Given today’s economic challenges, strategy is critical.  But in various surveys by various experts, it is claimed that as many as 70-90% of business strategies fail.  According to a recent study, we may now know why…

I’ll define “strategy” as simply an organization’s approach (formal and informal) to preparing for the future.  Creating strategy is relatively easy: you gather some information, you conduct some sort of leadership retreat to sort through things, and then you set goals and maybe even create some action plans.  But then you go back to the office (the plant, the shop, the bank, the school, the hospital, the whatever) and you work on more urgent things (notice I didn’t say more “important” things?).  Why?  Because executing strategy is hard, and there is always something more urgent that comes up in daily operations.

“Companies often manage strategy in fits and starts,” says Robert Kaplan, Harvard professor and co-author of several books on the Balanced Scorecard and strategy execution.  “Though executives may formulate an excellent strategy, it easily fades from memory as the organization tackles day-to-day operations issues” – doing what Kaplan calls “fighting fires.”  I think we can relate: sometimes we all must react to issues within the business rather than managing the business itself.

Maybe it’s just how we’re wired as humans.  Think about it: we set New Year’s resolutions, only to have 60% of them fail by late January (the average date of failure, interestingly enough is January 22 – tomorrow).  Or we get our annual physical and find that we need to exercise more, cut down on unhealthy foods, and quit smoking.  So we try for a few weeks (or months), but then eventually those entrenched habits start to creep back into our daily routes (the fast food, the shorter or skipped workouts, etc.).  So, in our Darwinian nature, maybe humans are just wired to react to problems rather than proactively set – and take – new direction.  After all, we’re creatures of habit that settle into natural patterns, rather than true change agents that set, implement, and sustain new courses of action that may, in fact, be healthier, more productive, and just better for our overall outlooks.

So why should organizations (made up of humans) be any different?

A recent study by locally-based Digineer (conducted by Pat Salaski, a management consultant and a 2009 Minnesota Quality Award Evaluator), set out to answer the fundamental question: Why is executing strategy so difficult – especially during today’s tough economic conditions, when strategy is really so paramount to long-term success?

They surveyed 65 leaders from various industries in the Twin Cities, representing a mix of industries and diversity of organizational levels (34% senior executives and other high level leaders, 30% middle level leaders, and 36% lower level managers).  The findings were actually quite interesting (for a report on the findings, visit http://www.councilforquality.org/improve_documents.cfm).

Take, for example, the fundamental notion that 69% of these leaders are NOT confident in their organization’s ability to execute strategy.  Wow – that is as disturbing as it probably is accurate: leaders at various levels in the organization fully recognize and are realistic about the challenges in implementing strategic actions within their organizations.  The more interesting question, however, had to do with why…

When responding to the question of what was the number one barrier to effectively executing their strategy, what would you predict?  The economy and constrained financial resources perhaps?  Increasing competition, which causes priorities to shift?  Maybe rapidly changing market dynamics and customer needs?  Game-changing regulations?  No, no, no, and no.  In fact, most of the barriers reported by these leaders were INTERNAL issues, not external factors.  In ascending order, they were:

• Company reputation, mentioned by 4% of respondents
• Customers, 10% (those darn customers)
• Lack of confidence, 16%
• Technology, 18%
• Competitive Enviornment, 24%
• Government Regulations, 26%
• Employees, 30%
• Way We Work Together, 34%
• Budget, 40%
• Economic Conditions, 44%
• Middle Management, 46%
• CEO/President, 50%
• Senior Management, 52%
• Company Culture, 64% -- and the number one reason strategies fail to be fully executed:
• Past Habits, 66%

Wow – I never saw that coming.  In fact, look at the top two vote-getters: company culture and past habits.  There are those habits again – organizational inertia, inability to take action on new initiatives, slow or indecisive decision making, lack of accountability, short-term focus (“chasing rabbits” or finding the next big fad) – who knows the real reason(s), but interestly enough: these leaders believe their strategies are not executed because of the organization’s tendencies itself.  (Economic conditions, despite the depth and length of this recession, came in sixth.  And, along with Government Regulations, were the ONLY TWO external factors listed in the top 10!)

I find it also fairly interesting that these conclusions were very similar to a University of Michigan study in 2005, which also found that internal barriers were more constraining in general than external (“Leaders Talk About Executing Strategy,” Michigan Ross School of Business, Theresa Welbourne, March 2005).  So these tendancies seem to exist in good times and in bad (and maybe they have for decades or generations, which might explain why 70-90% of strategies are said to fail).

