Abstract

Key Quotes: "An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage."—Jack Welch, former GE CEO

"…I have determined that the single most important factor to managing change successfully is the degree to which (all) people demonstrate change resilience…"—"Managing At The Speed of Change," Connor

From top to bottom in the organization, people’s attitudes, skills and execution are the keys to Process Improvement (PI) success, so top-to-bottom learning to improve both behavior and skills is the key vehicle for success. While the focus has been on Green and Black belts, more White and Yellow belt programs are also emerging, reflecting the value of achieving process change support deeper into the organization. Achieving Executive Champion support is also growing as a key need. If not well supported and well implemented by all, LSS project results can be disappointing.

"Blended learning" for LSS success is the defacto standard today by innovating companies, enabled by technology innovations that, like always, transform and transcend the old rules. Many potential benefits are provided by such innovation, built on the harnessing of technology.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) can be used to assess learning need gaps. Then blended learning models can then be defined that lead to needed learning designs. Execution is then enabled.

LSS online courses, Project Management, Change Management, Retention Training and Job Aids access are important PI success factors, all supported by blended learning today.

The Appendices provide a Learning Design template, and actual companies’ learning design examples. This includes Appendices B through D examples of what e-learning courses can be used for blended learning by "xBelt" types, like below.

Introduction
Productivity improvements are a survival and prosperity imperative for ALL business and government entities today. Business Process Improvement (BPI) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) are the two main constructs for doing so. In the Federal Government, Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) is often the focus.

These productivity actions require change to be implemented by PEOPLE, with related challenges that must be proactively and purposely harnessed, per this quote: "Any time your company decides to make a major change…your job is to get your message through to your employees, and enlist their support and cooperation. If you don’t, the changes you are trying to implement will inevitably create more turmoil than progress…(90% of) employees want their change information from first line supervisors." Communicating Change, Larkin and Larkin, 1994

Reflective of the importance of this quote, this White Paper will review actual examples of the successful implementation of blended learning to support Lean Six Sigma (LSS) programs’ ROI results…via PEOPLE. It will include related key success factors, proven models, and practitioners’ insights…including what NOT to do. Some key benefits will be presented.

Learning is key to targeted results actually being achieved. Per the above quote, the most essential requirement for LSS success (or failure) is PEOPLE executing improvements, at three levels:

1. Executives and their strategic leadership;
2. Black Belt (BB) and Master Black Belt (MBB) change leaders, supported by Green Belts (GB), collectively termed "xBelts;"
3. The ~95% remaining people who must understand, embrace and implement the LSS programs for the needed successes to be realized as targeted.

This White Paper will focus on blended learning for groups 2. (GB, BB) and 3. (the rank and file’s leaders). This focus reflects that with over 1,000 books written on leadership, hundreds of colleges with leadership curricula, and many third party leadership programs, the leadership development need is well covered.

Within area 3., White and Yellow belts are increasingly used at the Supervisor level, as reflected in Figure 1, and will also be reviewed below. The above quote from Communicating Change by Larkin and Larkin reflects the imperative to proactively include people leaders deep in the organization.

Key Contexts
For Green and Black Belt training, live classes have been the paradigm for over twenty years, with innovators now rapidly evolving to blended learning inclusive of the elements in Figure 2. This capability has been enabled by technology, the number one change driver, allowing quality LSS e-learning to augment live instructors as a transformation. This results in faster,

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The ascendance of blended learning has been rapid, and generally adopted for several years in talent management programs. These related quotes are just a few of many validating blended learning.

"70% preferred blended learning vs. either e-learning or live learning alone:"—Brandon Hall, 2010

"E-learning is perfect for global or widespread firms in that it can achieve standardization. Compared to the costs of classroom training, e-learning is less expensive and can be customized to improve knowledge transfer, note experts. Moreover, assessments, quizzes, and other tools can be built into Web-based courses to ensure learner comprehension and application of knowledge within the workforce …experts say the benefits are endless A major factor today is to reduce the direct and indirect costs of travel. This includes not only travel costs, but also the "opportunity costs" of time in class for MBBs/BBs and employees; versus using “asynchronous,” on-demand e-learning for much of the basic learning without travel costs. Figures 4 and 5 reflect how a 50% reduction in travel can have dramatic cost saving impacts, without losing LSS learning quality. Numerous other benefits exist also. given that the program can be used to not only train new workers but also to provide ongoing training and cross-training." –ASTD, 12, 2008

A major factor today is to reduce the direct and indirect costs of travel. This includes not only travel costs, but also the “opportunity costs” of time in class for MBBs/BBs and employees; versus using “asynchronous,” on-demand e-learning for much of the basic learning without travel costs. Figures 4 and 5 reflect how a 50% reduction in travel can have dramatic cost saving impacts, without losing LSS learning quality. Numerous other benefits exist also.

