesn’t, discard it. Basically you should proceed if the money side of your business needs attention. Go ahead and complete (“Doc 1”) because we need this information to go to the next step, Part 2 (see below)of the article. Add up the monthly expenses then annualise them to find out how much you must earn Per Annum to pay all your expenses. Once that is completed you will have two important pieces of information.

1. How much you spend in your personal life
2. How much you need to earn to support that amount (plus or minus from your present situation).

FIXED DOMESTIC EXPENSES
Mortgage Payments or Rent
Electricity
Rates
Fire and General Insurance
Personal Accident or Disability Insurance
Health Insurance
Car Hire Purchase/loan
Other Hire Purchase/credit cards
Debt Reduction – Personal Loans Overdraft Ect
Other
Club Dues
School fees
Food and Living expenses
Telephone
Other
TOTAL MONTHLY

VARIABLE DOMESTIC EXPENSES
Medical, Dental, Chemist etc (net After Refunds)
Clothing and Footwear
School Requisites – Fees, books and sports
Dry Cleaning and Laundry
Entertainment, Theatre, Amusements
Tobacco, Liquor other Personal Items
Home Maintenance
Running Cost – Second Car and Fares
Church, Charities Etc
Sports and hobbies
Vacations
Motor Vehicle (1) Hire Purchase /Lease
Other Travelling – Parking tolls Fares Etc
Telephone
Other –
TOTAL MONTHLY

OTHER EXPENSES
Memberships
Fees and other Self-Education
Printing, Stationery, Postage Etc
Telephone
Newspapers and Periodicals
Entertainment and Gifts
Centre of Influence & Sub Agency Cost
Other overheads – Rent Secretarial Etc
TOTAL MONTHLY

SAVING AND ACCUMULATION
Life Insurance and Superannuation
Investments
Saving – Bank, building society etc
Other
TOTAL MONTHLY

NET ANNUAL INCOME REQUIRED

Dan Cavalli makes it easy for business and people to be the best they can be! For details and to claim your free subscription for Business and the part 2 article visit his site at: Small Business Success

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Cavalli

In recent years executive coaching has become increasingly popular. Once limited to entrepreneurs and CEOs, coaching is now finding its way into middle and lower levels of management. Why are more companies funding the advancement of coaching to lower levels of management? The answer is simple: ROI. According to a recent study, the average ROI (return on investment). The same survey set a dollar value on the ROI at more than $100,000. Surprisingly, this dollar figure was based on the actual reports from executives who estimated the monetary value of the results achieved through coaching.

The academic world concentrates on technical skills and theories instead of people skills. On the other hand, coaching is focused on people skills. At entry level, skill is extremely important. Can someone type? Can someone run a cash register? Can someone file? Can someone drive a forklift?

At the upper level, people skills are more important. Can you lead people? Can you communicate effective? Can you draw talent out of people?

In the middle, a blend is required - however rarely achieved on one's own. Research by the Center for Creative Leadership has found that the primary causes of derailment in executives involve deficits in emotional competence. The three primary ones are:

==> Difficulty in handling change

==> Inability to work well in a team

==> Poor interpersonal relations

Due to the lack of academic attention to soft skills, employees are finding a huge need to improve the people skills of their executives. To instill people skills and how to use them, companies have the choice of public workshops and seminars or coaching. Workshops can handle topics generally, however coaching handles topics independently. Coaching also has an accountability factor not present in seminars.

According to Amos Robinson, "Effective coaching works with executives and others to develop their proficiency in working with change. It helps them identify when teamwork is important and to use their skills to foster it. Coaching builds skills and capacities for effective working relationships. Coaching paves the way for decision makers to create higher levels of organizational effectiveness through dialogue, inquiry and positive interactions. Coaching creates awareness, purpose, competence and well-being among participants. Coaching is NOT another feel-good exercise based in soft skills that has no correlation to the bottom line."

The key to effective coaching is to assess the cognitive skills and personality traits of the individual being coached. Additional techniques might include multi-rater feedback. The coach's goal is to know the person being coached better than know themselves. An effective coach will then help the person overcome weaknesses and build on strengths to deliver better results for their organization.

Michigan based MaxImpact offers coaching in the United States and Canada through the Catapult(R) program. Successes are tremendous as entrepreneurs and executives have found their attention changes from "fixing people problems" to building business and profits.

