Last month, I talked about the tendency of organizations to cut corners during a downturn (see “10 Ways to Kill Innovation during a Recession” at http://www.councilforquality.org/about_newsletter.cfm).  But there is an eleventh fatal error that organizations might make during a recession: reducing their focus on customers.  Unfortunately, I have evidence that this may be starting to happen today…

After a remarkable 10-consecutive quarter increase in customer satisfaction, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) declined third quarter of 2007 (the last quarter for which data are available).  While this might be a very early indicator (one data point certainly does not make a trend!), I find the timing of this decline at least intriguing.  As companies begin to feel the effects of our economic slow down, why did customer satisfaction decline?  After all, if customers are buying less, isn’t it MORE critical to focus on their needs?!  Of course, the timing could be coincidental.  Or it could be more fundamental: organizations may have, quite simply, lost focus on one of the most essential principles of business: customer satisfaction.

Think about the irony here.  Companies that are burying their head in the sand (and/or focusing on cost cutting, productivity, and other expense-related priorities that are typical during a downturn) will find themselves scrambling to address new or emerging customer needs once the downturn is over.  But companies that never stopped doing so will be way ahead.

So how does an organization identify customer (or stakeholder) requirements and expectations?  How do organizations identify desired product and service features and their relative importance to customers’ purchasing decisions?  Here are some ideas:

1) Use surveys (judiciously).  Used by many (if not most) organizations, customer surveys are a wonderful tool for capturing (or validating) customer needs, identifying product/service features, and/or measuring customer satisfaction.  Surveys can be delivered via paper, electronic medium (email or web), or by phone; they can be delivered by an independent third party or directly by the organization.  Surveys can be administered to a sample of your customers or to 100% of the population, as the situation dictates.  My only word of caution: don’t over-survey your customers!  (The Council’s method of surveying our own customers is to survey roughly 1/12 of our customer base every month, so that each individual customer only gets asked once a year, but we have more timely data every month.)

2) Use focus groups.  Focus groups are relatively informal -- but structured -- discussion sessions with a group of current (former, and/or prospective) customers.  They are usually moderated by a professional, though can be conducted by employees of the organization itself, and they are very effective at identifying (or validating) emerging needs.  Typically, focus groups can be used in the product/service concept stage, when not much is known about customer preferences and can be followed up with subsequent surveying, pilot testing, and so forth.  Focus groups provide for good interaction with a small number of customers; as such, they afford an opportunity to go into depth with a sample of an organization’s customer base.  Usually, you will need to use tools such as Kano, Conjoint Analysis, and Quality Function Deployment to analyze the results of a focus group (more information on all of these topics can be found in our Improvement Clearinghouse at http://www.councilforquality.org/improve.cfm or in several previous Performance Improvement Network discussions http://www.councilforquality.org/performance_archive.cfm).

3) Observe customer buying behavior.  You can gain a lot by “watching” how and what your customers buy.  In a retail setting, this can be as simple as seeing if the blue hammers sell more or less than the black ones, and then adjusting design and/or inventories appropriately.  But regardless of industry, buying behavior can help organizations determine customer preferences, and robust mechanisms for observing changes in customer buying behaviors can inexpensively help organizations proactively adjust to shifting marketplace needs.

4) Use “mystery shoppers.”  Mystery shopping has exploded in popularity with organizations -- particularly in the retail and entertainment industries.  Mystery shopping is a process by which your organization hires an independent contractor who is paid to evaluate your products/services while pretending to be a regular shopper.  Mystery shopping can give an organization insight into current service levels, but it can also test conformance to already-known customer requirements (such as customer wait times, staff competencies, store layout, etc.).

5) Use test markets and/or simulations.  Sometimes it makes sense to build a product (or service) prototype to test what you believe to be customer requirements, and then test those assumptions on a limited scale.  Using test markets and/or simulations (which replicate as close as possible a buying situation) is a particularly helpful method when there is a high investment in a product/service launch.

6) Gather customer feedback on specific transactions.  Different than requirements determination methods (which are usually up-front, before a product/service is designed and delivered) or customer satisfaction determination methods (which are usually a snap-shot of perceptions well after product/service delivery), organizations should have systematic methods for following up with customers on products, services, and/or transaction quality to receive prompt, actionable feedback.  We all have received those 2-minute phone calls from our utility companies asking if the service we received met our expectations…or the 3-question customer comment card that is given to us in a restaurant when the server presents the bill…or the 1-page survey that your car dealer sends about a week or two after you have your car serviced.  Rather than waiting a year to gauge customer satisfaction, these processes provide timely information on whether you met customer expectations.

