LCC > The Business & Community Institute
Organization Performance Improvement
Business Solutions for Everyday Challenges
The one thing you can be sure of today is
that things change. Establishing change as a constant within
organizations requires creativity and flexibility. The Business &
Community Institute at Lansing Community College provides
performance improvement solutions and other resources to meet the
ever-changing demands of your organizational landscape.
Are you faced with any of these challenges?
Because of exemplary performance in a
specific field of expertise, employees are being promoted to
management or leadership positions. This change presents
significant challenges because employee behaviors need to be
aligned with business goals. You must be able to
simultaneously select the best people, develop leaders, and
optimize the performance of the organization.
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Do the new leaders know what it means to coach employees towards
exemplary performance that supports the vision and values of the
organization?
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Do new managers have the skills necessary to successfully implement
and navigate changes associated with people, projects, and
resources?
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As part of a change strategy, how will solutions be implemented for
external as well as internal customers to realize the most favorable
results?
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A strong organizational commitment to
workforce development and performance improvement is driving the
need to baseline employee skills. How can the organization
provide a structured assessment process that encompasses a wide
range of employee performance needs including workforce skills,
leadership skills, and basic skills?
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Use validated survey instruments that map to the appropriate
curriculum of courses based on audience needs for leadership and
workforce development skills
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Use 360 degree assessments to collect responses from a variety of
individuals in a workplace setting
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Use Work Keys basic skills assessments to provide job profiling,
task analysis, and individual assessments for basic reading, math,
writing, and job skills
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Remember when most everyone at work
seemed to be on the same "wave length." Communication and
business productivity just seemed to flow. How can the
organization maintain excellence and profitability with the
diverse worlds and cultures represented in today's workforce?
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Recognize and support the motivation and behavior of others
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Adapt your own behaviors to maintain successful relationships with
everyone in the organization
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Use listening and feedback skills to effectively communicate with
and influence others
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Inspire and build trust within diverse workplace teams
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The organization gets lean
through the application of "black belt" skills obtained in
training. However, team members and other employees struggle to
both adapt to and adopt the changes brought about by the new,
streamlined processes. You can lead lean by:
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Coaching and training team members in methods to reduce costs
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Creating an environment that is flexible and adaptable to change
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Empowering teams to make the best decisions for the customer
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Inspiring a "do-it-right-the-first-time" attitude
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To stay current in the industry, you
find that you must continuously upgrade software and systems to
reflect new trends. Vendor training, while comprehensive,
is often too much information for end users who only need to
learn essential functions that relate to their jobs. You
need to provide cost-effective, targeted computer training in a
variety of areas:
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Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, excel, PowerPoint,
Access, and Outlook, as well as data integration for static pages
and Web pages
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Multimedia, graphics, and Web page development
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Computer aided design and manufacturing solutions
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Information Technology certification and recertification
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Industry fluctuations are forcing your manufacturing organization
to diversify current product lines, and/or explore opportunities
for new product development. This means employees will be
required to operate new machinery, perform new skills, and learn
new processes. Are they ready? Do they understand the
technology? Can they operate the machines? You must be
able to:
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Deliver targeted learning opportunities that strengthen the
organizational infrastructure
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Provide workers with advanced technology skills for highly automated
shop floors
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Provide basic manufacturing skill development, certification, and
recertification opportunities for employees
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Provide flexible learning opportunities for employees including
open-entry modules, semester courses, e-learning, and on-site
training
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Your organization is highly specialized,
or is an emerging industry, and there aren't many options for
benchmarked skill development programs. Or perhaps you
need specialized training in a general field. How do you
get started in these areas?
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Alternative energy
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Healthcare
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Criminal Justice (Gun Safety)
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While the manufacturing employment
sector has suffered a decline over the years, your manufacturing
organization is still part of Michigan's thriving industrial
economy. How can you ensure your manufacturing systems
will keep the organization ahead of other manufacturers and
suppliers?
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Provide enterprise systems leadership
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Implement lean competitive manufacturing tools, including 5S,
Kaizen, and problem solving
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Use process improvement tools to create a lean office environment
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