Happy holidays to you and yours.  We wish you a happy and safe holiday season.

I was having coffee with a local quality expert last week and he asked me a question that made me take pause: what did I think of the state of quality for US organizations?  He continued by offering that he thought most organizations were going through the motions with their quality efforts…that there was a “been there, done that” attitude with American leaders, and a general reluctance to implement (and sustain) quality efforts.  I guess we see it all the time, with new management/quality fads that come and go and organizations’ propensity to jump to the next thing.  But the underlying problem with this constant shifting he believed – and I agree – is that most organizations have still not yet implemented the basics of quality.  I guess you could say that there hasn’t been a lot of “done that.”

Our discussion reminded me of the importance (and the difficulty) of sustaining improvement efforts – of truly ensuring that improvement efforts “stick” and actually produce high, consistent performance results over time.  It also reminded me of a column I offered about 18 months ago (June 2006) about sustaining excellence; it merits repeating.

Sustaining Excellence

Many organizations gain, but then lose, their quality advantage.  They have good (to great) results for awhile, but then somehow lose their way, suffering deterioration in market share, loss of employee morale, and ultimately a decline in performance results and overall value.  But other organizations have found a way to sustain their performance over the long-term (decades, if not centuries): they have achieved a more permanent quality advantage.  But how?

I was privileged to attend a Summit [recently] hosted by the Joseph M. Juran Center at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business.  This biennial event offers a unique forum for leaders, practitioners, and academicians to come together to discuss critical issues facing businesses and our society such that practical learning can take place, knowledge can be shared, and academic research can be shaped.  This week’s Summit featured leaders from some of today’s most respected businesses, providing “case studies” in achieving and sustaining organizational excellence:

* Wayne Fortune, CEO of Hutchinson Technology, shared how his organization has created a Competitive Excellence Committee of the Board of Directors to keep his organization’s governance focused on the most critical drivers of their success.

* Dave Larson, EVP of Cargill, shared the five factors that have allowed Cargill to triple earnings in the last six years: aspirational vision, an aligned brand, behavior-driven results, highly engaged employees, and meritocracy (a system in which the talented employees advance).

* Kathy Morinello, CEO of GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services, shared GE’s customer focus knowledge model that involves unique listening and learning methods (such as their Net Promoter Score system and their Customer Advisory Council).

* Don McCabe, VP at Corning, shared how Corning -- traditionally considered an innovative company -- seemed to have major downturns in its history.   Using the Six Sigma method of DMAIC, they studied the root causes of their booms-and-busts, and created a renewal that they hope will sustain high performance going forward.

* Rey More, SVP and Chief Quality Officer at Motorola, shared how Motorola’s comprehensive performance management system preserves quality and innovative success by developing leaders and holding them accountable for quality.

* Dave Wickersham, COO at Seagate Technology, shared how Seagate uses cascading measures in a scorecard methodology to align goals throughout the organization, from the individual contributor to the senior executives and Board.

The Summit also featured several discussions on leadership within organizations: the role of leaders in achieving and sustaining excellence, how to build and groom leaders, education’s role in creating quality leaders, and other related topics.

Some of these best practices will certainly find their way into future Council newsletter articles.  But perhaps the most interesting part of the two-day event was an exploration of the companies profiled in Jim Collins and Jerry Porras’ 1994 book “Built to Last.”  Certainly many of you have read “Good to Great,” the seminal work of Jim Collins published in 2002.  But that book, though published eight years later, really should be considered the prequel to “Built to Last.”  While “Good to Great” focuses on how companies improve their systems to achieve higher levels of performance, “Built to Last” attempts to answer the question I posed in the opening paragraph: how do organizations sustain their excellence?

Jerry Porras shared at The Summit a primer on “Built to Last.”  In their six year study, Collins and Porras studied 18 organizations considered “visionary” (those that focused on building excellence systemically within their organizations) and 18 comparison companies that were largely founded and/or led by what they labeled as “charismatic leaders.”  They studied organizational performance since inception forward (the average age of companies in the study was 100 years), and their findings were at the time counter-intuitive yet provocative:

* Leaders in visionary companies were “clock builders” (they built systems, culture, infrastructure, and future leaders to sustain the organization), whereas leaders in comparison companies were “time tellers” (these organizations were largely based on the charisma and technical expertise of their founders or CEOs).

