KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast

Additional Q&A time with Evan Graczyk and Bob Bell from Woodfin. How do you ensure leaders don't focus solely on bottom-line savings? How do you use the system to escalate problems that cannot be solved within the team itself? How do we know what is the "best" solution?? At point do you just have to test some things and see? Have you had issues with frontline staff coming up with ideas to solve a problem but management not agreeing with the idea so it does not move forward? If so, do you have any system in place to adress this issue? Note: OFI = Opportunity For Improvement

Presented by Evan Graczyk and Bob Bell See and download slides: https://www.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/the-value-of-small-improvements/webinar/thanks [https://www.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/the-value-of-small-improvements/webinar/thanks] In this webinar, you will learn about: Developing a Continuous Improvement Culture * Why small ideas are important * How rigid should the improvement structure be? * How to evolve this culture based on internal and external input Managing a Continuous Improvement Culture * Challenges in a complex organizational structure * Unique challenges in construction ABOUT THE PRESENTERS: Evan Graczyk Continuous Improvement Manager, Woodfin Heating & Oil Evan has a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University, along with a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from Clemson. Previous roles include being a Lean Process Engineer at Schaeffler Group and a Lean Manufacturing Engineer at BorgWarner. Bob Bell Financial Planning and Analysis, Woodfin Bob has a BBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia, a PBC in Information Technology from the University of Richmond, and an MBA from the UVA Darden School of Business. He earned his Six Sigma Green Belt while working at Circuit City. His background includes Retail (Operations & Finance), Information Technology, Inventory Management and Financial Planning and Analysis.

For the presentation audio, see the previous episode...

The Q&A will be in the next episode Slides and more: https://info.kainexus.com/improvement-disciplines/kata/kata-in-the-community/webinar/signup-0 [https://info.kainexus.com/improvement-disciplines/kata/kata-in-the-community/webinar/signup-0] Presented by Deondra Wardelle President & CEO, "Kata Geek" The webinar will cover: 1) Introduction to Kata – define Kata and explain the Improvement Kata steps and include industry-examples of Kata in practice. This session of the webinar will be designed for people who are curious about Kata, just started their Kata journey, and/or may have been 1st-time attendees at the recent KataCon from Lean Frontiers. 2) Kata Community – share Coaching Kata best practices, tips, and tricks I’ve picked up from other Kata Geeks. 3) Kata in the Community – provide examples of how the Improvement Kata can be used for non-manufacturing processes. Deondra R. Wardelle is a visionary leader, problem solver, organizer, motivational speaker, and owner of On To the Next One Consulting, LLC. Her specialty is empowering and developing individuals and groups toward achieving their personal and professional goals. She also coaches individuals and organizations in achieving and sustaining transformative change. Deondra has a diverse professional background. Her former roles include Chief Strategy Officer at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Director of Performance Excellence for a global leader in the paper/packaging industry. While working in the Performance Excellence space, she and her team led Continuous Improvement projects for more than 70 facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia. Deondra has also worked as a corporate trainer, project manager, and banking manager and has held various operations management roles. A graduate of Western Kentucky University, Deondra possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications. She has also pursued Leadership Studies at the Louisville Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned her Health Coach certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Deondra’s purpose is to help organizations, groups, and individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their grandest visions and goals – one step at a time. Deondra’s current passion project is the #RootCauseRacism movement, a global initiative to end systemic racism and social injustice.

As a continuation of the first “Sharing Our Vision and Voices to #RootCauseRacism” blog series, Deondra Wardelle and her network of colleagues from the continuous improvement community reunite to provide additional insights to dismantle systemic racism through education, awareness and the application of Lean principles. The third blog series, The Colors of Love, focuses on the core concept of Lean - respect for people. This blog series aims to celebrate Black History Month in the U.S. and LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK while heightening awareness about the importance of valuing humanity, regardless of race, sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), through demonstrating respect for people. The action of valuing the individual is vital to practice in education, health care and the workplace. Everyone should have the opportunity to thrive in an environment that encourages people to be true to themselves without the need for code-switching or fear for their well-being, advancement opportunities, or psychological and physical safety. Beginning the week of February 22, several authors will pen blogs that stress the importance of demonstrating respect for Black people in the LGBTQ+ community. They also will challenge readers to be intentional allies and cultivate environments where every person’s potential can flourish. Panelists will include continuous improvement experts who will be prepared to discuss how you can make a significant change in your workplace and community by demonstrating respect for people “one small improvement at a time”! Moderators: Deondra Wardelle Mark Graban Panelists: Madison Mobley Paul Critchley Scott Bogan Alexus Bertrand Jeff Welch Karla Parker Panelist bios: https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/rootcauseracism-the-colors-of-love/webinar [https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/rootcauseracism-the-colors-of-love/webinar ] #RootCauseRacism site: https://rootcauseracism.com [https://rootcauseracism.com ] Blog posts from the panelists: https://www.rootcauseracism.com/blog [https://www.rootcauseracism.com/blog]