(CLP) Programs

Appleton Greene corporate training programs are all process-driven. They are used as vehicles to implement tangible business processes within clients’ organizations, together with training, support and facilitation during the use of these processes. Corporate training programs are therefore implemented over a sustainable period of time, that is to say, between 1 year (incorporating 12 monthly workshops), and 4 years (incorporating 48 monthly workshops). Your program information guide will specify how long each program takes to complete. Each monthly workshop takes 6 hours to implement and can be undertaken either on the client’s premises, an Appleton Greene serviced office, or online via the internet. This enables clients to implement each part of their business process, before moving onto the next stage of the program and enables employees to plan their study time around their current work commitments. The result is far greater program benefit, over a more sustainable period of time and a significantly improved return on investment.

Appleton Greene uses standard and bespoke corporate training programs as vessels to transfer business process improvement knowledge into the heart of our clients’ organizations. Each individual program focuses upon the implementation of a specific business process, which enables clients to easily quantify their return on investment. There are hundreds of established Appleton Greene corporate training products now available to clients within customer services, e-business, finance, globalization, human resources, information technology, legal, management, marketing and production. It does not matter whether a client’s employees are located within one office, or an unlimited number of international offices, we can still bring them together to learn and implement specific business processes collectively. Our approach to global localization enables us to provide clients with a truly international service with that all important personal touch. Appleton Greene corporate training programs can be provided virtually or locally and they are all unique in that they individually focus upon a specific business function. All (CLP) programs are implemented over a sustainable period of time, usually between 1-4 years, incorporating 12-48 monthly workshops and professional support is consistently provided during this time by qualified learning providers and where appropriate, by Accredited Consultants.

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Executive summary

Organizational Effectiveness

History

Efficiency and effectiveness were originally coined as concepts in industrial engineering. These concepts eventually came of age during the twentieth century and have since become an important requirement for organizations and the corporate world. Management theorists like Frank and Lillian Gilberth and Frederick Taylor have all designed studies and techniques to improve efficiency in the workplace and come up with ways to prioritize effective business operations.

Work simplification efforts gathered pace during the recent wave for efficient processes and it was during this time that streamlined processes started to pop up in organizations. The concept of effectiveness takes into consideration value creation and customer satisfaction. This concept first became popular in the United States late into the 20th Century. Americans perceived Japanese products, including their electronics and cars, as carrying great value and quality, and hence replicated the efficient processes that the Japanese had introduced to improve effectiveness.

Both words, efficiency and effectiveness, are often treated as synonyms, with certain entrepreneurs thinking of effectiveness as an extension of efficiency. The same goes for words like productivity, proficiency and competency. From a layperson’s perspective, all of these business terms appear to be the same. However, there are certain intricate differences that pop up in more formal managerial discussions.

The words efficiency and effectiveness can take on different meanings as well during formal discussions. In process engineering, guru Lon Roberts defined efficiency to be “the degree of economy with which the process consumes resources-especially time and money”. He distinguished effectiveness as “how well the process actually accomplishes its intended purpose, here again from the customer’s point of view.”

A simpler way to look at both these metrics is by defining efficiency as the effort put toward doing things right, while effectiveness can be described as doing the right things on a consistent basis. A company can do wrong things efficiently, without much reward, because both of these concepts are fully utilized when you do the right thing consistently.

Some process efficiency measures are:

• Cycle time per unit, transaction, or labor cost
• Queue time per unit, transaction, or process step
• Percent on-time delivery
• Inventory turns
• Cost of poor quality per unit of output
• Percent of time items were out of stock when needed
• Resources (dollars, labor) expended per unit of output

Some measures for effectiveness are:

• How well the process and its output meet the requirements of the end user or customer
• How well the inputs from the external suppliers meet the requirements of the process
• How well the output of the sub process meets the requirements of the next phase in the process (internal customers)

The concepts of efficiency and effectiveness have become even clearer with the passage of time. Both of these concepts now play an important role in business operations and are considered significant in the journey toward success. Businesses realized late in the 20th century that success in the modern would come through effectiveness and the general effort to do things right consistently.