* Visionary companies had two key characteristics: they maintained a core ideology that was historical and fixed, but yet a passion for change.  The core ideology in visionary companies included a strong sense of purpose (the reason a company exists…think of Disney and its focus on “making people happy”) as well as a very small number of deeply rooted, fundamental core values.  To balance core ideology, however, these companies had an obsession for change -- a desire to improve, innovate, and transform all parts of the business, except of course, the core ideology.  Visionary companies had a way of balancing the inherent tension between core ideology and passion for change, but comparison companies had a propensity for changing purpose and values when leadership changed.

* Similarly, visionary companies had built processes and/or mechanisms to preserve the core ideology and to stimulate change.  Porras reminded us that three common approaches to preserving the core in visionary companies include: 1) creating an ideology that goes beyond just maximizing profit, 2) establishing a cult-like culture (so that counter-culture employees were quickly expelled), and 3) focusing on home-grown management (which helps to preserve organizational values).  Porras suggested that there were also three ways that companies stimulated change: 1) create “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAGs) to stretch the organization, 2) try a lot of stuff and keep what works (encourage risk-taking, failure, and innovation), and 3) continue to improve (good enough never is).

The Summit then featured a extraordinary panel discussion of executives from several of the 18 visionary companies, including George Buckley, CEO of 3M; Anne Stevens, COO of Ford; Don Peterson, retired Chairman & CEO of Ford; John Pepper, retired Chairman & CEO of Procter and Gamble; Pam Page, VP of Quality for Procter & Gamble; John Stumpf, COO of Wells Fargo; Rey More, SVP and Chief Quality Office of Motorola; and Terry Allen, Director of Quality for Boeing.

The research that formed the basis for the “Built to Last” book was completed in 1990.  And every single leader admitted that his or her company at some point “lost its way” in using the principles of “Built to Last” over the last 16 years.  Ford commented that it strayed from its strong succession planning process, leaving them at risk of not building great future leaders.  Ford also admitted now understanding what they call the “law of unintended consequences,” where a well-intended decision may have negative side-effects in an organization.  P&G, one of the world’s best consumer products companies, admitted to having lost its way in customer focus.  They lost sight of what was truly important to the customer and in setting stretch goals that related to customer needs rather than internal directives.  3M admitted that their Six Sigma effort -- while helpful in focusing on productivity, cost, and waste -- made them a bit rigid and caused them to stray from their core competency of innovation and creativity.  Motorola shared that their biggest enemy might have been momentum: because they had decades of success in their markets, they got somewhat arrogant and complacent.  As a result, they strayed from their core ideology of innovation, allowing competitors like Nokia to take market share.

Each of the organizations gave remarkable testimonials that illustrated how they had originally achieved excellence but then somehow drifted from their core ideologies and/or their passion for change.  I think the lesson is instructive: not all visionary companies are perfect (in fact, perhaps none of them are) -- they do falter along the way.  But what may indeed set these companies apart from the “average” company is they have the ability to self-correct -- to realize that they are wandering from their strengths and to return to that which drives value and excellence in their organization.

Anne Stevens, the COO of The Americas for Ford, may have captured it best: “[You] have to be a reflective learner to be a transformational leader.”  She went on to say, supported by the other leaders on the panel, that visionary leaders welcome debate, are open to risk-taking and failure, and build a culture of curiosity that encourages learning and innovation.  I would take that one step further: like visionary leaders, visionary organizations also must have that appetite for learning.  They must have the mechanisms (measures, data, feedback loops, etc.) to understand what is and is not working so that adjustments (in reaction to environmental changes) and corrections (to get back to core ideologies) can occur. 

It’s not that organizations need to be perfect to be excellent.  They just need to be committed to a core ideology, passionately embrace change and innovation, and have the mechanisms to learn, adapt, and correct as needed.