7) Leverage your complaint data.  Many organizations have a complaint management process, but few truly leverage the power of aggregated complaint data.  Companies should systematically collect, aggregate, and analyze root causes of complaints (using a simple tool like Pareto Analysis will help identify the biggest sources of customer frustrations) -- and then use these insights to improve product/service performance.  It is not enough to simply react by solving a specific customer’s problem (though that is important!), but also use aggregate complaint information to solve systemic issues within your organization…after all, customers are giving you a gift by telling you what upsets them.

8) Use the customer data you already have.  Most organizations have (or should have) a wealth of information on their customers – buying histories, complaints, customer win/loss analysis, transaction completion rates, customer loyalty and retention data, referral (or intent-to-refer) rates, and so forth.  Use this information to identify current or emerging customer needs, buying behaviors, and satisfaction rates. 

Customer satisfaction is paramount to any organization’s ultimate success, especially during tough economic times when customers’ buying decisions are impacted by more constrained resources.  Satisfied customers will buy more of your products and services, will remain loyal to your organization, and may refer other business to your organization.  Organizations that take the time to systematically understand customer needs will eventually see increases in revenue, market share, and, presumably, profitability.  (By the way, the same applies to not-for-profits, which will see increases in funding as stakeholder satisfaction increases.  And the same applies also to departments, which need to understand internal customer needs in order to satisfy external customer needs.)

If you are with an organization that systematically identifies customer and market needs, good for you.  If you are not, now is the time to do so before this market downturn makes you wish you had.

If you want more information on how Toro uses the Voice of the Customer to find the next “wow” product, visit either our Minneapolis (March 6) or St. Paul (March 12) Performance Improvement Network discussion.  Information is below or at http://www.councilforquality.org/performance_current.cfm. 

Yours in Improvement,

Brian S. Lassiter

President, Minnesota Council for Quality

Are you interested in learning more about what makes organizations successful?  Are you interested in helping other organizations -- such as schools, hospitals, non-profits, and businesses -- around the state improve their performance?  Would you be interested in networking, learning, and sharing with others who feel the same way?

The Minnesota Council for Quality is seeking candidates for the 2008 Minnesota Quality Award Board of Evaluators.  The first session of training in 2008 is February 26-28 in the Twin Cities (place TBD).

There are many benefits to becoming an Evaluator, such as:

• strengthening your understanding of what drives organizational excellence (the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence represent a validated set of best practices for organizational excellence, and can be useful for improving any organization’s performance),
• networking with influential leaders and professionals (this year’s Board of Evaluators will include about 150 leaders from around the state – executives, middle managers, surgeons and physicians, superintendents and school teachers, non-profit and public sector leaders, quality professionals, and consultants),
• seeing “best practices” deployed within another organization – knowledge that you could use back at your organization and/or in your career, helping organizations throughout the state – many of them schools, health care providers, non-profits, public sector agencies, and certainly businesses – improve their performance…simply get better at what they do, and
• developing a set of other professional skills that may help you advance your career – skills such as consensus- and team-building, written communication, verbal communication and interpersonal skills, interviewing, analysis, and systems thinking.

Most Evaluators consider the experience to be among the most valuable of their careers.  In fact, many have claimed that the experience and knowledge gained from this process rivals getting an MBA or advanced business degree.

Furthermore, Evaluators can earn college (undergrad and post-grad) credit for participating in training.  For interested Evaluators, the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin-Stout both offer three (3) hours of credit in partnership with the Minnesota Council for Quality.

If you are interested in joining the 2008 Board of Evaluators, the first (of three) training sessions of 2008 will be February 26-28 in the Twin Cities.  In addition to the full three-day training session, new Evaluators are also required to attend a one-day orientation (either February 6, 12, or 14).

Applications for new Evaluators are due 2/1.  Applications for returning Evaluators (which only require updates from your most recent application) are due 2/15 (returning Evaluators: significant changes to the process will reduce the time required for pre-work/training and evaluation in 2008).

We hope that you would consider (re)joining the Board of Evaluators and/or encourage others to do so.  For more information or for an application, please visit www.councilforquality.org/assess.cfm, obtain an application at http://www.councilforquality.org/assess_eval_appl.cfm, email us at brian.lassiter@councilforquality.org, or call 612-462-3577.

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to announce the date of the 2007 Minnesota Quality Award event: Wednesday, April 16, 2008.  For the first time in nearly a decade, the Council will offer an afternoon of learning workshops.  This change reflects feedback we have received the last two years and provides an opportunity to learn from organizations on the journey toward excellence.  The workshops will be followed by the recognition/celebration event in the early evening.  Save the date!