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Current Position

In today’s developing world, organizational effectiveness relates to the efficiency of numerous business areas under the umbrella of a single management. Organizations have developed contingency plans to minimize the impact of disruptions on their processes and prioritized efficiency and consistency over volatility.

Businesses in the current world implement and measure effectiveness based on the following metrics:

• Employee performance: Are employees within your organization productive and motivated enough to perform? Do they just perform their bare minimum without putting in the extra effort? Performance usually depends on the effectiveness of employee training in any organization, the tools, management and work environment among other factors.

• Leadership Style: The leadership style in the firm can also impact the overall effectiveness of the organization. How well do the leaders in your firm manage their responsibilities? Leadership quality can significantly impact employee performance, productivity, corporate climate and a number of other business areas.

• Organizational Structure: The next factor to consider here is the structure of your organization. The organizational structure also has a significant impact on the performance of an organization. Most organizations have a democratic, top-down, autocratic or laissez-faire style of leadership or hierarchy. A more democratic organization might have better efficiency due to the autonomy provided to employees.

• Organizational Culture: Organizational culture and behavior are two things that walk hand in hand. Organizational culture is one thing that significantly affects the performance of all members in an organization. A toxic work culture promotes disputes and might not be conducive to growth and effectiveness.

Organizations are leaving a lot of beliefs from the past behind to achieve organizational effectiveness. While effectiveness and efficiency were previously only connected to cutting costs and saving time, they now include a broader discussion on improving responsiveness as well. Organizations are now expected to be responsive, in addition to just being efficient. As a result, the traditional concepts of efficiency are left behind for a more inclusive measure of organizational effectiveness through the addition of responsiveness. Organizations want to be responsive to meet customer expectations in time and give them the kind of service standard they require in the time they require.

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Future Outlook

The future of organizational effectiveness in complex organizations with intricate hierarchies and complex customer expectations would be based on the systems of organizational effectiveness. These systems include:

Leadership

To achieve better results and sustain efficiency within the organization, managers should take the role of leaders and define/redefine key processes within the organization. Execution should be prioritized as well and should be translated into a better understanding of the vision and mission of the organization. For efficiency to be prioritized, leaders should translate vision and values into objectives and strategies, processes and practices into accountability and performance.

Leaders will be required to address three questions here:

1. What unique value do you bring to customers through your vision/value? The unique value is your competitive advantage and helps separate you from the rest.

2. What is distinct about the way you fulfill and satisfy the needs of your stakeholders and customers? Does your strategy support your vision in achieving organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage?

3. Are the elements of your organization designed to help achieve your vision and improve effectiveness?

The answers to these questions can determine future measures toward effectiveness.

Communication

Efficiency is often the end result of improved communication. Every exchange is a potential step toward success. Organizations today realize the importance of strategic communication and are coming up with ways to strategize and implement these steps in an even broader manner. The leadership team should communicate objectives, set plans and align strategies across teams and hierarchies in a clear manner. With better tech advances on the cards, this is bound to become even better over time.

Accountability

Leaders are responsible for translating their strategies and vision into goals and objectives for every employee within the firm. Management by objectives is a popular leadership style to set strategies and is bound to become a norm in organizations over time. Leaders need to add discipline into their processes and ensure that every employee understands their role in organizational effectiveness and is held accountable for lapses.

Delivery

Organizations of the future will develop processes that are locally responsive, internally efficient and globally adaptive. Complexity in delivery processes is a thing of the past as organizations today prioritize simplicity in delivery patterns with an adaptable approach that prioritizes both, responsiveness and efficiency. Operations need to use the most effective techniques in support of major objectives and initiatives.

Performance Assessment

Performance assessment systems of the future will be designed to attract, train, develop and retain the most hardworking and talented employees within your organization. The idea is to achieve organizational effectiveness by attracting the right talent, helping them develop over time and retaining them through a positive culture, leadership style and perks. Organizational effectiveness is only achieved through consistency in employee performance and retention.

