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Is
Your Training Program Using a Balanced - "Pro-Business"
Approach?
The first question
you might ask is, "What do you mean 'Pro-Business?'" This
is a reference to a holistic approach dealing with all aspects of
positive change in the workplace. There are several "Pro's"
that are worthy of discussion. I'm not referring to our Delta Center
staff, although, they are certainly pro-status. There are certain
"Pro-skills" that every business can always improve upon
that represent this "Pro-Business" approach, and they
are PRO-vision, PRO-cess, PRO-fessionalism, and PRO-ficiency.
PRO-VISION
The first "Pro-Skill" is PRO-Vision. This is a method
of working with businesses to help them determine a workable strategy
for what they do, what they want to become, and how they plan to
achieve their vision. It assesses the current state of the business
and then the desired state to uncover the gaps between where the
business is and where it wants to be. This structured visioning
process leads the business toward an action plan that maps out steps
required to accomplish the business objectives. This method is the
foundation of any improvement initiative. There is an old bit of
wisdom that states, "If you want to drive to New York, you
have to know where you are now in order to know which way to start
driving." Capturing this vision of the current state, the desired
state, and the gaps that exist, provides a sequenced direction or
a road map that guides a business toward that desired result.
PRO-CESS
The second "Pro-Skill" is PRO-cess. This is all about
the systems and structures required to do business - a business
process. This implies a lot more than just computers and technology,
although they may be integral components of a complete system. This
complete system business process perspective can be seen in all
aspects of life, including growing a garden. Critical components
of the "garden" process might include planting, fertilizing
and treating the soil, as well as all the other process steps required
to have a fruitful garden. A process map can be used to document
the various steps required to perform any function, whether manufacturing
heavy equipment, making hamburgers to order, processing checks,
or seeing patients. Many components of the business process system
exist and could include integration of equipment to produce the
products or services, the investment of inventories and space, and
how humans interact with all of these things to create value for
customers.
A careful analysis
of the business processes can assist in the identification and elimination
of process waste as it manifests itself in delay, poor service,
issues of quality, and excessive costs. There are tools available
to help businesses in this war on waste. For years, competitive
manufacturers have been addressing these issues of waste by using
tools such as Lean, 6 Sigma, Kaizen, and ISO/QS quality systems.
Although these tools have been designed for manufacturing, the fundamental
concepts work equally as well in everything from insurance companies,
mortgage banking, medical fields, real estate, food service, and
retail - just about any business that has a customer who wants good
service, and a fair value and price.
Many times
process waste goes unnoticed, and becomes institutionalized as the
standard way of doing business. It may remain hidden until one day
someone else (the proverbial "faster gun") comes to town
with lower prices, better service, or better quality, any of which
may create more value for the customers. The good news is that there
are ways and tools that can be used to examine the business processes
in your enterprise, identify sources of waste, and eliminate or
minimize the impact.
PRO-FESSIONALISM
The third "Pro-Skill" is PRO-fessionalism, which focuses
on how people interact with other people. Businesses may purify
their processes to the point that they work effectively, but if
attention is not given to developing the professional skills of
the people within the organization, there may not be a way of achieving
competitive advantage, because the culture is contaminated. Every
business that has a supplier or a customer is a "people business,"
to use an overused expression. PRO-fessionalism skills include such
concepts such as leadership, management and supervision skills,
team and performance management, communications and writing skills.
All of these topics are necessary competencies required by tomorrow's
workforce in all segments of business and industry.
At the Delta
Center, these "Pro-Skills" are addressed either through
remote or on site classroom settings led by facilitators dedicated
to creating a safe, comfortable learning experience. The ultimate
objective of these training programs is to create learning that
can be applied to the job as behavioral changes, because at the
end of the day, if all you do in your training program is sit in
a room and assimilate knowledge, without application of that knowledge,
you are wasting space and money.
PRO-FICIENCY
The fourth "Pro-Skill" is PRO-ficiency, which deals with
the technical capability of the workforce, and how the workforce
is enabled to interact with the systems and structures of the business
processes. In manufacturing, these skills may include welding, electronics,
hydraulics, blueprint reading, or measuring. In other applications,
requirements could include language skills, basic math skills, food
handling safety, or medical procedural compliance. Computer technology
is a timely and critical PRO-ficiency issue that every business
must deal with today. Deficiencies in skills of software application,
or network management represent challenges that can be addressed
by our team at the Delta Center. An assessment can be performed
to determine PRO-ficiency skills needed in any business process
application. Programs either exist today or can be developed to
address just about any need in this area. The ASU Delta Center for
Economic Development and our partners can assist you in enhancing
the PRO-ficiency skills in your business.
WHAT DO YOU
MEAN BALANCED?
Simply stated, "Balanced" in this sense means that attention
must be paid to each of the four key elements listed above. If any
one of them is overlooked, the effectiveness of any change initiative
is diminished.
If a business
focuses on the elements involving vision, strategy development and
developing professionalism, but neglects process improvement and
proficiency skills, they may have a great mission and vision statement,
they may have people that work well together, but they could fail
because of an inability to implement anything. By the same token,
if a company focuses on process improvement exclusively, they may
become very effective at doing the wrong things. This brings to
mind the old story of the company that became very good at making
buggy whips, just as the automobile was being introduced.
The examples
could go on and on, but the point is that any business is like an
organism - made up of various components that are interconnected
pieces of the whole. Too much attention on one component, to the
exclusion of another, creates growth in that component, sometimes
at the expense of other equally important components. The solution
is to asses the various component elements of the business, find
areas that need attention, and intervene in a planned, holistic
approach that focuses on balanced growth in the various components
of the business organism.
SUMMARY
There is a saying that is quoted around the Delta Center office
that pokes a bit of humor at the excuses we hear regarding training
employees. The excuse goes, "What happens if I train my employees
and they leave, and go somewhere else for more money?" The
wise responder states, "What happens if you don't train them
and then they stay?"
The ASU Delta
Center Team is easy to do business with. We will come to you, at
your convenience; we will schedule training, at your convenience;
we are flexible. We offer top quality programs to your business
at a fraction of the cost of outside consultants. We live in your
community and are available to come back as needed. We have top
quality "Pro's" on our team to help you accomplish your
objectives.
Ultimately,
the objective of any business is to create value for its owners,
for its customers, for its employees, and for its community. The
Delta Center is dedicated to providing assistance to all business
and industry segments in the pursuit of "Pro-Teams." Remember:
the "Pro-Skills" include PRO-Vision, PRO-cess, PRO-fessionalism,
and PRO-ficiency. A by-product of growing these "Pro-Skills"
is improved Profits, and just about everybody is interested in that.
The ASU Delta
Center for Economic Development offers a balanced "Pro-Business"
approach in meeting the training needs of your business.
Charley Appleby
ASU Delta Center For
Economic Development
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