But why?  The Digineer study found several possible contributing reasons as to why internal dynamics and past habits get in the way of strategy implementation.  Of those nearly 70% who were not confident in their organization’s ability to execute strategy, here were the top reasons for that lack of confidence:

• Unclear accountability for execution, 52%
• Internal resistance to change, 48% (“we’ve always done it that way”)
• Buy-in or agreement on critical execution steps or actions, 40% (perhaps because the right people were not involved in setting direction or action plans)
• Employees’ lack of ownership, 38% (involvement, again)
• Lack of a model to guide strategy execution, 27%
• Organizational structure, 23%
• Inappropriate incentives to support execution objectives, 21%
• Poor or inadequate information sharing, 19% (which surprised me that it was this low, as poor communication, including action plan and results tracking, to me at least usually contributes to execution challenges).

This is quite similar to a list presented in an issue of Quality Digest last summer (“Enterprise Performance: The New Quality Goal,” David Boghossian, August 2009 – find it at http://www.councilforquality.org/improve_documents.cfm).  Boghossian recognizes the age-old challenge of implementing strategy: “Strategy into action.  It remains at the leading edge of management science.  Very few organizations do it well, and even those that do often get there more through art than through science.  Extremely rare are organizations that have a well defined, documented, trainable, continuously improvable process for executing strategy.”

He goes on to state that all contemporary methodologies for implementing strategy – Balanced Scorecard, Hoshin Planning, and others – really have five common elements, that wrap nicely into a process sequence (with my commentary in parenthesis):

1. Focus on a few critical strategic goals.  (My sense is you identify these critical goals through traditional environmental scans, SWOT analysis, and other data sources.)
2. Identify key performance indicators that measure progress toward those goals.  (One of the themes that emanates from the Digineer study is the lack of data in strategy execution – measures to help leaders monitor progress of plans, communicate plans, reinforce accountability, serve as a basis for reward, and so forth.  Without measures, you simply cannot expect action to take place…or take hold.  And you certainly won’t know if you ever “got there.”)
3. Assess initiatives against a screen of strategic effect and cost benefit.  (This speaks to prioritization – of selecting the RIGHT strategic initiatives, given your desired direction and the expected return on investment of your actions.)
4. Execute programs that deliver the benefits.  (Simply put: do something.  Take action.  Eliminate other work if you need to create capacity, but organizations have to allow – and require – actions by various contributors in the organization – to move the enterprise closer to its desired destination.)
5. Review progress against Key Performance Indicator targets in real time and adjust course quickly when necessary.  (This part is hard, but critical.  Use the data and measures you’ve selected to monitor progress and make mid-course corrections.  If the actions are not moving the organization closer to the desire end-state, then either the measures and hypotheses were wrong, or the actions were wrong.  Either way, make adjustments and measure the effectiveness in your new set of actions.  This is the classic closed-loop process of strategy – design, test, do, measure, adjust.  Sound familiar?  It should: it’s the basis of PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) and Six Sigma’s DMAIC (Design-Measure-Analyze-Implement-Control)).

In challenging times (and really in ALL times) a key role for leaders is to set and execute strategy – to set a vision for the future and align organizational resources to move (and adjust) toward that vision.  Strategy is critical to helping organizations address their enviornmental challenges; leverage their core competencies and strategic advantages; address their marketplace and stakeholder needs; recognize and respond to risks, competitive pressures, internal weaknesses, shifts in technology or regulations; and – in essence – prepare for the future and sustain the enterprise.

The Digneer study asked leaders their opinion on the consequences of poor strategy execution (or said the inverse way: the benefits of good execution).  The top responses included:

• Decreased employee commitment, 67% (more on that in next month’s newsletter)
• Lost Market Opportunities, 53%
• Decreased Revenue, 53%
• Increased Costs, 39%
• Increased Cycle Times, 28%
• Decreased Customer Loyalty, 28%
• Lost Market Share, 28%.

Sounds like a case for action to me. 

“These findings represent both good news and bad news,” says Pat Salaksi of Digneer and author of the study.  “The good news is that these internal factors should be able to be addressed by senior leaders.  The bad news is that they are the same internal factors that have been identified in multiple other studies on this topic for years.”

In other words: we haven’t learned how to break through the strategy execution barrier, in good times or in bad.  But maybe we’ll have better results this time, as companies get serious in taking action to emerge from this economic downtown.  We can only hope.

