Process Improvement Training and Andragogy

If you are a process improvement instructor, just like your friends here at EZSigma Group, you inevitably teach adults. We all know how difficult and complex the task of teaching adults can be. But do you know why teaching lean and six sigma to adults can be a challenge at times? Andragogy is the art and science of making learning work for adult learners. It has its roots back in the 50's when theorist and practitioner in adult education Malcolm Knowles started studying how adults better retain and enjoy training. It has become extremely important not only to master the technical aspects of training in process improvement, but also to deliver contents on lean, six sigma, and other quality tools and methods. Think about the last time you attended a classroom session. Was the instructor extremely knowledgeable but incapable of delivering the contents properly or was the instructor effective in teaching you less content, but in a manner that was quality-focused and concrete? Malcolm Knowles identified six factors that contribute to training effectiveness when it comes to adult learners. Learn from and remember them in your next training session!

1. Adults need to know why they need the training they are receiving. You may think they know, but many in our adult learning audience simply show up without knowing what is going on. This is most common in large organizations that deliver compliance training. Explain why your session is important to their work.

2. Adults have a great sense of being self-directed. They need to be involved in the learning process and feel responsible for being there. Work with them before the training starts (if at all possible) or adjust as you go.

3. Adults need to draw learning from real life experiences. Delivering theories that adults cannot relate to is a complete waste of time and resources. For example, make the link between the concept of the eight wastes and how workers can apply them to their workplaces.

4.  Adults have far more life and work experiences than youth. This needs to be respected and considered when delivering training. Acknowledge the learner's experiences and bring them to the discussion table.

5. Adults are problem- or task-centered. Make the point that the new knowledge will enhance the learner's ability to resolve issues at work (and in his/her personal life) . This technique will dramatically increase the learning experience.

6. Adult learners are motivated to learn by extrinsic and more importantly, intrinsic motivators. Learning from your audience what it is that will make them pay attention to your session is half the battle to deliver content that will stick.

There are literally hundreds of articles on adult education on the web. The point of this post is to create the awareness that quality instructors should not take adult learning for granted. Delivering a quality training session or program asks for thorough consideration of how adult learners retain knowledge.

Awareness and Root Cause Analysis

More often than not, we find ourselves looking for root causes that either do not exist or only exist in our non-factual assumptions. Indeed, one of the most important aspects of solving issues in any process improvement initiative is to find the right root cause that needs to be addressed. But how can we go from assuming root causes or even working with data that are only available to the naked eye? How can we avoid bias, especially in an environment in which workers (including yourself as a continuous improvement facilitator) are too accustomed to? Let's learn about awareness in the video below. Watch it first, then continue on reading.

What have you learned? Yes, it is too easy to look for the things that you want to see or have been told to look for. Don't get too frustrated if you did not see what the narrator in the video asks at the end of the first exercise, it's just how your brain works. It does in a way that it has been told to do. For most of us mortals, the same applies to root cause(s) hunting. We will most likely look for easy targets, things that we are used to at our workplace, things that we think are the cause of the problem. While we still can be tricked by our own biased brains, some tips may be helpful:

1. Whenever possible, have an uneducated external eye; by uneducated we mean someone who does not belong to that process. It is more likely that this external set of eyes will see things your team perhaps cannot.

2. Break the paradigm and sometimes, the rules. The narrator in the video told you to perform a task. Had you not done it exactly how he suggested, could you have found something else?

3. Repeat the observation as many times as possible. This is a technique used by detectives. They watch the same video (or process) over and over again, always looking for new information. How often does your Process Improvement Teams actually watch their processes when trying to find root causes?

As process excellence practitioners, we have seen it many times. Improvement teams that are either moving too fast towards resolution, or do not have enough resources for root cause investigation, or just want to "get it done" are more likely to miss out on the true root cause(s) of any process' issues. As usual, eZSigma can help your organization to effectively uncover root causes of problems your organization may be experiencing. We can help your organization to find the moonwalking bear.

The Winning Process Improvement Project

When it comes to process improvement projects, especially at the six sigma level, senior managers want to know one thing and one thing only: what is the impact of such projects on the bottom line of our organization? And let us be clear, by bottom line we mean: profits, safety, employee morale, productivity, and so on. Gone are the times in which reputable and well managed organizations focused their resources on the financial outcomes only. But how can your project be sponsored by senior leadership, when in most cases, there is a limitation of resources to be used by the organization?

The key to a winning process improvement project may be in the link that it has to the organization's mandate and strategy. Mandate encompasses vision (where the organization wants to be in the future), mission (the organization's purpose, why it exists), and values (the principles behind the organization's day-to-day operations). The organization's strategy showcases the framework that is to be executed in order for the firm to achieve its mandate. Most organizations have written statements on vision, mission, values, and strategy. But if yours does not, just ask. Senior executives want to see process improvement initiatives that are directly related to the organization's mandate and strategy. The link that your project has to the company's mandate and strategy is perhaps more important than the savings or level of productivity it is trying to achieve within the process alone. When selecting a process improvement project, consider the following:

1. What is the organization trying to achieve in the short- and/or long-term? Customer retention? A safer workplace? Higher margins?

2. How well can your project be linked to the organization's mandate (long term)? This may be a qualitative analysis, which is acceptable.

3. Are you able to mathematically link the outcomes of your project to any of the organizations' high level goals (often called strategic objectives)? If not, can you prove that your project will at least support one of the main strategic objectives?

4. Will your project positively affect critical stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers and/or the community around the organization?

5. Will the CEO of your organization proudly report the outcomes of your project to stock holders and/or other interested parties?

We often have all the best intentions when setting up a team to work on process improvement, but the key question really is: is this a project in which even positive results will mean nothing but a slight change in a process that is not critical to my organization's mandate and/or strategy? Make the link and your process improvement project will showcase itself in the best possible way.

Stages of Team Development

Team creation has become an important necessity for process improvement efforts. As quality practitioners, we are often involved in developing, leading, coaching, or facilitating teams as they go through their expected mission. Regardless of which role we may take in a specific teamwork assignment, it has become imperative for the professional quality manager to understand how teams behave once they have been created. This understanding, in turn, provides the process improvement practitioner with valuable insight on how to approach issues during the natural progression of any type of team development.

Bruce Tuckman, a renowned psychologist, has studied group development over many years, and has described how a group of people (whether in a work or leisure environment) behaves:

1. Forming: individuals are careful in what they say, they avoid confrontation, and each one studies the others. They are looking for acceptance and normally, participate on their best behaviour although they are still very focused on themselves.

2. Storming: at this stage there is competition for the best performer, the most trusted person, and other individualistic aspects of team membership. It can be an unpleasant experience for some but it is important for team members to get to know each other. Tolerance and patience are the key words here.

3. Norming: the team starts to look at the big picture. Members now trust each other more than in the previous stages, and the team starts to focus its attention on the tasks at hand. There is more compromising and consensus from all members and some may be giving up individual ideas for the benefit of the group's achievements. 

4. Performing: the team is fully engaged in achieving the goals set for the overall project and tasks are being performed smoothly. At this stage, members have become motivated and knowledgeable enough to perform at their best.

5. Adjourning: this last stage was introduced later. The team is now disbanding and lessons learned have been recorded for future reference. Usually, there is also formal company-wide recognition of  the team's successes.

All teams might however go back and forth between stages. For example, the introduction of a new member may take the entire team from stage 3 to stage 2. The importance of knowing these simple stages cannot be overstated. It is crucial for the quality practitioner to be aware of such stages, and by respecting each one of them, team leaders and/or facilitators can educate the others in how this cycle naturally occurs in order to avoid frustration and possible failure.