Yours in Improvement,

Brian S. Lassiter

President, Minnesota Council for Quality

The Minnesota Council for Quality – in cooperation with the Delaware Alliance for Excellence, the Kansas Center for Performance Excellence, Michigan Quality Council, the Ohio Partnership for Excellence, the Vermont Council for Quality, the Washington State Quality Award, and the Wisconsin Forward Award – is pleased to announce that the Quality Texas Foundation has agreed to offer the Consultant Referral Network© in Texas.

Located at www.consultantreferralnetwork.org, the Consultant Referral Network is a dynamic, web-enabled search tool that connects organizational improvement experts to client organizations seeking them. This service allows clients to outline their needs in terms of subject matter expertise sought, type of assistance desired (consulting, training, coaching, speaking, or facilitating), sector/industry expertise required, size of consulting firm desired, desired location of consulting firm, and years of experience preferred. The client can also weight the relative importance of each variable. The tool will then identify up to five consultants or firms that best match the client’s needs.

“We are extremely pleased to include Texas in this partnership,” says Brian Lassiter, president of the Minnesota Council for Quality. “The Consultant Referral Network offers an effective way to connect improvement experts to the clients who seek them.  This unique tool will be of value to consultants and clients in Texas, as it already is for organizations in many other states.”

Bill Denney, CEO of the Quality Texas Foundation adds: “It is oftentimes challenging for organizations in our state to find consultants that can help their business improve. This service will help us bring expert resources – those focusing on Baldrige, Six Sigma, Lean, leadership, human resources, measurement, change management, and a host of other subjects – to our stakeholders in a cost-effective, efficient manner.”

There are three benefits of this service to organizations. First, the tool can accelerate an organization’s search for improvement resources because it is quicker and more efficient than “word of mouth” and traditional searches. Second, it is neutral, independent, and unbiased. “Because the tool is managed and maintained by independent third parties, no consultant receives preferential treatment in the search formula,” says Denney. “This makes the tool credible and more useful for clients.”

Third, there is no charge for organizations to use this tool to search for consultants. “We hope to create awareness and encourage organizations to use this tool, because the more clients that find value in the service, the more valuable it becomes for consultants to list in it,” says Lassiter.  “And the more consultants who register, the more valuable the tool is for clients, because searches are from a broader base of expertise and capabilities.”

The service also offers three distinct benefits to consultants. First, it provides a potential channel of leads and a legitimate mechanism to create market awareness for the consultant’s services and capabilities. Second, it is independent and unbiased, making it credible and fair. And third, it is reasonably priced for consultants to get listed.

The Council is pleased to announce its first Six Sigma Forum of 2008.  Co-hosted by the Joseph M. Juran Quality Leadership Center at the Carlson School of Management, the Six Sigma Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5 from 8:00-11:30 at Medtronic’s World Headquarters in Fridley.  Details will be forthcoming; save the date!

The Six Sigma Forum (formerly called the Six Sigma Focus Group) was started five years ago by the Joseph M. Juran Center to gather researchers and organizational leaders to share best practices and knowledge in the areas of Six Sigma, Lean, Design for Six Sigma, and related process ideas that accelerate enterprise improvement.  The forum was also designed to provide Carlson School faculty and Ph.D. students with an opportunity to gather ideas for research.  Over the years, the group has grown from a small “focus group” into a more formalized program that attracts an average of 35-40 quality practitioners (Black Belts, Master Black Belts, and related experts) to a discussion.

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to announce that participants in the Minnesota Quality Award Board of Evaluators learning experience now have the opportunity to earn undergraduate credit at University of Minnesota by registering for ABus 4321 “Evaluating Performance Excellence in Organizations.”  The U of M joins the University of Wisconsin-Stout in awarding academic credit to registered students for the intensive Evaluator regimen with the Minnesota Quality Award program.  “We are excited to partner with the University of Minnesota to offer credit for the experience of being a Minnesota Quality Award Evaluator,” says Brian Lassiter, president of the Minnesota Council for Quality.  “Evaluators are critical to our achieving our mission of helping Minnesota organizations reach higher levels of performance.  So offering them an opportunity to earn credit at the U of M or UW-Stout is a small way to thank them for their expertise and time, and to recognize them for their additional learning.” 