The Council is also seeking sponsors for the event to help offset expenses.  Sponsors will be recognized in all marketing and during the event itself.  If your organization is interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please email brian.lassiter@councilforquality.org.

The annual Minnesota Quality Award event will feature nine organizations receiving the 2007 Minnesota Quality Award: two businesses, three healthcare organizations, and four K-12 school districts.  Governor Pawlenty will also be invited to participate in the event.

The afternoon will feature a lunchtime keynote address, followed by breakout sessions that feature the 2007 Award recipients and other high performing Minnesota organizations.  Topics will focus on some aspect of how they are improving their outcomes and processes. 

The evening celebration offers an opportunity to recognize the recipient organizations’ accomplishments, to thank our Board of Evaluators and other key volunteers, and to network within our growing community of leaders and professionals all interested in performance excellence.  The event will be held at The St. Paul Hotel and we expect 250+ leaders and professionals to attend; the event is open to the public.

Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Time: 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM learning workshops; 4:00 to 6:00 PM celebration event

Location: The Saint Paul Hotel

Workshop Cost: $99 for members ($75 before March 26); $199 non-members ($149 before March 26); Award recipients inquire about complimentary passes

Celebration Event Cost: Free for employees of 2007 Award recipients and 2007 Evaluators; $20 for Council members and Award recipient guests; $30 for Council partners; $40 for the public; $140 for a group of 8 registering together.

Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in learning more about organizational improvement (and networking with a community interested in the same); current, past, and prospective Award recipients; current, past, and prospective Evaluators; current and prospective Council members.

Save the date and spread the word within your organization!

For more information on the event or the Minnesota Quality Award, visit our website at www.councilforquality.org or call the Council at 612-462-3577.  To register, please email brian.lassiter@councilforquality.org with your name, organizational affiliation, and preferred method of payment.

The Minnesota Council for Quality – in cooperation with the Wisconsin Forward Award, the Lincoln (Illinois) Foundation for Performance Excellence, and International Management Technologies Inc. – are pleased to announce a series of three web-based, interactive live seminars March 6, 13, and 20.  All three sessions are facilitated by Robin Lawton of IMT, best-selling author ranked #1 of 88 international speakers in 2007 (and partner of the Council on live workshops the last three years).

These content-rich and thought provoking live sessions give you the essence of what is covered in full-length workshops in a fraction of the time.  Your included downloadable file with visuals and notes, tools and references leave you well armed to take action. Your award winning presenter’s humor, practical examples and your own application of concepts during the interactive session will make your experience highly memorable. Attend with a colleague or more for maximum impact.

DATES & TOPICS

March 6, “Innovation Versus Stuff That Sucks”

March 13, “8 Dimensions of Excellence: Aligning Strategy, Measures & Customers

March 20, “The 12 Voices of the Customer”

All sessions are Thursdays, 11:00AM-1:00PM CST.

PRICE/EVENT: $100/person for Council members (a steal!), for those who register at least 7 days prior, or $895/site (one line, unlimited group).  Regular price is $195/person.

Can your company see the next “WOW” product or service on the horizon – those offerings that truly wow customers?   Think iPod, Google, and MySpace.  Do you know how to calculate risk when the potential “wow” product is a proprietary technology that has never existed in the market?  How do you gauge customer and market response and market risk so that new products, services, or features offer a high probable return on investment?

The MN Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Debra Bly, Senior Marketing Manager of Business Development at Toro, and Jeri Meola, President of Satisfaction Management Systems, to both our March 6 Minneapolis and our March 12 St. Paul Performance Improvement Networks (PIN).  Debra and Jeri will share useful techniques for gathering the voice of the customer in designing new (or redesigning existing) products and services.  Hear how Toro assesses the next “wow” technology, and explore how other organizations are listening and learning customer requirements.

In March, you have a choice in location and date.

For Minneapolis, the discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on March 6 (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).

For St. Paul, the discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on March 12 (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m.) at 3M’s Building 236 (3M Center in Maplewood).  Maps available upon registration.

Admission to PIN is FREE for Council members; $10 for partner organizations; $20 for the public.

For more information, please visit http://www.councilforquality.org/performance.cfm.  Space is limited so register today by emailing brian.lassiter@councilforquality.org.

In 2006, Dakota County became the first county in Minnesota to undergo a Baldrige assessment of its full set of operations and to receive the Minnesota Quality Award.  The County’s Vision is to be a Premier Place to Live and Work; its Mission is Efficient, Effective, Responsive Government.