Measurement

The measurement processes should develop a positive system of course-correction whenever organizational effectiveness is compromised. Organizations will soon implement concrete measures to facilitate consistent performance, predictable results and quality control. Predictability might sound far-fetched, but is definitely a part of the future of organizational effectiveness.

This framework for the future will help managers of tomorrow view just how they can prioritize and improve their organizational effectiveness.

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Curriculum

Organizational Effectiveness – Part 1- Year 1

1. Part 1 Month 1 Introduction
2. Part 1 Month 2 Analysis Execution
3. Part 1 Month 3 Analysis Results
4. Part 1 Month 4 Work Management
5. Part 1 Month 5 Execution Introduction
6. Part 1 Month 6 Execution Opportunities
7. Part 1 Month 7 Execution Improvements
8. Part 1 Month 8 Execution Sustainability
9. Part 1 Month 9 Planning Introduction
10. Part 1 Month 10 Planning Opportunities
11. Part 1 Month 11 Planning Improvements
12. Part 1 Month 12 Reporting Introduction

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Organizational Effectiveness – Part 2- Year 2

1. Part 2 Month 1 Reporting Opportunities
2. Part 2 Month 2 Reporting Improvements
3. Part 2 Month 3 Forecasting Introduction
4. Part 2 Month 4 Forecasting Opportunities
5. Part 2 Month 5 Forecasting Improvements
6. Part 2 Month 6 CI Introduction
7. Part 2 Month 7 CI Opportunities
8. Part 2 Month 8 CI Improvements
9. Part 2 Month 9 Final Analysis
10. Part 2 Month 10 Analysis Improvements
11. Part 2 Month 11 Final Results
12. Part 2 Month 12 Next Steps

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Program Objectives

The content below represents the Key Program Objectives (KPO) for the Appleton Greene Organizational Effectiveness corporate training program.

Organizational Effectiveness – Part 1- Year 1

Part 01 Month 01: Introduction

The executive leadership team and local management will be participants in the introduction of the organizational effectiveness training program. The objectives of this workshop are to gain an overall understanding of organizational effectiveness, for each participant to understand their role in improving their area or department, be introduced to the objectives of this training, how to perform an analysis using specific analytical tools and how the success of this training is determined.

To generate an overall understanding of organizational effectiveness, the first section of the workshop will focus on when the world began developing organizational effectiveness all the way to the way it is used today. The participants will be given bespoke examples relating to both, their industry and their function within an organization. This section will end with where organizational effectiveness is trending today and what to expect from the future.

The next section of the workshop focuses on the roles each executive manager will play within this training program and what is expected of each of them. This cements the foundation of ownership with each participant of the process and the results of the training. During this section, participants will receive a brief overview of the challenges of change management, work management and management operating systems.

Determining the success of any engagement begins with understanding a baseline or starting point. The last section of this workshop focuses on determining the perceived and actual baseline of current performance. The remainder of this section and the workshop is to demonstrate and train participants on how to conduct analysis using some specific tools that will be made available to them. These analysis tools focus on opportunities in work execution, defining the gap to absolute capacity and barriers to reaching absolute capacity from both, the employee and manager’s points of view. The local management team that will be conducting the initial analyses will be trained in how to perform the analysis, what to look for when conducting the analysis and why what they are looking for is meaningful and impactful.

The assignment between this workshop and the next will be to complete an initial series of analyses that focus on the work execution (employee and manager day in the life studies), defining the gap to absolute capacity and barriers to reaching absolute capacity. Additionally, they will be asked to complete some initial personal assessments that they will receive feedback on from consultants during the next workshop.

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Part 02 Month 02: Analysis Execution

The Analysis Execution module continues the training of the analysis process and begins examining the initial results with the local management teams that executed the analyses. The local management teams will receive feedback on the initial analyses conducted and will be able to share best practices with their peers.

After reviewing the results from the initial analyses, the local management team will receive training on additional types of analyses. These would include work management, flow of work through their departments, skills flexibility assessment, work balancing, work to time ratios and observations. SMED (single minute exchange of dies) may also be taught if applicable to the client.

Additionally, during this section of the workshop, the local management team will be trained on how to spot opportunities in the way the work areas are being managed. They will begin to examine the current culture of leadership and how employees are responding to that leadership. The local management team will be trained in how to both, seek opportunities and how to quantify the impacts.