The Minnesota Council for Quality is also pleased to announce training dates for the 2008 Minnesota Quality Award Board of Evaluator training.  Sessions will be offered February 26-28 and September 30-October 2 in the Twin Cities and June 17-19 in Rochester.  New Evaluators are also required to attend a one-day orientation that precedes full training.  Orientation dates for the first session are February 6, 12, or 14 (the individual chooses one); all will be held in the Twin Cities.

“We are excited to partner with the Minnesota Council for Quality on this effort,” says Nancy Schubert, associate director of the Bachelor of Applied Science degree program of the University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education.  “The experience of being an Evaluator exposes students to what is necessary to drive organizational excellence.  It also offers an opportunity for students to apply several other skills – such as leadership, verbal and written communication, and analysis – in a team environment on a real Minnesota company.  We believe this non-traditional course will add greatly to students’ learning experience.”

To earn credit, Evaluators need to register for the U of M’s course “Evaluating Performance Excellence in Organizations,” participate in all Evaluator training, and complete an evaluation of a Minnesota organization through the Minnesota Quality Award process.  Evaluators pay a small fee for Evaluator training and pay tuition to the U of M.

Developing strategy is a complex process: it requires a solid information base on customers, market needs, competitors, resources, and other environmental factors.  But as difficult as developing strategy can be, deploying that strategy -- actually implementing the action plans that will support strategic objectives -- is usually far more challenging for most organizations.

The MN Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Gary Floss, director of Quality Assurance and Continual Improvement at Marvin Windows and Doors, to our January 10 Minneapolis Performance Improvement Network (PIN).  Gary will discuss the importance of translating strategy into action -- of converting oftentimes lofty strategic goals into tangible, implemental action plans, human resource plans, and financial plans.  Gary will focus specifically on the "A3 Storyboard" method, a structured problem-solving approach that can be used to translate strategy and systematically identify and resolve organizational problems.  First developed by Toyota and based on the PDSA method, Gary will share how A3 has been successfully used to foster organizational learning, collaboration, communication, and strategy translation.

The discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on January 10 (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m.) at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), 1501 Hennepin (15th and Hennepin), downtown Minneapolis, Room L3000 (Wheelock-Whitney Library).  Parking is available at their ramp across Hennepin (for $5).  Admission to PIN is FREE for Council members; $10 for partner organizations; $20 for the public.

The St. Paul Performance Improvement Network forum will not meet in January.  The next discussion will be Wednesday, February 13.  Mark your calendars!

The Rochester Area Quality Council, an affiliate of the Minnesota Council for Quality, is pleased to welcome Kathleen Lanik, CIO of Winona Health, to our January 15 meeting.  Kathleen will share Winona Health’s journey to excellence – their use of the Baldrige framework, along with other improvement methods such as Lean. 

President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that five organizations are the recipients of the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for organizational performance excellence. For the first time in the history of the Baldrige Award, nonprofit organizations have been selected.

The 2007 Baldrige Award recipients—listed with their category—are:

• PRO-TEC Coating Co., Leipsic, Ohio (small business)
• Mercy Health System, Janesville, Wisc. (health care)
• Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, Calif. (health care)
• City of Coral Springs, Coral Springs, Fla. (nonprofit)
• U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. (nonprofit)

 “I am pleased to join President Bush in congratulating the five outstanding organizations that have been named to receive this year’s Baldrige Award,” said Secretary Gutierrez. “The organizations we recognize today have given us superb examples of innovation, excellence and world-class performance. They serve as role models for organizations of all kinds striving to improve effectiveness and increase value to their customers.”

With these new recipients, the program celebrates its 20th anniversary. Along with recognizing the achievements of the award recipients, a key measure of the Baldrige National Quality Program’s impact has been the widespread use of its Criteria for Performance Excellence, the guide designed to help organizations of all types improve their operations. Since 1987, about 10 million copies of the Baldrige criteria have been distributed. Downloads currently number about 1 million annually. Additionally, more than 40 U.S. states and more than 45 countries worldwide have implemented programs based on the Baldrige criteria.

