KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More

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 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 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  #RootCauseRacism site: https://rootcauseracism.com   Blog posts from the panelists: https://www.rootcauseracism.com/blog

Register and learn more about the panelists: https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/rootcauseracism-the-colors-of-love/webinar/signup Here is a preview of our next panel discussion: February 25 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET Presented by Deondra Wardelle 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”! Panelists: Alexus Bertrand Paul Critchley Madison L. Mobley Karla Parker Jeff Welch

Slides and more:  https://www.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/understanding-your-strengths-and-blind-spots-for-enhanced-buy-in-and-communication/webinar/thanks Please be sure to fill out the free "Predictive Index" assessment prior to viewing the webinar: https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/E0N/Kainexus#page0 When we drive – we know what our cars can do, and we know where our blind spots are. But do you know the extent of your personal power? And do you know where your professional blind spots are? Many people do not really know themselves. Carter Cast, professor of business management for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University says we have “blind spots because most of us have a hard time being objective about ourselves.” In fact, 95% of us BELIEVE we are self-aware. Research, however, proves that only 15% of us are ACTUALLY self-aware. Isn’t it time to truly identify your personal strengths and blind spots? About Scott:  Scott is the Executive Director of IQC and has worked and consulted in manufacturing, technology, education, and health care industries for over 30 years. In his professional career he held roles such as QA Manager, CI Manager, Organizational Development, Human Resources, SVP Quality & Improvement, and Chief Improvement Officer. Scott is a lifelong learner, professor, speaker and author of multiple books, articles and journal publications. As a Master Black Belt and creator of The DMAIC Way®, his goal is for everyone to Make it Better! Make it Stick!   His website: https://iowaqc.org/

Register and get the free assessment link Host Mark Graban is joined by Scott Burgmeyer to give a preview of the webinar that he is presenting on February 17th. Presented by Scott Burgmeyer, Executive Director - IQC (Iowa Quality Center) When we drive – we know what our cars can do, and we know where our blind spots are. But do you know the extent of your personal power? And do you know where your professional blind spots are? Many people do not really know themselves. Carter Cast, professor of business management for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University says we have “blind spots because most of us have a hard time being objective about ourselves.” In fact, 95% of us BELIEVE we are self-aware. Research, however, proves that only 15% of us are ACTUALLY self-aware. Isn’t it time to truly identify your personal strengths and blind spots? Scott is the Executive Director of IQC and has worked and consulted in manufacturing, technology, education, and health care industries for over 30 years. In his professional career he held roles such as QA Manager, CI Manager, Organizational Development, Human Resources, SVP Quality & Improvement, and Chief Improvement Officer. Scott is a lifelong learner, professor, speaker and author of multiple books, articles and journal publications. As a Master Black Belt and creator of The DMAIC Way®, his goal is for everyone to Make it Better! Make it Stick!

See our blog post: https://blog.kainexus.com/sharing-covid-vaccination-process-improvements-vaccinexus Register for the site: http://vaccinexus.com/ For the entire team at KaiNexus, the phrase "spread continuous improvement" is a driving mission statement. It's not just a business objective, it's something that we think can change the world. We truly believe that. Our customers spread continuous improvement throughout their organizations. Often, this is person to person, team to team, department to department, and site to site. Our KaiNexus software supports them in this effort. When we hear about big challenges in the world, such as the need to quickly and efficiently vaccinate as many people as possible against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 illness, we know that people are doing great work to solve problems and to be more effective. But how are they spreading continuous improvement across organizations, across states, and across countries? When Helen Zak, the president and COO of the healthcare consulting and advisory firm Value Capture asked the following in a meeting, it caught my attention: "How can we help organizations across the United States (and abroad) share with each other?" In addition to my role with KaiNexus, I am affiliated with Value Capture as I work with some of their clients. So, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to connect the dots. KaiNexus... connects us! I mentioned this possibility of using KaiNexus and the team Value Capture was intrigued. They wanted their clients to have a way to share with each other, but their mission also drives them to think bigger than that. I approached the leadership team at KaiNexus and they immediately jumped to the challenge, throwing their support behind the effort. Our director of marketing, Maggie Millard, has driven this effort with the support of others on the KaiNexus team. She has said multiple times that this effort is the most exciting project that she has worked on during her years with the company... VacciNexus! What we've put together has been dubbed VacciNexus by Maggie, a special-purpose, simplified version of our KaiNexus platform. It's available now... and it's free. “VacciNexus” is a web-based system (accessed via a browser or the KaiNexus mobile app) and it's easy to use. VacciNexus is a simplified version of the KaiNexus platform that allows registered users to: Submit examples of vaccination process improvements (that have been implemented) Read improvements submitted by others See more in the blog post: https://blog.kainexus.com/sharing-covid-vaccination-process-improvements-vaccinexus

For the video: https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/webinar/improving-the-covid-vaccination-process-lessons-from-the-field/signup January 21 from 1:00 - 2:30 ET The safe and prompt administration of the COVID vaccines is one of the most critical issues today in global public health. In this 90-minute panel discussion moderated by Mark Graban and hosted by Value Capture and KaiNexus (in partnership with Catalysis), healthcare leaders from the private and public sectors will share their experiences with the COVID vaccine administration processes — what is working, what is not, and how Lean is helping make these processes better. The objective of this webinar is to share the lessons these leaders have learned and continue to learn, in near real time, so that others dealing with their own vaccine administration challenges can benefit from and contribute to this discussion. We anticipate informative and lively discussions, with ample opportunity for Q&A. Sponsored by KaiNexus, Value Capture, and Catalysis Panelists: Secretary Daniel Carey, MD Secretary of Health and Human Resources Commonwealth of Virginia Penny Iannelli Chief Transformation Officer UMass Memorial Health Care Lisa Malosh Senior Director, Organizational Improvement Presbyterian SeniorCare Network Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences UMass Medical School President UMass Memorial Medical Group Senior Associate Dean for Health Strategies UMass Medical School