The Rochester Area Quality Council, an affiliate of the Minnesota Council for Quality, is pleased to welcome Jack Ditmore, director of operations, management, and budget; and Karen Harrington, assistant director; to our March 4 RAQC meeting.  Jack and Karen will share:

• why the County elected to use the Baldrige framework
• what the Baldrige-based MN Quality Award assessment revealed (and didn’t reveal)
• how it is guiding organizational improvements
• what to keep in mind when considering whether to undergo an assessment
• the peculiarities of applying the tool to an organization whose responsibilities run from the gamut, snowplowing to libraries to healthcare assistance and beyond.

The discussion will take place Tuesday, March 4 from 7:30 to 9:00 AM at the University Center Rochester (room CF 206/208); networking and breakfast begins at 7:15.  Cost (before February 29 noon) is FREE for MCQ/RAQC members and $20 for non-members; after Feb 29, add $10 for members/nonmembers.

Are you looking for a strategic planning consultant?  A consultant with Six Sigma, Lean, Balanced Scorecard, Baldrige, or ISO?  A consultant or trainer on leadership Organizational Development, or change efforts?

The Minnesota Council for Quality -- in cooperation with the Delaware Alliance for Excellence, the Kansas Center for Performance Excellence, the Michigan Quality Council, the Ohio Partnership for Excellence, Quality Texas Foundation, the Vermont Council for Quality, the Washington State Quality Award, and the Wisconsin Forward Award -- is pleased to offer a free on-line service, the Consultant Referral Network©, to help organizations find experts to help them improve their business.

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.

Organizations can also peruse a directory of all consultants, sorted by subject matter expertise, location, and other factors. 

Forget what you’ve learned about traditional market segmentation, especially the part where it says that greater market share equals higher profitability.

The Association for Strategic Planning-Minnesota Chapter, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce its next meeting: “Where Values Hide.”  Scheduled for February 19, the discussion will be lead by Stuart Jackson, vice president with LEK Consulting. 

In his new book Where Value Hides: A New Way to Uncover Profitable Growth for Your Business (Wiley, November 2006), Stuart Jackson, takes the position that bigger isn’t necessarily better. In many instances, he contends, it can actually be worse. Jackson notes that, as most companies use it, market share can be a misleading and dangerous measure. He writes that the trick lies in being able to identify the right market segments in which to focus efforts and improve one’s Strategic Market Position, or SMP.

While allowing that there are endless ways to segment a market, the author maintains that very few provide the right basis for strategic decision-making. “The key to uncovering one’s true Strategic Market Position in an industry lies in assessing which dimensions of scale or market share contribute to increased profitability and value,” he writes, while adding that successful companies understand where growth will build competitive strength and profitability and where it will not. “They put more of their eggs in fewer, carefully chosen baskets,” says Jackson.

Getting your company’s position right can make a big difference when it comes to creating value for shareholders. L.E.K./Wall Street Journal research has shown that while average shareholder returns for most industries tend to cluster in the 0 percent to 20 percent range with amazing consistency, there can be spectacular differences among companies within almost every industry sector. A top performer in a particular industry sector can be 200, 300, or even 1,000 percent better than the sector’s worst performer. Jackson explains that these high-performance companies have learned the art of strategic market positioning, which involves determining your SMP and then making investments that will increase overall SMP and drive long-term value.

Where Value Hides presents a number of instances of companies—both large and small—that have successfully used strategic market positioning as a decision-making tool that’s shared by management functions throughout an organization and applied to a broad range of situations. Examples cited include prioritizing sales efforts, finding new and profitable markets, improving low-growth or low-margin businesses, and identifying acquisition opportunities.

The discussion will be held Tuesday, February 19.  Registration, networking, and breakfast is at 7:00 AM; the program is from 7:45-9:00 AM.  The meeting location is the University of St. Thomas, 1000 LaSalle Ave in Minneapolis, Opus Hall 202.  Advance cost is $35 to the public or $25 for members of Council.  For more information or to register, contact Kathryn Martin at kathryn_l_martin@bluecrossmn.com or visit http://www.strategyplus.org/chapters/Minnesota.php.

Minnesota, along with the nation, is experiencing profound demographic changes, affecting all aspects of our economy, environment, and society.  While demographic change normally progresses at a glacial pace, the pace and impact of some of these changes will accelerate starting this year. The workforce will be one area facing some of the most profound and rapid changes. 

The 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.

