SAGER EDUCATIONAL ENTERPRISES

Building a Culture for Continuous Improvement

© Sager Educational Enterprises

In today’s world, staying competitive requires a structured and well-executed approach to continuous improvement. Continuous improvement is about improving processes that make a difference to customers. It is based on the understanding that there are possibilities for improvement in every aspect of one’s work and that significant and continuous improvements result from eliminating problems at the source. When everyone is engaged in seeking opportunities to continuously improve the effectiveness of organizational capabilities, continuous improvement becomes part of the culture.

Customer centricity is at the core of continuous improvement. Within an organization, employees supply products and services to each other in a chain of activities that result in providing products and services to external customers. Having everyone work to meet the needs of internal customers is necessary to better serve the needs of external customers. For this to happen, everyone in the organization must have the tools to clarify and analyze improvement opportunities and implement effective solutions. Continuous improvement is also based on a systems approach. Successful organizations know that what happens in one part of the business affects all other parts of the business. They seek to align all systems - planning, finance, performance management, marketing, scheduling, etc. - to increase the efficiency of their operations and better serve the needs of customers.

High-achieving organizations recognize employees as the real value of their companies. Training in continuous improvement methodologies for all employees is seen as an investment in keeping competitive.

Training That Helps Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement

When choosing continuous improvement training, Companies need to know what the course content will include and how it will be presented. Questions such as the following are helpful: What are the core concepts around which the course is built? What procedures are used to help ensure that participants are comfortable with the tools and strategies taught and can use them? Who will be the instructor? Does the trainer have the skills and flexibility to tailor instruction to the needs of your organization? Is the trainer able to adjust on-going instruction to address needs that occur?

Sager Educational Enterprises’ Approach to Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Based on our experience in helping companies implement continuous improvement methodologies, we have developed a Continuous Improvement Cycle which presents key concepts within a structured process that can be easily assimilated throughout the organization. The tools and strategies for determining opportunities for improvement and implementing result-oriented solutions are practical, time saving, and immediately useable. All tools and techniques that we present have been tested and used successfully in large and small companies across all sectors of the economy and internationally.

We specialize in hands-on training that takes learning and theories out of the classroom and into the shop floor, cubicles, and front office. Our instructional process is highly interactive to ensure that participants will feel comfortable and confident with using what they have learned the very next work day. Participants work in teams and learn through real-life exercises and case studies.

What distinguishes us from many typical training companies is that we have the capacity to tailor our instructions to the specific needs of our clients. We work closely with our clients to be sure we are addressing their desired outcomes. We also have the experience and flexibility to adjust on-going instruction to any needs that emerge.

We also strive to build a relationship with our clients. A day or two of training can help develop the skills and attitudes central to establishing a culture of continuous improvement. More is needed for skills taught to become embedded into how work is done. Developing and ensuring a continuous improvement culture requires an on-going commitment. We can help clients establish plans for following up on and reinforcing the training that was provided. We look forward to helping our clients with their current and future needs.