Max Impact has seen results similar or better than the survey shows when you look at things in perspective. President Rick Weaver says, "Coaching results appear right after the first sessions and then have a compounding effect, growing exponentially.

Coaching has proven itself and it is time for all executives to get on the bandwagon.

------------------

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Building on a strong retail background, Rick moved to full supply-chain involvement, working with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results.

As Rick's interaction in varied industries expanded, he became troubled as he increasingly noticed that people and companies had untapped or unfocused talent.

Coupled with Rick’s passion for training and development, popular style of interactive workshops and seminars, and strong desire for continuous improvement, he founded Max Impact Corporation to be singularly focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve high performance.

Rick is a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences. He has spoken in 43 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. He is available to speak at groups of all sizes.

Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or [email protected].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Weaver

n today's competitive environment, factories and other production facilities need to operate around the clock in order to maximize the use of the company's resources. But heavy usage means increased damage to the plant floor since even the hardest cement deteriorates under constant friction. With floor damage comes difficulty in cleaning, maintaining rolling equipment, and presenting a positive corporate image. Shutting down the plant would be too costly to the business operations, so the damage must be repaired on the fly--and it must last. This is where a new breed of wear-resistant and easy-to-use epoxy patches and laminating products can save the day.

Even more difficult than maintaining clean, smooth floors with out chipping, lifting, or pealing, is fixing holes, cracks, and erosion. Some facilities suffer from shaking concrete floors. The shaking is most often caused by rolling equipment crossing expansion joints cut in the concrete when poured. All these problems can be remedied with 100% epoxy fillers mixed with quartz that can be feathered to blend with the surrounding undamaged surfaces. With some careful preparation, and the use of grinders, the damaged floor can be brought back to level quickly and without interruption to operations. The patching materials have compression strengths exceeding 22,000 lb. per sq. in., can be feathered to a fine edge, and will not wash or knock out of the holes and cracks that they fill.

Mixing 100% epoxy with color quartz to 28 lb. per gallon gives a trowel mix with a peanut butter consistency. This mix can be placed in holes using a trowel or putty knife. Small vertical surfaces are best filled by using a heavy rubber glove and applying the mixture by hand with a rubbing motion. Small holes can be quickly filled simply by pouring syrup-consistency liquid epoxy to the surface and grinding flush once hardened. Uneven surfaces can be matched by bridging from the higher surface to the lower surface with a trawled-on mini-ramp that transitions from one level to the other.

Photo examples of the joint sealing process are available at www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/jointsealer. They are provided by Durall Industrial Flooring of Minneapolis, MN, the only industrial flooring manufacturer that also makes over 500 specialty cleaners, allowing them to produce special preparations and application systems designed to assure optimum flooring adhesion and wear results.

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at [email protected]

Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

###

Harvey Chichester is a principal of Durall Industrial Flooring, a company with more than 40 years experience in developing special flow-coatings for industrial and residential floors. He has experience with Automotive and shopping centers, breweries, food processing plants, manufacturing plants, airplane hangars, car washes, kennels, warehouses, printing plants, residential basements, pool decks, and condominiums are among some of the facilities that benefit from these non-porous, moisture- and wear-resistant cement floor coverings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harvey_Chichester

It seems that every manufacturing company is now trying to adapt the Lean Philosophy, invented and mastered by Toyota Corporation. Lean manufacturing has also spilled over into non manufacturing industries. Unfortunately, many companies don’t completely understand the true meaning of Lean Manufacturing. Lean Manufacturing, simply put, is “continuously improving your processes to eliminate waste”. This sounds simple, but many companies will fail to become truly Lean because they don’t have an environment to implement and maintain Lean.

Most people believe Lean is just a set of tools (One Piece Flow, JIT, Kan-Ban, 5S, Six-Sigma, Kaizen Teams, Push / Pull Systems, etc.) that can be used to cut waste. However, Lean is not only a set of tools, it is a culture. If a company has severe issues with employee turnover, employee morale, product quality, product delivery, equipment uptime, plant housekeeping, etc., it will be extremely difficult to shift the employees to a new way of thinking and conducting business. In other words, if your employees are in constant fire fighting mode, they will not be able to properly implement Lean.