The next SLI session will focus on the demographic changes expected, the underlying demographic trends driving the changes, and some of the challenges and opportunities these changes imply.  The session will be facilitated by Tom Gillaspy, Ph.D., Minnesota State Demographers Office.  Dr. Gillaspy has served as the Minnesota State Demographer since 1979.  During that time, he has been involved with a wide-ranging set of issue, applying an understanding of demographic trends in such areas as the state's economy, health care for an aging population, welfare reform, rural population change, labor shortages, government spending, and the aging state workforce.

The session is from 8:00-9:30 AM (check in and breakfast at 7:00AM) on April 2 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.

For a copy of a video clip of the previous Strategic Leadership Insights breakfasts, visit

http://www.cce.umn.edu/corporateeducation/leadershipinsights/speakerstopics/index.html.

The MN OD Network, an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce its March 4 program “Positive Deviance: A Tool for Resolving Unsolvable Problems in the World.”  The session will be facilitated by Lisa Kimball and will held from 4:00-6:30 PM at St. Thomas Minneapolis, Opus 201.

Have you been frustrated with the “best practice” or “expert driven” approaches to change? Are you committed to doing something about problems faced by your organization or community that have resisted previous improvement efforts?

In contrast to most ‘best practice’ approaches, Positive Deviance (PD) is a change methodology based on the insight that knowledge alone doesn’t change behavior. If it did, nobody would smoke and everyone would floss. The primary hypothesis of PD is that within any organization, there are people whose unique behaviors allow them to find solutions to problems that most in the organization find impossible to solve.

In this session we will explore the principles of the PD approach and where it is the same and different from many of the approaches familiar to OD practitioners. We’ll look at examples of successful PD applications and engage in conversation about implications of the PD approach for OD practitioners’ role in change projects. We will also try out one of the practices used in the PD approach so that participants can get a feel for how it might work in their own client organizations.

Fees are $20 for MNODN and MCQ members, $25 for non-members.  For more information, visit www.mnodn.org.

Minnesota Technology, Inc. (MTI), a Partner of the MN council for Quality, is pleased to present five different events in the next month, all focused on using Lean to improve organizational efficiency:

• Feb 21: Open Lean Workshop: Lean Office, Mankato
• Feb 27: Lean 5S, Medina
• Mar 12: Finding Profit through Lean Enterprise: How to do it Right, St. Cloud 
• Mar 19: Executive Overview: Lean Dreams, Duluth
• Mar 26: Lean Workshop: Lean 101, Medina

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

MTI works to strengthen Minnesota’s manufacturing companies and related-industries by helping them compete and grow profitably. Come learn the winning ways to grow your company at these not to be missed business events.

MN International Society of Performance Improvement (MNISPI), an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce their March 18 Chapter Meeting.  The topic will be “Can Distance Training Really Improve Performance?” which features Paul Hardt, Capella University.

The LaCrosse-Winona ASQ Section 1216 is pleased to announce its annual conference “Developing a Common Sense Approach to Quality” on April 3.  The conference will be held from 2:30PM-7:30PM at the Tau Center of Winona State University.

The agenda includes the following:

•  “Selecting the Right Quality Tool for the Situation,” speaker TBD
• “Performance Excellence 101: Making Baldrige Easier,” Brian Lassiter, MN Council for Quality
• “Common Sense: Does it Exist?” Aimee Siegler, Benchmark Electronics

The conference, sponsored in part by the Minnesota Council for Quality and QC Inspection Services, will then offer a dinner and keynote address: “The 10 Biggest Quality Mistakes,” presented by Craig Cochran, the North Metro Regional Manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute.  Craig will discuss how the easiest way to improve is to learn from the mistakes of other people.  Experience has taught all of us that there are plenty of mistakes out there: the trick is to recognize them and understand what to do in their places.  Unfortunately, we keep seeing the same mistakes over and over.  They aren’t mistakes because they violate a standard like ISO 9001, they’re mistakes because they violate good sense.  Craig’s presentation will examine the top quality mistakes, and how they can be avoided.

The conference will also offer a half day workshop (10AM-2:15PM) “High Impact Auditing,” also presented by Craig Cochran. 

For more information on the event, visit http://www.asq1216.homestead.com/. 

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

Day Courses

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

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

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

2/20                      Project Planning              $750

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

For more information on any of these courses or a complete listing of coursework, visit the University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education’s website at http://www.cce.umn.edu/councilforquality.  To register, visit http://register.cce.umn.edu or call 612-624-4000.

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):

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

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

4/23/08, Calibration Processes, $125

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

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

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 me