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 2010 Minnesota Quality Award Board of Evaluators.  The first of three training sessions in 2010 is February 23-25 in the Twin Cities (Shriner's Hospital, River Road Minneapolis).

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) – and the 2010 Criteria represent significant changes, especially in terms of customer focus/engagement, core competencies, and sustainability/social responsibility;
• 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 2010 Board of Evaluators, training will be Feb 23-25 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 4, 9, or 10 – you choose, and all in the Twin Cities).

Applications for new Evaluators are due February 5.  Applications for returning Evaluators (which only require updates from your most recent application) are due February 12.

"The currency of leadership is credibility – without credibility a leader’s ability to influence is bankrupt “

-- Kouzes and Posner The Leadership Challenge

Values-Led leadership requires a commitment to thoughtful reflection on complex challenges.  The Values-Led leader goes deeper into the impact of their decisions on all of their stakeholders.  The values we refer to are values of a purposeful nature.  We have seen what happens when the core value is profit at any cost and the outcomes are not sustainable.  We can either have a recovery that is shaped by thoughtful long term values for a sustainable future or we can have a recovery where our collective amnesia as to why we ended up in the ditch leads us to repeat the same mistakes again and again.

Why does Values-Led leadership matter? Because ultimately, aligning our decisions and actions with a higher more meaningful purpose is good for humanity.

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Diane Nettifee, president of Magis Ventures, and Todd Voit, president of Immedia, a manufacturer of in-store displays and graphics, to our February 4 program, "Building a Strong Foundation for Your Company: Values in Action."   Todd and Diane will discuss their experiences in developing values-led organizations.  This discussion will go beyond concepts to nuts and bolts of “how”!

They will share experiences and engage the group to discuss complex real time decisions in light of values around challenges Immedia faced in the last two years in hiring and firing; communicating during a recession; recovery from a layoff; compensation and talent development.  During this session, we will discuss the role of values in building effective, ethical, and enduring companies with concrete examples to explore:

• What are best practices of a Values-Led Company?
• How do Values-Led companies stay real, relevant and healthy?
• How do Values-Led companies get off track and how do you avoid the ditches”?
• What is the impact of Values-Led companies in society?

We thank our session sponsor, Dunwoody College of Technology, for their support of this session, helping us to keep it free for members.

The discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on Feb 4 (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). 

Admission to PIN is FREE for Council members; $15 for partner organizations; $30 for the public.

Business Process Reviews provide a powerful approach to help us accomplish organizational goals. 

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Kevin Anderson, director of Organizational Development and Process Improvement at Thomson Reuters, to our February 10 program, "Combining Lean Six Sigma Methods with OD for High Impact."  Kevin will explore how you can combine quantitative Lean Six Sigma methods, with softer Organizational Development approaches, in order to have a high impact on performance.  He will explore tools including interviews, mapping, observations, facilitation, best practice research, data analysis and customer surveys.

Our session objectives include: 

• Highlight Process Review Objectives, Steps and Methods
• Review and Discuss Case Studies Where Tools Have Been Successfully Employed
• Learn About Application and Importance of Using Multiple Methods

We thank our session sponsors, 3M; Abdo, Eick, and Meyers; Innovation Process Design; and Metropolitan State University for their support of this session, helping us to keep it free for members.

The discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on Feb 10 (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m.) at Metro State University, 700 E 7th Street, downtown St. Paul. 

Admission to PIN is FREE for Council members; $15 for partner organizations; $30 for the public.

Space is limited so register today by emailing brian.lassiter@councilforquality.org.

The Rochester Area Quality Council, an affiliate of the Minnesota Council for Quality, is pleased to announce their Feb 11 program “From Kernel to Crystal: The Cargill Corn Milling Journey."  The session will be led by Ron Fiala of Cargill Corn Milling.

Ron Fiala will discuss the long journey to excellence that led to Cargill Corn Milling North America being honored with the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige Award. His talk will highlight lessons learned and processes used to help sustain this large manufacturing company through tough economic times.