Fix the obvious problems first

To prepare for Lean, you must “fix the obvious problems first”. Many times employers will know exactly what the problems and solutions are. They just don’t have the time, resources, or incentive to fix them. If you have an automobile that is constantly breaking down because of a bad transmission, then fix it! Repair or replace the transmission. Do not implement a Lean Strategy to fix the car. Just fix it. Lean is not used to fix broken processes. Lean is used to continuously improve working processes to eliminate waste. When all the obvious problems are fixed on that vehicle, it’s then time to fine tune it to become more efficient. It’s time to look at ways to cut waste (cost) to ultimately save money!

A Word about Six-Sigma

Some companies now mandate that Six-Sigma be used to fix problems. Unfortunately, Six-Sigma isn’t always used correctly. Six-Sigma is intended to solve complex problems that have numerous variables that cause variation in a process, which ultimately cause defects. Six-Sigma uses statistics to systematically identify what the different variables are doing in the process and points to potential solutions. It eliminates guessing as to what’s causing the variations. Again, fix the obvious problems first. Many problems don’t have to be analyzed to detect solutions. In many instances, the solutions are obvious: i.e., If the light bulb is blown, then, change the light bulb.

Value Your People

Society generally refers to companies as entities. We speak of IBM, GM, and Microsoft as entities; however, they are really groups of people. GM doesn’t build cars, the employees of GM build cars.

To develop that culture as successfully as Toyota Corporation has, companies must first realize that they have to develop, nurture and value their employees. In order to build a culture of people wanting to continuously improve, people have to be engaged in their jobs. They have to feel valued by the company. They have to feel they are noticed and rewarded for their contributions. Ultimately, the company has to value having low employee turnover to create consistency. A company with high employee turnover cannot maintain a successful Lean environment.

To foster this type of environment in today’s business world isn’t easy. There is low loyalty between U.S. companies and their employees for a variety of reasons. Some companies look at employees as an expense rather that an asset that can be easily cut. If employees of a company do not feel the company values them, they will find other jobs. With today’s business world, it’s difficult to implement a long term Lean strategy. Yes, a company can dictate to it’s employees to use Lean tools to cut waste, however, to sustain that ideology long term require an engaged, loyal, consistent, work force.

Develop and Retain Strong Leaders

Good managers are coaches, poor managers are dictators. A good manager will believe in the team concept where every member of the team is important and his/her opinions are valued. A good manager will value his/her employees and realize that for him/her to be successful, the team has to be successful. A poor manger will dictate to his/her employees, which creates havoc! A good, efficient, business unit with high employee morale will fall apart within weeks if a poor manager has taken over. Poor managers fail because they don’t have strong leadership skills. They lack people skills, communication skills, decision making skills, and delegation skills necessary to develop and maintain effective teams. A strong leader must sell the Lean Strategy and realize that ultimately the employees as a team are the ones to make it happen.

Think and act World Class (even if not there yet!)

To become Lean is to become World Class. When walking into a facility that has an unclean, unorganized work environment, one knows he/she haven’t walked into a World Class facility. There is no need to look at the productivity numbers to determine whether or not the facility is World Class. If a plant is World Class, it looks World Class as soon as you walk into the door.

A Lean facility is thoroughly organized. Every process is clearly defined via standards. Production is operated via very clear Visual Management. A true World Class facility has the discipline to sustain organization. Outside auditors, potential customers and employees will be turned off if the work environment isn’t clean and organized. Keeping a work area clean and organized is simple; however, many companies overlook this simple task.

Make Decisions Based on Logic and Not Politics

Most of the time decisions made senior management are implemented without questioning regardless if the decisions make sense or not. Too many times, decisions are made by senior management without them fully understanding the process and issues. Lower-level managers ultimately implement ideas and strategies that are not based on logic but politics. They will implement ideas even if they themselves do not believe in them. This can create numerous problems which makes implementing Lean Strategies difficult.