During the second half of the workshop, the participants will receive training in the subjects of Observations & Lost Time and Facilitative Leadership. The purpose of the Observation workshop is to develop a common understanding of Lost Time. The participants will be equipped with tools that assist in identifying lost time and how to understand the impact Lost Time has on the organization as well as how to resolve lost time issues. The purpose of the Facilitative Leadership workshop is to develop the framework of achieving results through identifying the need to have strong relationships and processes. This model is designed to get to important decisions quicker with a higher level of buy-in.

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Part 03 Month 03: Analysis Results

In the Analysis Results workshop, participants will review the comprehensive results from the 2 months of completing analyses. They will review the outcomes of the day in the life studies. The manager day in the life study is a full day study where the participant shadows the manager or supervisor for an entire day to get an understanding of how they plan their day, how they drive execution through their teams, and how they address operational and personnel issues that arise. The participant will witness how they interact with their teams, how they hold their teams accountable and the culture they are supporting in their departments. The participants interact with the manager or supervisor to understand each situation while not interfering with the day-to-day operations. The output of this study is focused around where the manager or supervisor spends their time, as this indicates their priorities. The studies also highlight the operational, leadership and cultural opportunities that currently exist in these departments. The participant will also highlight some of the positive situations observed during the study.

The employee day in the life study is much like the manager day in the life study as it is a full day study where the participant shadows an individual or group of employees for an entire day to get an understanding of how much work is scheduled for the employees, how they process the work and what issues occur during the course of a day while only interceding when the consultant perceives a safety or quality concern. The participant will witness how they interact with their management, how they are held accountable and the culture they help support in their departments. The output of this study is focused on how employees spend their time and the issues they encounter trying to get their work completed. The studies also highlight the operational, leadership and cultural opportunities that currently exist in these departments. The participant will highlight some of the positive situations observed during the study.

Operational, leadership and cultural observations will be prepared from the participant’s analysis studies and be presented to the executive leadership team and the local management. Special care will be taken not to be specific of indicting any particular individual or group of individuals.

In the last section of this workshop, the approach of the rest of the engagement will be reviewed. This will include covering the 8-step implementation and mindset change required. This will link the reason this engagement was initiated, how the analysis supported the need and where the focus will be to improve the effectiveness of the overall company or organization.

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Part 04 Month 04: Work Management

Work management is the intersection of team and business processes that structure the flow of work in an organization for effective load distribution and project completion. Work management principles apply to the scope of the organization’s project operations, and operate with a motive to schedule tasks in a better and more comprehensive manner.

The cycle of work management starts with identifying the work to be done in the organization and planning and scheduling it for different stakeholders and employees across the organization. The work management cycle, however, does not end here. Follow-up is extremely important to figure out all the factors that are helping and the factors that aren’t.

Work management is important in the organization because it improves performance and because it improves overall organizational effectiveness. Anything that allows your organization to deliver better outcomes in a more comprehensive manner will benefit your project. Better performance eventually leads to better quality deliverables within the budget set by the organization. Work management may also work to reduce redundancies that are unnecessarily taking up money and time.

This is one reason work management is employed by organizations across the world. Getting rid of all activities that do not serve any purpose helps create better projects and propels efficiency forward.

While the details are different from organization to organization, work management processes often share the same elements. A typical work management process will be formed with the following elements:

• Identification: To manage work and increase organizational effectiveness, it is necessary that you first define the scope of the work and how and when it is required. Be thorough and accurate in your identification of work processes.

• Plan: The second step following identification is to plan a strategy for work management. Start by making a time-estimate of just how long it will take you to get the work done with your resources.

• Schedule: Now that you have the work planned out along with a timeline, you have to head toward creating a daily or a weekly schedule to define your responsibilities and workflow. Workflow should be distributed across the organization.

• Document: Documentation leaves a proper trail for everyone in the organization to follow.

Work management is an important attribute for organizations to achieve success in today’s competitive environment. The manual will discover multiple facets in the organization and the impact they have on work/load management.