The 2007 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from a field of 84 applicants. All of the applicants were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas:  leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results. The evaluation process for the 2007 Baldrige Award recipients included about 1,000 hours of review and an on-site visit by teams of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in the applications.

The 2007 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be presented with their awards in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., early next year.

Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses. Originally, three types of organizations were eligible: manufacturers, service companies and small businesses. This was expanded in 1999 to include education and health care organizations, and again in 2007 to include nonprofit organizations (including charities, trade and professional associations, and government agencies). The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. The award is not given for specific products or services. Since 1988, 72 organizations have received Baldrige Awards.

The Minnesota Quality Award, a product of the Minnesota Council for Quality, is the state’s version of Baldrige.  If you are interested in using the Criteria to assess your organization’s performance and to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities, please visit the Council’s website (www.councilforquality.org) and click on the “Organizational Assessment” link.

Separately, the 2008 Criteria for Performance Excellence were recently released by the Baldrige National Quality Program.  Most changes from 2007 deal with the structure and presentation of the Criteria rather than the Criteria requirements themselves (specifically, there are changes to the scoring guidelines, some changes/additions in the glossary, and diagrams added to illustrate the role of Baldrige core values to the Criteria and maturity levels in organizational learning. 

OD practitioners must be adept at working with resistance – and supporting clients when they face resistance to their thoughts and ideas.  Gestalt psychology provides a strong foundation for learning about resistance and support.  The Theater of Resistance will allow the attendee to learn about ways you can work more effectively in situations where people are likely to resist you.

The MN OD Network, an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce its January 8 program “Gestalt and the Theatre of Resistance.”  Facilitated by Rick Mauer, this is a very active session in which you will be invited to engage in theater improve as a way to learn about resistance from a Gestalt perspective.  During this short – but fast-paced – evening session, you will:

• Gain a better understanding of those who resist us
• Recognize what we do to inadvertently make matters worse
• Recognize the impact these “knee jerk” reactions have on others
• Explore alternatives for working with resistance
• Increase skills at paying attention to self, others, surroundings

The session will be held from 4:00-6:30 PM at St. Thomas Minneapolis, Opus 201.  Fees are $20 for MNODN and MCQ members, $25 for non-members.  For more information, visit www.mnodn.org.

Is your company prepared for when the baby boomer generation retires? What are the threats posed by an aging workforce to your business? What is the bottom line impact of the financial and healthcare shortfalls exacerbated by an aging workforce?

Minnesota Technology, Inc. (MTI), a Partner of the MN council for Quality, is pleased to present “Planning for an Aging Workforce: What Demographic Shifts will Demand for your Business to Succeed” on January 16 in Mankato.  Come to this compelling event to learn how the looming shortage of available quality workers will have a direct impact on your company’s products and services – and your profitability.

The session will be led by several expert presenters:

• Tom Norman, Director, University of Minnesota, College of Continuing Education
• Rosie Ward, Health Management Consultant, RFJ Agencies
• Patrick Rogers, CPA and Partner, Eide Bailly LLP
• Melissa Weldon, Larson King LLP
• John Connelly, Director of Product Development

The session will be Tuesday, January 16 from 8:00 - 11:30 a.m. at the Tech Plus Center in Mankato.  Cost is $90 (discount of $65 for registering early and a group rate of four for $250 also available).  For more information, visit http://www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/JAN16_form.asp.

MTI will also present:

• “Lean Office,” a one-day simulation on January 23 at the Medina Entertainment Center. 
• “Finding Profit through Lean Enterprise,” February 13 and March 12.
• “Lean 5S” on February 27 at the Medina Entertainment Center. 

For more information on these programs, visit http://www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/index.asp. 