Cargill Corn Milling North America (CCM), a business unit within privately held Cargill Inc., is a manufacturer of corn- and sugar-based products serving food, feed, and fermentation markets. CCM delivers 60-plus products to more than 3,000 customers. CCM’s Selling, General, and Administration expense per gross profit improved from about 35 percent in FY 2005 to 30 percent in FY 2008 exceeding competitive benchmarks for that period and its Earnings After Tax nearly tripled from FY 2003 to FY 2007. From FY 2004-2008, CCM  increased its overall Engagement Score from approximately 37 percent to 65 percent as measured by a nationally administered Employee Engagement Survey. It continually strives to improve its operational reliability and effectiveness through means such as real-time and predictive monitoring of equipment health, stringent maintenance, and careful energy usage and as a result was able to maintain steady per-bushel costs from FY 2006-2008 even though energy, chemical, and maintenance costs increased significantly. After severe floods in June 2008 completely shut down its plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, CCM’s commitment to community was shown when it moved quickly to implement disaster recovery processes, rebuild and restore the plant, assist employees and the community, and minimize operational and customer impacts. Most importantly, CCM employed its workforce through the entire period.

We thank our session sponsors, Hampton Inn Rochester and Rochester Community & Technical College, for their support of this session, helping us to keep it free for members.

The session is Feb 11 from 11:00-1:00 at RCTC.

The next Twin Ports Performance Excellence Network session will be Tuesday, February 16.  The topic/speaker will be announced soon.  The session is from 7:30-9:00 a.m. (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:00 a.m.).  Admission to TPPEN is FREE for Council members and guests.

“We would like to recognize 55 members who have become or renewed their membership in the fourth quarter of 2009,” says Brian Lassiter, president of the Council.  “Times are tough for all organizations, but these organizations and individuals are serious about continuous improvement and performance excellence and continue to invest in their futures.  We thank them for supporting our mission of excellence, and we look forward to working with them in the future.”

In particular, the Council would like to recognize Benedictine Health System, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Hutchinson Technology, and Medtronic for renewing their Sponsoring Membership.  “As our largest members,” says Lassiter, “Sponsoring Members not only receive the same benefits as all members, but their contribution also helps support the work we do with K-12 school districts, non-profits, and other organizations who do not have as many resources to invest in their improvement efforts.  We thank these organizations their contribution and support.”

These individuals and organizations became members last quarter (asterisks indicate renewal members):

A Health Care Market Research Service, Rochester, MN

Amdahl, Ron, Rochester, MN*

AMSOIL, Superior, WI

Anagram International, Eden Prairie, MN*

Aune, Dave, N St. Paul, MN

Azurion Consulting, Champlin, MN*

Benedictine Health System, Cambridge, MN*

BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Eagan, MN*

Cargill Kitchen Solutions (formerly Sunny Fresh Foods), Monticello, MN*

Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services (CMJTS), Monticello, MN*

Century College College of Continuing Ed, White Bear Lake, MN*

Changing Ways, Bloomington, MN*

Copp, Karen, River Falls, WI*

Creative Processes, Inc., Minneapolis, MN*

Dakota County, Hastings, MN*

Driscoll, Bill, Farmington, MN

Duluth Public Schools, Duluth, MN*

Ecolab - Lean Six Sigma Initiative, St. Paul, MN*

Emerald Quality Services, Minneapolis, MN*

Endurant Business Solutions, Eden Prairie, MN*

Finelli, Ron, Eden Prairie, MN*

George, Steve, St. Louis Park, MN*

Gidwani, Moti, Roseville, MN*

Goodwill/Easter Seals of MN, St. Paul, MN*

Harris, Carol, Rosemount, MN*

Hillswick Group, LTD, Brooklyn Park, MN*

Hutchinson Technology Inc., Hutchinson, MN*

Ikonics Corporation, Duluth, MN*

In*sight Solutions Group, Inc., Roseville, MN*

Insight Fusion, Inc., Minneapolis, MN*

Integrated Performance Management, Inc., Edina, MN*

James Haedtke, Burnsville, MN*

Johnson Consulting Group, Minneapolis, MN*

Kraft, Keith, Mendota Heights, MN

LJ Menke Consulting, Shoreview, MN*

Mack Engineering Corp., Minneapolis, MN*

Manufacturing Advisors, Inc., Wayne Lindholm, Edina, MN*

Medtronic, Shoreview, MN*

Midwest Medical Insurance Group (MMIC), Edina, MN*

Mount, Kathy, Dayton, MN*

Nelson, Jim, Stillwater, MN

Novus Via Consulting, St. Paul, MN*

Opportunity Services, Inc., Red Wing, MN*

Osage Public Library, Osage, IA

Pathways Career Coaching, Hudson, WI

Process Harmony, Minneapolis, MN*

Ramberg Doi, Lori, Edina, MN*

Reber, Linda, Plymouth, MN

Roadmap to Excellence; Hoffert, Don, Eden Prairie, MN*

Rockwood Capital Management, Arden Hills, MN*

Sandra Mueller, Inc., Eagan, MN*

Simensen & Associates, Minnetonka, MN*

Stat-Ease, Inc., Minneapolis, MN*

The Because Group, Inc., Lanesboro, MN

UCare Performance Improvement, Minneapolis, MN*

VisionOne, Burnsville, MN*

We thank all members for their support.  As of December 31, the Council represents a growing community of nearly 325 members representing over 150,000 employees.  A complete list of members is available at http://www.councilforquality.org/member.cfm.