Decisions should be made throughout the organization through effective communication. Senior management should not just mandate, but sell their ideas and be open to questioning and suggestions from lower-level managers. Senior management should fully understand the issues and processes by effectively communicating with the managers at the different levels. Major decisions whenever possible should be made as a team vs. an individual.

by - Patrick Birmingham - Mechanical Engineer, MBA, Six-Sigma Green Belt, Web Master (mZeus.com | Insurance For Everything | Cell Phone Digest)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Birmingham

A mutual fund could set a benchmark as a target for the performance. For such a fund, one that is 100% focused on the stock-market, the benchmark could be a stock-market index, like the Dow Jones. For individual portfolios that carry more than stocks only but include currencies and bonds, it is more difficult to define an appropriate benchmark.

And that is exactly the problem with benchmarking as a performance management instrument in organisations. How are you to measure a performance if every company is unique and wants to deviate from the standard?

And that is exactly the problem with organisations. How are you to measure a performance if every company is unique? Benchmarking is done to compare activities with the objective to improve these. So how do we translate the financial adagio, “If we beat the index, we have done well,” into an organizational counterpart?

Benchmarking you company against peers is sheer impossible; a small difference in focus, product offering will make an overall comparison useless.

So you should step down to get more focus and therefore a reliable or credible benchmark. For instance you could visit three sales teams and use the one with the best results as a benchmark. The other two will try to improve their sales using the benchmark as the best practice. Yet the three sales organisations differ slightly. One sales team is focused on active clients, the other on clients that you offer additional services. A benchmark would do more harm in this area, because it will flatten the differences your company introduced to increase overall sales. Instead of having three teams you just as well may go back to having only one.

The problem of a benchmark is also present for mutual funds managers because they can deviate less from the market that they might want to. But an organization could do this. If you have set a strategy they only way to implement this is by setting the benchmark according to the strategic rules. That is not by observing others, but by benchmarking against your own profile.

For the market sake you could add some market condition indicators that level the (benchmark) outcome with the market situation; these should be in line: a positive market outlook should increase the level of the benchmark.

(As for the Hollywood divorces, I haven’t check the level being more or less than average, but I assume that the quality of live in Hollywood is neither better not worse, but just “different”.)

© 2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days. You can apply for a free demo account

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hans_Bool

It's like the old dream where you're delivering a speech to a packed house - and suddenly realize that you're standing there with your trousers around your ankles. You've planned the perfect company dinner - and the caterer got the date wrong. Your keynote speaker didn't show up because his travel tickets were never confirmed. And the napkins at the tables don't match the tableskirts. Are your guests going to think 'Oh, their corporate event planners let them down? Of course not! When you plan a large scale corporate event, your company's reputation is on the line. Why would you leave that in unskilled hands?

The most successful corporate events are those that are well-planned and flawlessly executed. If your company is hosting a customer appreciation event, a team building day or any other type of corporate event, it pays to hire the best corporate event planner you can find to take care of all the details. But how do you choose the best event planners? Here's a checklist of criteria to help you narrow down your choices to those corporate event organisers that will deliver an event that your customers and employees will enjoy.

1. If you're new to planning corporate events, ask around among your business colleagues for recommendations. If you attend a grand opening or company dinner that impresses you as well-planned and well-organized, make a note of whether an event planner was used, and which one it was. Excellence has a way of being noted, and word of mouth is the best recommendation you can find.

2. When you interview a corporate event planner, pay as much attention to the questions that they ask as to the answers that they give. A professional will ask questions designed to gauge exactly what YOU want to accomplish with your event so that they can translate your vision into the spectacular event that you have in mind.

3. Ask the right questions to get the information you need to know. How often do they handle events similar to yours? What other corporate events has the firm planned lately? Do they have experience with the type of event that you want to run? How will they approach your goals for this event?

4. Always ask for references. A professional event planner will be happy to provide you with the names of other clients that you can contact. Just as importantly, they can provide a list of vendors with whom they've worked and have relationships. As in any other business, successful event planning is based on who you know as much as it is on what you know. An expert corporate event planner will have worked extensively with vendors and services in your area. They'll know which companies are reliable and which to avoid.

No matter what the event you're planning, it makes sense to turn to a knowledgeable professional for help with the details. A professional corporate event planner can make running your event painless - so that you can relax and enjoy the evening as much as your guests.