The new Strategic Leadership Insights breakfast series from the U of M College of Continuing Education, a partner of the MN Council for Quality, is an engaging forum geared toward Twin Cities area upper-management professionals.  Each session offers an opportunity to hear from nationally recognized business experts on key workforce trends, and then opens the floor for a moderated discussion on how to address these important issues.

Organizations go through relatively predictable steps and phases to get better at building talent.  Try as they might to shortcut the journey by copying best practices from others, they learn that it takes repeated focus and hard work to develop the leaders they need.

The next session of series is scheduled for February 13 and features Elaine Sloan, expert in the area of designing and delivering services in the areas of managing organization change, executive selection and development, and succession management.  She will present “Keys to Successful Succession Management: Building a Leadership Pipeline for Tomorrow.”

You know that the quality and depth of your leadership pipeline is a key driver of your company's success and sustainability. Global competition, growth demands, and technology changes are raising the bar for leaders at all levels, while diversity and demographic changes are changing the face of our businesses. At the same time, a massive generational turnover is looming on the horizon. Although the specifics for each company will differ, the issue of building and maintaining a strong leadership bench-at all levels-is more important than ever before. Elaine will share her experience and the practical wisdom PDI has gained through 40 years of research and partnership with leading companies around the world in selecting and developing leadership talent and creating succession management processes that build robust leadership pipelines for all levels.

The session is from 8:00-9:30 AM (check in and breakfast at 7:00AM) on February 13 at the College of Continuing Education in St. Paul.  Cost is $50.  For more information, visit http://www.cce.umn.edu/corporateeducation/leadershipinsights/index.html.

The University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education, an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce their fall improvement and business courses.  Council members receive a 10% discount on all CCE courses.

Day Courses

2/27 – 2/28          Employee Compensation: Strategies and Practices            $395

1/22        Principles of Supervision   $995

1/23        Employee and Labor Relations      $395

1/25        Project Management Foundations             $395

1/29        Introduction to Human Resource Process   $395

1/30        Successfully Dealing with Conflict             $395

1/31        Writing Policies and Procedures    $395

1/31        Retirement Benefits Practices and Trends              $395

2/6          Building Winning Work Relationships         $395

2/7          Foundations in Business Writing: Designs & Strategies      $395

2/7          Performance Management Process           $395

2/8          Project Initiation   $395

2/12        Negotiating for Agreement             $395

2/13        Increasing Your Organizational Savvy         $750

2/13        Management Fundamentals          $750

2/20        Legal Issues for managers and Supervisors            $395

2/21        Project Planning              $750

2/21        Employee Benefits Practices and Trends   $395

2/26        Facilitating Work Groups              $395

2/27        Ethical Business Decision Making             $395

3/5          Interviewing and Selection Processes for Supervisors $395

3/5          Coaching for Excellence   $395

3/6          Personal Influence and Leadership             $395

3/6          Principles of Employee Compensation       $395

3/11        Investigations and Documentation              $395

3/13        Business Information Technologies            $395

3/14        Project Risk Management             $395

3/20        Diversity and Inclusive Work Environments                           $395

3/20        Creating a Total Rewards Strategy             $395

3/25        Recruiting and Retention Strategies           $395

3/26        Improving Work Processes           $395

3/26        Strategic Planning and Measurement                       $395

3/27        Problem Solving and Decision Making        $395

3/27        Writing Persuasive Business Proposals     $395

3/28        Project Execution            $395

3/28        Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Preparation    $995

4/1          Designing Employee Orientation Programs             $395

4/3          Mastering New Marketing Practices           $395

4/3          Writing Correspondence for Internal and External Audiences            $395

4/9          Developing Leadership Skills                       $750

4/9          Effective Interviewing and Selection Processes       $395

4/10        High Impact Presentations            $395

4/11        Project Control and Closure          $395

4/16        Building Teamwork and Commitment         $395

4/17        Working Assertively         $395

4/22        Succession Planning        $395

4/22        Administering COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA            $395