The work management manual will include details related to the following processes.

• Forward Scheduling
• Backward Scheduling
• Project Management Scheduling
• Critical Path Management
• Work Order Scheduling
• Agile
• Lean
• Theory of Constraints
• Capacity Planning
• MOS Workshop

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Year 1 (Process Development)

Part 05 Month 05: Execution Introduction

While a blockbuster product, a breakthrough technology or a brilliant strategy might put you on the map to success, only thorough and effective execution can help you get the results and success curve you require. Businesses in this extremely competitive global industry should be able to deliver on their intent. Unfortunately, most organizations aren’t well versed in execution, often by their own confession. A majority of all employees in over 500 companies located globally feel that strategic and operational decisions in their organization are seldom translated into action. The execution process is more often than not found lacking, and while the idea itself might be a million dollar one, the execution leaves much to be desired.

Process execution is a companywide process where every employee should have a clear idea of the role they play in the process. Organizations weak in execution often have issues when it comes to communicating roles to employees across the organization. Employees aren’t able to register their responsibilities and are hence unable to feel accountable for their actions or a lack thereof.

Blurring of decisions and autonomy within an organization can make responsibilities vague for everyone involved. Organizations that are particularly young in nature have a hard time developing their execution processes. This is because these organizations are too busy communicating that they forget to assign roles and responsibilities to each member. The problems also don’t show up from the onset. Since the organization is small, everyone knows everyone and there is no difficulty in pointing out who to go to for what task.

For a limited period of time, things work out well for small firms. However, it is when they grow in stature and executives come in that the approval and execution process gets all murky and convoluted. It is extremely unclear for employees to determine where one employee’s accountability begins and another’s ends. Execution also succeeds in organizations where there is limited second-guessing and criticism from all corners. Such actions stall the process and take up ages for work to start. This course manual studies the introduction to execution processes and what’s best for organizations looking to take action.

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Part 06 Month 06: Execution Opportunities

Organizational goals and strategic plans can only be achieved through proper implementation and identification of the right opportunities. How do you ensure that your execution is perfect without any delays and further complications? Through the use of effective opportunities!

Strategy execution is the strategic process in place for recognizing opportunities that can improve your execution. The process comprises of daily systems, operational goals, structures and other measures to step up to every opportunity and to ensure that no chance for change goes to waste.

Even the most thorough strategic plans and objectives can fall flat on their face if they don’t have the right execution strategy to support them. Research suggests that more than 90 percent of all established businesses fail to reach their strategic objectives, which comes down to the failure to recognize opportunities for thorough execution.

The strategic plan is the first step of the execution process and should be formulated and revamped before businesses dive into execution. All decision-makers and stakeholders should reach an agreement or consensus on strategic plans as the business comes together to unearth opportunities that will help carry strategic efforts forward.

The opportunities for process execution will only pop up if the strategic goals and strategies identified by the management team hold true for your organization and can be implemented in the long run. Research identifies that 71 percent of all strategic decisions and executions fail because the strategic decisions behind these executions are second-guessed rather than being based on actual opportunities and requirements. Strategies shouldn’t be considered stagnant; instead, they should be given the headspace to evolve over time, leading to effective execution.

Effective strategies are also achieved through proper communication between all stakeholders in the organization. Opportunities to execute strategies can become even clearer and better with enhanced communication between employees and workers within the organization. Since over 95 percent of all employees do not fully understand the strategy in place within their organization, they are always unable to find opportunities to implement these strategies. Employees are also unable to unearth possible alternative strategies that can help improve implementation and increase the chances of success.

Strategy execution does fall down on the participation of all members from a team along with the managerial staff. Managerial staff should communicate requirements to the team; while the team should make sure they adhere to the challenges and come up with opportunities for implementation. All of these measures are only possible through effective communication and collaboration.

During the course of this month’s coursework, participants will be guided through multiple strategies and tips to unearth opportunities. Finding growth potential to set executable strategies is a companywide process that all stakeholders should participate in. As managers or as employees, participants will be taught the art of opportunity identification and the steps they can take herein to get better results.

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