Brett Danielson works for http://www.chillisauce.co.uk, a UK corporate event planner and tour organiser. Chillisauce.co.uk specialises in unique corporate events and team building days and weekends that help your business make the best impression.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brett_Daneilson

When you put the bid together, one of your most important pieces of documentation was the Project Management Plan. This document will be your bible from now on, in particular the programme plan, which will take the form of a bar chart or similar and which you will probably want to pin onto the wall of your office. This will show you the state of the project at a glance, including all the important dates and milestones, especially payment milestones. If your plan was formulated using detailed activities for each milestone, you will need to check with the milestone owners that these are still valid. If you didn’t use detailed activities, you might want to start now. I firmly believe that the secret of successful Project Management is attention to detail. In a complex project, it is all too easy to lose track of some seemingly insignificant little job or item which turns out to be vital to the conclusion of a milestone. Get your team to think of every tiny little thing that they will need, especially for the early milestones and make sure that the plan is always up to date.

One of your early milestones will almost certainly be to formally issue all your other documents as well as the Project Management Plan, as these will have been at draft issue only for the bid. This means organising the review and signing off by senior personnel of your Quality Plan, Development Plan (if any), Sub-Contract Management Plan and Configuration Management Plan, to name but a few. These will then require delivery to and acceptance by, your customer.

Your Risk Management Plan is another priority and will also need constant update and review. Make sure that your Risk Manager checks with all risk owners that they haven’t any new information which may affect the handling of an early risk. For example, say one of your risks was that one of your software engineers would only be available to you part time because Project X was approaching a crucial milestone and might need extra resources. Your Technical Lead now tells you that Project X has achieved that milestone with no problems and won’t need your software engineer. You can now knock that risk off your list, you don’t need to worry about it any more and you won’t need to put the fall back or mitigation plans in place. Risk Management is a complex subject so we won’t delve into it further here, suffice to say, it is crucial to good project management.

Lastly, on the subject of plans, make sure that your Procurement Manager is monitoring the plans needed from your sub-contractors, if any. These may be stand-alone plans for complex sub-contracts or may just be a contributory paragraph to some of your project plans. Either way, they still need to be delivered in time for project management review and inclusion in the delivery of your document package to your customer.


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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Project Management
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Safety research shows drivers' behavioral styles and attitudes are a better predictor of safe driving practices than their level of safety training. A 1993 study conducted by Behavioral-Values Research Associates showed significant behavior and attitude differences between injured and non-injured workers.

Trucking companies that obtain this information to pre-screen driver applicants have significantly reduced their accident rates, costs, workers' comp claims, and have increased driver retention.

A behavioral assessment measures a driver's normal behavior in four areas: D (Dominant), I (Influencing), S (Steadiness), and C (Cautious, Compliant to Standards).

The D factor determines how drivers tend to handle problems and challenges, the I factor looks at their interactions and influence with others, the S at how they respond to the pace of the environment, and the C at how they respond to rules and regulations set by others.

A DISC behavioral assessment shows how the applicant ranks in each of the four factors from 0% to 100%. Above 50% is considered high, below 50% is low. The higher or lower the ranking, the more intense the behavior will be. In this article, we'll look at the highs and lows of the Core I driver.

The BVRA study showed significant differences in the D, S, and C styles of the injured versus non-injured safety workers. But there wasn't a marked difference in the I factor between the two groups. However, I recommend trucking companies hire drivers who are low in the I style. Here's the reason why.

Drivers who score highest in the Influencing factor tend to be talkative, sociable, friendly, and outgoing. They get distracted easily especially when other people are involved. They'll get bored on long hauls with no one to talk to. They may take extended breaks if they get into a lively conversation with someone.

Drivers with a low I factor are the opposite. They're introverted and shy away from others. They'll be content on a long driver where they don't have to interact with people. They're able to pay more focused attention to their driving.

However, one of our trucking company clients wants its drivers to be somewhat, but not extremely, high in the I factor because they're required to interact frequently with their customers. The company want drivers who are friendly and can relate well with others.

If you feel being lively and likable is important for your drivers, then hire applicants with an I ranking above the mid line. Otherwise, select those low in the I behavioral style.

Watch for upcoming articles in which we'll discuss the drivers you most want to hire: those high in the S and C factors. If you missed it, look for our previous article on the Core D driver. Contact us if you can't find it and we'll send it to you.

©2006 Annette Estes.  All Rights Reserved.  Permission to reprint granted as long as entire text and tag line are included.