4/24        How to Deal with Difficult People   $395

4/24        Financial Intelligence                      $395

4/24        Project Leadership           $395

4/30        Integrated Systems Management              $395

4/30        Legal Issues in Human Resources Management     $395

Evening Courses

1/24        Developing Leadership Skills                       $750

1/28        Human Resource Certification Test Preparation      $1095

1/22 & 1/29         Managing Performance and Developing Talent        $395

1/23 & 1/30         Project Management Foundations             $395

2/5 & 2/12           Delegating to Enhance Job Performance    $395

2/5 & 2/12           The Human Resource Audit          $395

2/12        Human Resource Certification Test Preparation – Online     $1095

2/6 & 2/13           Successfully Dealing with Conflict             $395

2/6 & 2/13           Project Initiation   $395

2/20        Project Planning              $750

2/19 & 2/26         Building Teamwork and Commitment         $395

2/19 & 2/26         Strategic Planning and Measurement         $395

2/19 & 2/26         Strategic Analysis, Metrics, and HR Technology     $395

2/20 & 2/27         Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Skills           $395

3/4 & 3/11           Improving Work Processes           $395

3/4 & 3/11           Employee and Labor Relations      $395

3/12 & 3/19         Handling People with Tact and Diplomacy              $395

3/18 & 3/25         Leading Through Change              $395

3/18 & 3/25         Leading Global Projects and Virtual Teams            $395

3/18 & 3/25         Strategic Human Resource Planning          $395

3/19 & 3/26         Project Risk Management             $395

3/31 & 4/7           Increasing Power and Influence through Listening    $395

4/1 & 4/8             Creativity and Innovation   $395

4/1 & 4/8             Facilitating Work Groups              $395

4/2 & 4/9             Project Execution            $395

4/16 & 4/23         Project Control and Closure          $395

MN International Society of Performance Improvement (MNISPI), an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce their January 15 Chapter Meeting.  The topic will be “Appreciative Inquiry” and will feature Rick Suydam, Corporate Coach Organic HRD. 

  The next Winona Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) session is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8 from 11:30-1:00.  The topic “Recruitment and Retention,” will be facilitated by Renee Englemeyer of Halcon Corporation.  Details will be announced at http://winona.shrm.org/.

South Central College is pleased to announce their spring quality and performance improvement curriculum.  Council members are entitled to a 10% discount.

The following courses will be held at the Faribault campus (prices before member discount):

1/31/08, Quality Principles, Methods & Applications, $370

2/26/08, 8-Discipline Problem Solving Tools & Methods, $235

3/31/08, Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) Review, $450

4/28/08, Implementing & Auditing ISO 14001 Environmental Mgmt Systems, $235

4/29/08, Understanding & Implementing ISO 9001:2000, $235

4/30/08, Internal Auditor Skills, $235

5/7/08, Applying SPC & Statistical Tools, $235

5/7/08, Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) Review, $250

5/13/08, Calibration Processes, $125

The following courses will be held at the North Mankato campus (prices before member discount):

1/24/08, Certified Quality Technician (CQT) Review, $300

2/13/08, Corrective & Preventive Action Processes, $125

3/5/08, Understanding & Implementing ISO 9001:2000, $235

3/6/08, Internal Auditor Skills, $235

4/3/08, Supplier Quality Management & Improvement, $235

The following courses will be held at Ridgewater College, Hutchinson campus (prices before member discount):

2/21/08, Quality Principles, Methods & Applications, $370

3/18/08, Project Management, $235

3/19/08, Microsoft Project 2003, $235

4/21/08, 8-Discipline Problem Solving Tools & Methods, $235

Century College, an alliance partner of the Council, e is pleased to announce their winter quality curriculum.  Council members are entitled to a discount for the following courses:

2/7-2/28 6-9PM, Creating Quality Leadership, $495 ($445 members)

2/25-5/2 ASQ Certified Quality Engineer Exam Prep, $675 ($625 members)

3/7-3/14 Root Cause Analysis: Getting to the Bottom of the Problem, $159

3/12-4/30 6-9AM Lean Thinking for Process Improvement, $199

3/27-5/15 6-9PM, Certified Manager of Quality / Organization Excellence, $995 ($945 members)

Dates TBD, ASQ Certified Quality Auditor, $595 ($545 members)