Why should you or your organization consider membership?  There are many reasons. Your or your organization receives:

* recognition (in this newsletter, in press releases, on the website, and with a certificate/letter);

* discounts to Council services (Evaluator training, organization assessments);

* access to Council services (Clearinghouse, Consultant Referral Network, and free admission to Performance Improvement Network discussions); and

* discounts to our partners’ services (other improvement-related non-profits, universities/colleges, and professional/trade associations).

All Council members are invited to a luncheon information session to learn more about our newest service in 2010: professional roundtables.  Luncheons will be March 4 (West Metro) and April 1 (East Metro). 

Last year based on Council member suggestions, we began exploring the possibility of creating some affinity groups to help improvement-related leaders and professionals learn from their peers.  After focus groups, we have designed a service that will facilitate actual peer problem solving, the exchange of ideas and best practices, and deep networking (much deeper than our PIN format).  These small, invitation-only forums are designed for leaders who are short on time but long on experience.  The purpose is to accelerate performance and improvement within participants’ organizations and to facilitate professional and personal growth in a safe, open, confidential environment. Specifically, the goals of these roundtables are to:

• Share ideas, solutions across organizations
• Solve real business problems in a collaborative format
• Explore best practices from regional and national experts
• Enhance leadership skills and build long-term relationships with like-minded individuals
• Promote value beyond your investment of time/money: provide a measurable ROI

There are similar roundtable concepts for business owners and CEOs; however, there are not many that focus on quality leaders and/or middle management.  We believe that this concept will have deep value for many Minnesota organizations, and we invite you to learn more about the concept.

The University of Minnesota is pleased to announce its annual Quality Fair Thursday, February 4 at the new TCF Bank Gopher’s Stadium on the Minneapolis Campus of the U.  This year, you can sit next to the fireplaces in the beautiful DQ Club inside the stadium and share ideas with colleagues.  This year's Quality Fair is about Leadership at Every Level. In a period of declining resources, leadership capacity is critical.  Learn concepts that will inspire you to strengthen your leadership capacity and your ability to work with passion to implement creative and innovative changes.

The keynote speaker is Stuart Levine, bestselling author of “Cut to the Chase” and “The Six Fundamentals of Success.”  Stuart is the current chairman and CEO of Stuart Levine & Associates, LLC, an international consulting and leadership development company, and former CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc.

In both the morning and afternoon, there are sessions on tools you can use to streamline your work.  For a full schedule, visit http://www1.umn.edu/osci/programs/q_fair/schedule.html.  Speakers will talk about collaboration across units and approaches to improvements. Thirty-four outstanding University projects will be displayed, along with projects from outside the University that demonstrate how organizations and institutions are driving quality.

Here is information you need to know:

Register by January 28 to reserve a lunch at http://www1.umn.edu/osci/programs/q_fair/index.html.  Walk-in registrations are welcome the day of the Quality Fair, but there is no guarantee of lunch.  When you register, your nametag will appear automatically.  Print it, cut it out, and bring it to the Quality Fair, where a plastic holder will be provided.

.

The Minnesota Business Ethics Award, a partner of the Council, recognizes Minnesota businesses that have exemplified and promoted ethical conduct for the benefit of the workplace, the marketplace, the environment and the community. It was founded in 1999 by the Center for Ethical Business Cultures and the Minnesota Chapters of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Each year a call for nominations is issued. A business may be nominated for an award by a customer, client, employee, vendor or a private citizen who is impressed with a company’s demonstration of ethical business conduct.  Business people and organizations from throughout the state are encouraged to participate in the nomination process by completing a Nomination Form.  Nominated companies are required to complete an official Entry Form and provide documentation of “ethics-in-action” at their company.  The MBEA is presented in three categories: large companies with over 500 employees, medium size companies of 100-500 employees and small companies of under 100 employees.