Annette Estes is a Certified Professional Behavioral and Values Analyst, Coach, and Trucking Company Consultant. She is an award-winning author and columnist. Subscribe to her free newsletter at http://www.hiresafedrivers.com

The big day has arrived, the day on which your customer decides which of the competing bidders has won his new project. As the Project Manager, you may or may not be the first to hear the news. Customers work differently. Sometimes a member of the customer’s staff, or more than one, will “whisper” the news to his opposite number in the bidding company and sometimes full protocol will be observed, with a formal communication being sent from the customer’s Contracts Manager to your Commercial Manager. Either way, the Project Manager will be one of the first to hear the good news that your bid was considered to be the best and that the job now starts in earnest.

Bearing in mind that a large part of the Project Manager’s job is man management, one of your first duties should be to arrange a celebration for all the people who worked on the bid. This sign of appreciation will do wonders for staff morale and will ensure that you have a willing team. Depending on the value of the project, this celebration might be a beer in the pub or a full blown lunch. Don’t forget to include everyone or this will have the opposite to the desired effect. When having your celebration, use the opportunity to praise past efforts and lay out future expectations.

At this early stage, your other major task will be to ensure that someone is arranging your office accommodation. If you work for a large company which likes to co-locate its project personnel, you will need to make sure that someone is taking care of space, storage and communications so that your staff can quickly settle down and devote themselves to making the project a success.

After the celebration (the same day might not be such a good idea), call your first project meeting for your senior team members. At this stage, it is unlikely that your company will actually have signed the contract for this project so before that happens, more work is necessary. Your team will need to again review the customer’s documentation to ensure that they still say the same as they did when you responded to the bid. It’s not unheard of for a customer to try and sneak in a few extra requirements when they think you’re not looking. You will also need to make sure that your responses to both the Invitation to Tender and any subsequent questions have been included in the new documentation and that the price, payment plan, technical solution and everything else, have been acknowledged.

As long as all the documentation is in order, it is normal practice to go ahead with the project, even without the benefit of a signed contract. Often, the customer will have sent a formal Instruction to Proceed agreeing basics such as the price. You will probably need this to get project funding signed off by the senior financial people in your organisation, enabling you to get on with the job... and that’s where the next article will take us.


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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Project Management
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Anyone living on this planet knows that the Japanese system -- if not broken -- is in serious need of repair. The nenkojoretsu system (the literal translation is “years-merit-order”) channels millions of workers in an orderly, predictable way through the corporate system.

Examples of the nenkojoretsu system:

• Longevity determines a worker’s rank in the organization.

• Competence is equated with age.

• Experience counts more than expertise.

• Each spring, and with no explanation, workers receive slips of paper advising them of nearly identical raises.

• During the first 15 years with their respective company, workers receive promotions regardless of their ability.

• The best indication of high performance: Working long hours.

• Workers are never told where they stand; their performance is not measured. Workers must sense how they are doing by how they are treated in after-work drinking sessions with coworkers.

Result: Japanese payrolls are bloated with 2 million to five million under-utilized workers. Companies’ operating expenses are so high that they can no longer compete in a fast-changing world market that demands flexibility.

Of course, this is the same system that allowed Japan to rise from worst to first with respect to quality. But the system has run its course. The time has come for change. We can change too.

North American companies may not have the specific name for our “system,” but many of the characteristics are practically identical to those found in Japan. It’s not at all unusual to visit large and seemingly progressive North American companies and find compensation systems in place that are heavily based on management discretion:

• No merit-based pay.

• No job descriptions.

• No measurements.

• No formal performance reviews.

• No minimum conditions of employment.

• No guidelines for overtime pay.

(In Japan, white-collar workers have been averaging 60 hours a month in overtime. Management ignored how much overtime was wasted, resulting in little additional productivity.)

Management has always been a tough job, but the most profitable firms I observe are managed by proactive men and women who are goal-oriented; they set strict standards and reward the employees who meet and exceed those standards. The most effective managers have the reputation for being tough, but fair. Employees who are just “holding on” are not tolerated.

Many of managers who are critical of our government entitlement programs are equally guilty of tolerating them within their own companies. Ask yourself these questions:

• How many of my employees who received raises this year actually deserved them?

• How many of the employees who are currently on my payroll have I given up on and should replace?