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Additionally, BB and MBB productivity can be improved. Versus a class with 120 live lecture hours, using blended learning to reduce an MBB’s class time could mean two or three projects could be conducted. THAT is leveraging technology for more ROI productivity!

How e-learning is most effective and can be used for blended learning is reviewed below.

Blended LSS Learning Models

The need is to combine e-learning for general LSS knowledge and then add live training for specific purposes, per Figure 6.

A key need is to recognized that LSS blended learning has multiple possible phases and focuses, per Figure 7. Thus, the leader needs to “map” the process and identify what types of “should be” blended training will be needed.

Then, a “Learning Design” is needed for each LSS related endeavor, generally using the template in Appendix A. The Design is not arduous to construct. The template results in a Why?, What?, How? flow that then results in a complete blended learning program.

Consistent with Lean principles, for transcending from “as is” to “should be” begins with a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process. The RCA results will lead to a clarification of “Should be” LSS blended learning to close gaps. This will then lead to the needed Goals and Key Success Factors that will be inserted in the Learning Design. The key subsequent learning design elements (Content, Delivery, Accountability and Control Reporting) can then be fleshed out for each learning need per Figure 7 above.

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Per the actual commercial examples in Figures 8 and 9, the first step is to define the As Is and the surrounding system. Many insights will result, and this process will reveal strengths and weaknesses. In this case the RCA insights were summarized in Figure 9.

A needed “Competency Model” can then be defined, with Figure 10 being one example. The need, then, is to develop a paced approach, as reflected in this actual Figure 11 example. The elements for your company may be different but the left-to-right, paced flow is important to plan and execute.

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More specific GB and/or BB blended learning programs can then be developed that might look like Figures 12 and 13. Other xBelt programs are contained in Appendices B through D.

Be Sure The E-learning Is "Fitted" To Your Company
Avoid "cookie cutter" e-learning that is not able to be adjusted for your exact needs. This includes adding your own content, augmenting the e-learning with internal content objects, adding look and feel, tests configurations, and much more.

Accountability Management Is Important Also
As GE’s CEO Jack Welch said, “What gets measured gets achieved.” Of special but often overlooked importance is the Accountability element. Live instruction has manual testing limits, so often just “project success” is considered enough, mostly due to instructor inconvenience in reality. This is not accountability excellence vs. what now is possible with e-learning-based testing with many scoring/reporting options. Without such accountability testing, it is only “check mark training.” Just being able to do one project well to graduate is necessary but not sufficient. A graduated BB will handle many differing types of Kaizen and more complicated projects, so deeper and broader knowledge excellence assurance is needed. When executing an ”adult education” program like LSS training, pre-announced accountability requirements will result in more intensive and more retained learning due to accountability. This will result in greater projects quality and changes leadership over time due to broadly assured knowledge quality for GBs, BBs and MBBs. Testing-ensured knowledge quality will aid career growths also.

Blended Learning Caveats
Several caveats exist that need to be avoided are as follows:

• Trying to make one size fit all
• Moving forward with a poor, incomplete learning design
• Having insufficient success measures criteria
• Not blending with existing systems
• Using off-the-shelf content exclusively, not fitted/adapted to your business

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• Not keeping content current
• Assuming your current instructors and SMEs are automatically on-board
• Assuming any instructor can develop good adult learning
• Not using quizzes, tests and a final exam
• Letting everyone develop content without standardization
• Ignoring content management and reuse
• Not addressing WIIFM self-interests at all levels.

Enabling Organization-Wide and Deep LSS Excellence

Per the earlier and below quotes, how well LSS programs are understood, embraced and executed broadly and deeply by PEOPLE will be the most important factor in LSS success.

Training is critical to “change resilience” development per this quote from Managing At The Speed of Change, by Conner: "…I have determined that the single most important factor to managing change successfully is the degree to which people demonstrate resilience; the capacity to absorb high levels of change while displaying minimal dysfunctional behavior."