The entries are judged by a preliminary and a Blue Ribbon independent panel of judges representing business and academia.  Award recipients are recognized at an awards luncheon banquet, this year held May 19.

The Minnesota Chapter of Project Management Institute (PMI), an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce a special full-day session: “Leading in Turbulent Times.”  The session will be held January 26.

You are sitting in your office taking a brief sanity break in a day filled with back-to-back meetings. There are stacks of papers and ''to read'' folders on your desk. Your Blackberry vibrates incessantly signaling incoming mail and you have more than a half dozen callbacks to make before going home. Just a typical day at the office…You’ve heard fellow businesspeople refer to ''being in permanent whitewater'' – this aptly describes your situation and what many experts predict will characterize the business environment for a long time to come. You have a strong desire to freeze everything just long enough to have time to think, to plan, to find the answers, to plot your course.

So begins a fun, engaging, and informative one-day seminar, designed to tap everything you already know about leadership and enhance it for leading in turbulent times!  We effectively mix hands-on, team discussion with research and best practices from leadership and complexity science, to help you navigate your organization through these tough times.

• Typical Seminar Schedule
• Introduction to the complexity landscape
• Individual and Team Scenario
• Scenario debriefing based on research and best practices
• Focus on key leadership strategies for uncertain and turbulent times
• Putting it to work: Planning your next move back home

The session will be facilitated by Anne Knapp, PhD, HSDP, of Ready for Change, LLC and Catherine Perme (Cathy), M.A., HSDP of C. M. Perme & Associates, LLC.  

The Association for Strategic Planning-Minnesota Chapter, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce its next meeting: “Adaptive Action: Beyond Strategic Planning.”  The session is facilitated by Glenda H. Eoyang, PhD, Founder and Executive Director, Human Systems Dynamics Institute.

In today’s global, interconnected, and turbulent business environments, traditional strategic planning approaches which rely on assumptions about stable markets and predictable futures are shaky at best.  Adaptive action provides a clear alternative with principles and practical tools to help you and your clients build your adaptive capacity.

Senior leaders from Baldrige Award recipient organizations are sharing their insights on organizational transformation in an innovative new leadership program. 

• John Timmerman, Corp. VP, Operations, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
• David Spong, President, Boeing Aerospace Support (Retired)
• Charles Korbell, CEO, Clarke American (Retired)
• John Latham, Executive Professor, Monfort College of Business
• Added bonus: Site visit to 2008 Baldrige recipient Poudre Valley Health System

That’s 5 Baldrige recipients who will help executives discover how to continuously evaluate the needs of multiple stakeholders and create a sustainable transformation in their organizations.

Learn more about this 5-day intensive program

Apply now (**Please select the MN Council for Quality when you fill out the online application so we receive credit for each referral!**)

Visit the Monfort Institute blog.

The Minnesota Section of ASQ, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce its next monthly program: “The Future of Quality” on February 9, led by Paul Borawski, Executive Director and Chief Strategic Officer of the American Society for Quality.  They are also pleased to announce several certification courses (listed at the end of this article).  Here are the specifics…

Change is inevitable, but change today occurs at a rate that even the most prophetic futurists couldn’t have fathomed a century or two ago. The swiftly changing world makes efforts to predict the forces shaping our future all the more crucial, lending strategic advantages to those individuals and organizations that do it well. Quality is changing too. The impact of quality and organizational excellence on the future of businesses, industry, healthcare, and education is a critical area for discussion and action. Those who want to lead the way in the world of quality are going to need new sets of knowledge and skills - and greater flexibility than ever before. What knowledge do we need to obtain? What skills do we need to develop? During this presentation, Paul Borawski, Executive Director and Chief Strategic Officer of the American Society for Quality, will help us to expand our field of vision for quality and ourselves. We will engage in a rich dialogue with others who have a vital interest in the future of quality and gain personal insights we can use in our work and our life. ASQ will harvest the wisdom of this group (and others) regarding possible futures for quality in a way that can be used as inputs for writing scenarios. Paul will encourage powerful questions, candid dialogue and creative thinking so that we may think beyond current constraints to what might be possible.

The discussion is at the Ramada Plaza Minneapolis, February 9 from 5:00 to 8:55PM.  Cost is $35 ($25 for MCQ members as partners).  For more information or to register, visit http://www.mnasq.org.

