Training
Quest for Performance Excellence Series:
Each year OK presents our "Quest for Performance Excellence Series" workshop for the leaders of eight for-profit and/or non-profit organizations interested in diagnosing and inventorying their infrastructure and performance. These workshops include nine three-hour sessions spread over a nine-month period, beginning in September and ending in May. Homework is a viable part of the program and will be assigned at each meeting. Workshop attendees are accountable to report back to their peer team members the results of their research, as well as to outline any related changes they may have incorporated into their organization.
Workshop attendees consist of CEO's, Presidents, General Managers and non-profit Executive Directors of local businesses and organizations. Each business or organization is allowed to bring up to three attendees from its staff to attend each workshop. The niches of the businesses and organizations can vary widely, for instance Central Oregon's initial Baldrige workshop included a cable company, a pest control company and the local school district.
The agenda is designed to help attendees perform a comprehensive self-assessment of their business or organization, using criteria from the acclaimed Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program. The workshops also assist attendees in identifying and filling critical performance gaps in their organization and, in the process, creating a foundation for improving the organization's performance. Additionally, should the organization be interested in applying for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the workshop will prepare its representatives for fulfilling that process.
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program is a public-private partnership whose mission is to improve the performance of U.S. organizations. Named for Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the program is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and assisted by the American Society for Quality. Prominent leaders from U.S. organizations serve as Foundation Trustees to ensure that the organization's objectives are accomplished.
Included in the workshop program is the opportunity for each attendee to:
1) Share and learn best practices with other executives.
2) Gain an outside perspective of other organization's strengths and discover opportunities for improvement.
3) Review individual and organizational performance criteria such as visionary leadership, customer focused excellence, organizational and personal learning, valuing staff and partners, managing for innovation and social responsibility.
The workshops are facilitated by accredited Baldrige examiners. The cost of the workshop is $1995 per organization. Each organization is allowed to bring up to three members to each meeting.
Management Training Workshop:
This exciting new OK program is a nine-month series of once-a-month, three-hour workshops designed to develop the organizational and management skills of a small business's key employees. The agenda will include training on the following seven topics: 1) Leadership, 2) Strategic Planning, 3) Customer and Market Focus, 4) Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management, 5) Human Resources Focus, 6) Process Management and 7) Business Results.
The three-hour workshops will be held on a designated morning every month, with each workshop beginning at 8:00 A.M. and concluding by 11:00 A.M. Nine individual meetings will constitute the workshop, with the first meeting taking place in September, 2007 and the final meeting, including wrap up and graduation, in May of 2008.
Jim Schell will be the instructor and facilitator. Jim is the author of six books on small business, including Small Business for Dummies. He is a thirty-five year veteran of small business and has started six small businesses, one of which grew to 200 employees. He is the founder of Opportunity Knocks, a past member of the Governor's Small Business Council, and has facilitated over 400 OK meetings.
The stated goal is to develop and enhance the employee's management and business skills. The beneficiary will be both the employee AND the business.
Workshop enrollment will be limited to 21 individuals from non-competing businesses. Each workshop member must have supervisory responsibility and fill a key management role in the business. No more than one member from each business will be accepted. The cost of the workshop is $995.