Per Figure 14, transferring LSS Why, What? How? knowledge to First Line Supervisors is important to success. The key elements for doing so are:

1. Establish the central nature of change acceptance and resilience as the key to competitive advantage;
2. Recognize the alternative to change is worse;
3. Understand LSS processes, nomenclature, and methodologies;
4. Learn how to effectively communicate the Why? What? and How? change elements to subordinates with conviction and persuasively.

Many of these needs can be achieved via Yellow and White Belt training, predominantly via e-learning programs such as contained in Appendix B. The net result can be a consistent, aligned program as depicted from an actual example in Figures 15 and 16, repeated from the cover page.

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Project Management Skills Are Vital…
But Often Overlooked
A good LSS project poorly implemented is at best a waste. Strong, PMI principles based project management skills are vitally important to apply. People, time, budget and other constraints must be coalesced for success by skilled project managers, using the PMI "Book of Knowledge" principles, as reflected in Figure 17. Online courses exit to do so, and can count toward PMI designations’ testing requirements. Double value is thus provided. Also, project management standards, including common nomenclature, can be established across the enterprise.

Skilled Change Management is Also Vital
It is primordial that most people resist change, which slows projects or may even damage a project. Online courses exist to learn why change is resisted at the behavioral level, and how to not only harness core drives but also to establish “resilience,” per the above quote and Figure 18. Common Change Management training deeply and broadly can significantly improve change acceptance and subsequent projects’ acceptance and execution success. A standard can be set.

xBelt Skills Retention Training Is Vital
Adult education experts know that adults shed un-used knowledge on a regular basis, apparently to make way for new knowledge. This is true for xBelts that do not use a procedure or practice regularly. Yet, a new LSS project may immediately need that attribute and its mental absence can be expensive. A proven method to stay sharp is regular (e.g., yearly) Retention Training. This can have several possible paths:

1. Mastery or Opt-Out Testing, where only failed tests require remedial training;
2. A set of e-learning courses with testing;
3. A blended learning program of e-learning and an MBB instructor. This can be conducted virtually, and testing can be conducted online;
4. Where problems persist, mentoring can be used, including virtually, with subsequent online re-testing.

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Quick Job Aids Access Is Valuable
No one can remember everything completely, so quick job aids access to online courses about a topic, in seconds, including in a group setting, can be very important to project success.

Summary

Blended learning for LSS success is the defacto standard today by innovating companies, enabled by technology innovations that, like always, change the old rules. Many new benefits are provided.

PEOPLE’s attitudes, skills and execution are the keys to PI success, so learning is the key vehicle for success. While the focus has been on Green and Black belts, more White and Yellow belt programs are emerging, reflecting the value of fostering process change results deeper into the organization, including to supervisors.

RCA can be used to assess needs gaps. Then models can be defined that lead to optimized blended learning designs. Blended learning execution is then enabled.

The Appendices provide a Learning Design template, and actual company examples. This includes Appendix B examples of what e-learning courses can be used for blended learning by "xBelt" type.

By driving improved processes deeper and more effectively into the organization to provide greater ROI results, MBBs and BBS can enhance career growth.

Project Management and Change Management skills are important to improve, and to standardize across the organization.

Retention Training and the ready availability of job aids also enhance the safety of a project’s ROI potential.

About The Quality Group (http://www.thequalitygroup.net/)

For over a decade, and for hundreds of thousands of learners in corporations and higher education, with over 1,000,000 modules completed, The Quality Group (TQG) has been producing innovative “Performance Improvement” e-Learning solutions and blended learning that improve lives, organizations, and communities. All TQG e-Learning is powered by the OpusWorks®, a proprietary Web 2.0 e-Learning platform that streamlines e-Learning creation, customization, development, and delivery. LSS blended learning, Project Management, Change Management and other courses exist. These can be used of all aspects of “xBelt” training, retention training, job aids, project management, change management and ISO 9001 preparation.

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TQG Solutions URLs:

• Assure A Top-To-Bottom LSS Learning Organization
• Key Success Factors
• Differentiations and Unique Value
• Products Library
• OpusWorks®
• OpusWorks® online demo
• Healthcare Lean Six Sigma
• LSS For Government

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