• How many of my current managers earned their promotion as a result of longevity rather than merit?

• How many of my current managers have plateaued?

Bloated payrolls will eventually lead to financial disaster in any industry. Performance standards of just five years ago are no longer adequate for most businesses to effectively compete, especially in large metro areas.

Remember the four-minute mile? For years, it was a barrier no one could imagine breaking. Then on May 6, 1954, a British runner, Roger Bannister, finally did it. He ran a mile in 3: 59.4 minutes. As soon as one man broke the four-minute barrier, just a few weeks later, Landy, a runner from Australia, broke Bannister’s record. Since that time, over 1,000 runners have run a mile in under four minutes. In 1958, in Baton Rouge, five runners did it in the same race.

How does the productivity of your people this year compare to their productivity five years ago?

What gross profit per payroll dollar are your people achieving this year versus five years ago?

The pressure is on. New productivity records are being set every day. The competition is heating up. These new productivity increases are putting increased pressure on gross margins. Companies that expect to earn satisfactory bottom lines have no choice but to attack operating expenses. And since in most organizations approximately 60% of total operating expenses reside in personnel-related expenses (salaries, group medical, workers’ comp, payroll taxes), payroll is the first place to concentrate.

Change is no longer a choice

If you’re not setting performance-based conditions of employment in your organization, you will soon find yourself unable to compete. The gross profit you are able to generate will simply be inadequate to cover your cost of doing business.

Bill Lee is author of 30 Ways Managers Shoot Themselves in the foot. $21.95 + $6 S&H. http://www.BillLeeOnline.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Lee

Dear Leader,

You often act without realizing that what you do is courageous. It is important for you to recognize your daily life as a leader as one lived with daring. It is similarly important for you to recognize, encourage and openly acknowledge the courageous acts performed by those around you in order to perpetuate a culture of risk-taking and appreciation.

We hear all too often of violations of ethics in business. But we don’t often think of business as a place of opportunity for individuals to exhibit valor every day. If you observe, you will notice all kinds of daily acts of courage occurring by you and around you. These may not be as dramatic as saving lives, but they are cumulative and observed and emulated by those who watch you. They contribute to the culture and atmosphere you build. Consider some of the following real-life courageous acts that you have performed recently:

• A willingness to publicly admit responsibility and vulnerability when something didn’t turn out as expected

• Telling it like it is – stating what everyone else is thinking when nobody else dares to say it

• Admitting that your personal leadership capabilities need improvement and asking for help

• Returning to your personal value or ethical system to make a potentially unpopular decision, even when the decision puts you at great personal and professional risk

• Accepting public criticism with great grace and class

• Remaining true to your vision despite the opposition

• Taking the step to engage in a “360” with all of the good and less-than-good feedback that can come from that

• Mentoring and developing others so that the future of your organization and community can be assured

• Passing up “power” by inviting and encouraging others to participate with you in creating a better future for your organization or community

• Treating others with respect, returning phone calls, and showing appreciation and gratitude even when you don’t “have” to

You won’t admit that any of these are courageous acts. In fact, you may see them as “just doing your job.” This humility is exactly what makes you a leader – those who hesitate to perform with courage drop out of leadership positions quickly. What symbolizes courageous leadership to you? Consider reframing your day by asking these questions:

• What have I done today to exhibit courageous leadership?

• What beliefs prevent me from being courageous in this situation?

• What adversity am I facing that requires courage?

• In what way can I set an example of courage?

• What acts of courage have those around me exhibited, and how will I acknowledge them?

The word “courage” is derived from the Latin word “cor”, meaning heart. Courage is about authenticity and acting from the heart – understanding yourself well enough to overcome fears in order to present your true self to your organization and community. Thank you for setting a courageous example for others and making the places we work and live in better for it.

All my best, Mary Jo

Mary Jo Asmus, president of Aspire Collaborative Services LLC, specializes in Leadership and Organizational Development by partnering with CEO's, executives, professionals, teams, and small business owners to support and facilitate achievement of goals toward business excellence. Mary Jo's global Fortune 500 background in business areas as diverse as human resources, research and development, organizational development, and business strategy allow her to provide valuable insights about leadership and organizational systems. Learn more about Mary Jo at http://www.aspire-cs.com or contact her at [email protected].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Jo_Asmus