In addition, ASQ is pleased to announce the following certification courses:

March 22-May 24: Certified Six Sigma Green Belt, $675

March 30-June1: Certified Quality Engineer, $600

April 7-May 26: Certified Software Quality Engineer, $600

April 28-June 2: Certified Quality Auditor, $470

May 13-June 3: Certified Quality Improvement Associate, $330

Enterprise Minnesota, a partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce several events, all focused on using Lean or other methods to improve organizational performance:

Feb 17: Business Problem Solving - The Toyota Way, Twin Cities

Mar 17: Investing in Your People, Changing Your Organizational Culture, Twin Cities

April 21: The Next Generation of Lean, Twin Cities

The MNODN, an affiliate partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce its next monthly program: “Extraordinary Teams, featuring Geoff Bellman. 

What allows some groups to create experiences that far exceed their own expectations?  How do these groups differ from most others?  What can we us do to increase the chances that our next group will be extraordinary?

In 2006 Geoff Bellman and Kathleen Ryan began studying the experiences of sixty people involved in extraordinary groups—all in search of the answers to the above questions.  Their work has resulted in:

• A model that describes six instinctive and very human needs that each person brings to any group—whether at work, in the community, or at home 
• A set of indicators that differentiate extraordinary groups from all the rest 
• Thoughts about personal transformation and how it happens within a group 
• Specific suggestions for actions that any group member, leader, or facilitator can take to encourage extraordinary groups 
• A book that collects all these ideas

The session is $20 for members ($25 for non-members) and will be held from 4:00-6:30 on Feb 2 at the Carondolet Center, St. Paul.  For more information or to register, visit http://www.mnodn.org/.

The MN Healthcare Quality Professionals, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to host a (free) monthly webinar seminar series.  The series, hosted by MHQP and HealthForce Minnesota, is a monthly "quality in the trenches" brownbag education series.  The objective of these sessions is to provide a healthcare quality "survey course" using selected materials from the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)'s Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) preparation materials. 

Upcoming webinars include (over the lunch hour):

1/28        Decision Support as a Quality Topic

2/25        TBD

3/5-6       CPHQ Exam Prep Course

3/25        TBD

The intended audience includes healthcare quality professionals who want a re-grounding in the breadth of their profession, and clinicians who want to learn more to become champions of change.  MHQP especially wants to reach out to healthcare professionals in rural/outstate Minnesota who don't get many quality education opportunities.

South Central College is pleased to announce their fall 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):

1/26-2/23/10, Certified Quality Inspector (CQI) Review, 6-9p, $250

1/28-3/4/10, Certified Quality Technician (CQT) Review, 6-9p, $300

3/2/10, Problem Solving Tools & Methods, 8a-4:30p, $235

3/23/10, Understanding & Implementing ISO 9001, 8a-4:30p, $235

3/24/10, Internal Auditor Skills, 8a-4:30p, $235

4/8/10, Project Management, 8a-4:30p, $235

4/27-5/25/10, Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) Review, 6-9p, $250

4/28-5/26/10, Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) Review, 5:30-8:30p, $250

5/4-5/5/10, Introduction to Quality, 8a-4:30p, $445

.

Normandale Community College, an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce upcoming winter programs.  Council members receive a 15% discount.  The programs are as follows (before discount):

2/12 Lean Leadership, $345

2/26 Lean Transformational Thinking, $345

3/2 Value Stream Mapping, $345

3/2-6/11 Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate Class, $8950

3/8-4/13 Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate Class, $3355

5/3-5/25 Six Sigma Green Belt for Healthcare Certificate Class, $3355

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

01/26, Introduction to Human Resource Practices, $395

01/26, Successfully Dealing with Conflict at Work, $395

01/28, Foundations in Business Writing, $395

01/28, Fundamentals of Organizational Development, $795

02/01, Online Certificate of Business Analysis, $1850

02/06, Certified Internal Auditors (CIA) Test Prep – Part 1, $750

02/09, Negotiating for Agreement, $395

02/09, Principles of Supervision, $995

02/09, Process Mapping and Analysis, $995

02/10, Management Fundamentals, $750

02/10, Introduction to Human Resource Practices, $395

02/10, Problem Solving and Decision Making, $395

02/10, American Accent Improvement or Modification, $750

02/11, Leading Successful Team Intervention Strategies, $795

02/12, Introduction to Business Analysis, $395

02/16, Employee Benefits Practices and Trends, $395

02/17, Creative Training Techniques, $1485

02/19, Managing Business Requirements, $750

02/23, Strategic Planning and Measurement, $750

02/23, Working Assertively, $395

02/24, Business Acumen for Technical Professionals, $395

02/24, Business Acumen for Human Resource Professionals, $395

02/24, Delegating to Enhance Job Performance, $395

02/25, Technical Writing, $395

02/25, Human Resource Certification Test Prep Online, $1095

02/26, Ethical Business Decision Making, $395

02/26, Project Management Foundations, $395

02/27, Human Resource Certification Test Prep, $1095

03/02, Project Management for Human Resource Professionals, $395

03/02, Implementing Process Change, $995

03/04, Creativity and Innovation, $395

03/04, Eight Steps of Instructional Design, $990

03/05, Project Initiation, $395

03/05, Financial Intelligence, $395

03/05, Data and Process Modeling, $750

03/06, Certified Internal Auditors (CIA) Test Prep – Part 2, $750

03/09, Increasing Power and Influence through Listening, $395

03/10, Project Management Foundations, $395

03/11, In-depth Coaching: Leading Individual Change Interventions, $795

03/12, Project Leadership, $395

03/15, Principles of Systems Engineering Online, $1995

03/16, Principles of Supervision, $995

03/16, Legal Issues in Human Resources and Management, $395

03/17, Developing Leadership Skills, $750

03/19, Technical Writing, $395

03/22, Measuring and Improving Work Processes, $995

03/23, Personal Influence and Leadership, $395

03/23, Online GPHR Test Prep, $1395

03/24, Interviewing and Selection Processes for Supervisors, $395

03/24, Foundations in Business Writing, $395

03/24, Exercising Organizational Influence, $395

03/25, Writing Persuasive Business Proposals, $395

03/25, Project Planning, $750

03/30, Staffing:  Recruitment and Selection, $395

04/06, How to Deal with Difficult People, $395

04/07, Introduction to Business Analysis, $395

04/07, Advanced Editing and Proofreading Strategies, $395

04/10, Certified Internal Auditors (CIA) Test Prep – Part 3, $995

04/13, Principles of Employee Compensation, $395

04/13, Process Innovation, $995

04/14, Building Teamwork and Commitment, $395

04/14, Developing Leadership Skills, $750

04/15, Managing Virtual and Remote Teams, $395

04/15, Introduction to E-Learning and Webinars, $990

04/16, Project Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, $395

04/20, Problem Solving and Decision Making, $395

04/21, Coaching for Excellence, $395

04/21, Small Group Professional Communication, $750

04/21, Managing Business Requirements, $750

04/22, Successfully Leading Enterprise-Wide Change Management, $795

04/22, Writing Business Reports, $395

04/23, Project Risk Management, $395

04/27, High Impact Presentations, $395

04/30, Project Management and Chaos Theory, $395

05/01, Certified Internal Auditors (CIA) Test Prep – Part 4, $395

05/04, Performance Management Process, $395

05/04, Enterprise Process Management, $995

05/05, Managing Performance and Developing Talent, $395

05/05, Strategic Planning and Measurement, $750

05/05, Data and Process Modeling, $750

05/05, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication, $395

05/07, Project Management for IT Professionals, $395

05/11, Handling People with Tact and Diplomacy, $395

05/11, Successful Manager’s Leadership Program, $2995

05/14, Project Management and New Product Development, $395

05/18, Employee and Labor Relations, $395

05/19, Improving Work Processes, $395

05/20, Advanced Editing and Proofreading Strategies, $395

05/20, Advanced Creative Training Techniques, $495

05/20, Integrated Management, $395

05/21, Project Execution, $395

05/25, Exercising Organizational Influence, $395

06/01, Organizational Training and Development, $395

06/04, Project Control and Closure, $395

06/08, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication, $395

06/10, Legal Issues for Managers and Supervisors, $395

06/10, Coaching for Excellence, $395

06/11, Applied Project Management, $395

06/15, Business Acumen for Human Resource Professionals, $395

06/16, Creative Training Techniques, $1485

06/17, Writing for the Web, $395

06/18, Business Acumen for Technical Professionals, $395

06/22, Strategic Human Resource Planning, $395

06/23, Leading Through Change, $395

06/25, Project Procurement Management, $395

The University of St. Thomas’ Executive Education and Professional Development, a partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce the following upcoming programs:

1/25 – 2/28 Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, $8200

3/26 – 4/10 Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate, $3795

2/22 – 5/17 Mini Master of the Lean Enterprise, $2495

Also, coming in the fall of 2010: Mini MBA for Technical Professionals and Mini Master of Supply Chain Management.