The programme has been put in place in order to support the Foremen and Managers who are expected to lead by example. The programme focusses on:

• Goal alignment and helping one another in their teams.
• The importance and understanding of ethics in the workplace.
• Leadership, the role of team values, and how this contributes to a respectful workplace.
• Creating an understanding of the impact of conflict and how to manage it.
• Improving communication in the workplace between all levels.
• Better feedback skills at all levels for continuous improvement.

The programme also supports their continuous improvement drive by incorporating some fundamental elements of the 20 Keys, such as Key 2, where well-functioning mini-businesses are critical for communication, achieving goals, and making improvements.

National Chicks aims to create a positive, friendly work atmosphere where everyone feels respected and valued.

Each group will have five-day sessions, and after each session, the delegates will reflect on their learning and share their experiences.

To read more about ODI’s Skills Programmes, click here.

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According to business management guru, Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, there are three necessary conditions for a successful organisation:

1. Make money now as well as in the future
2. Provide a secure and satisfying environment to employees now as well as in the future
3. Provide satisfaction to the market now as well as in the future

“Thinking people” have the ability to detect problems quickly and address it before it snowballs into an issue where the manager has to get involved. Thinking people ensure that transition from the “fighting fires” – culture to the “building for tomorrow” – culture takes place. “Thinking people” creates capacity for the management team to focus on the most important things that might not seem that urgent but will have an impact and returns in future.   

Obtaining the objective of “thinking people” on all levels of the organisation requires a process of creating layers of understanding. It is achieved through

• structured, daily communication (Key 2: Mini-Business meetings) as well as

• participation in problem-solving groups (Key 3: Small Group Activities).

The image below aims to explain how the different layers of understanding are constructed in an organisation.

The foundational layer of understanding is constructed through the sharing of information. But how do we know what information to share?

Every team in the organisation represents a small part of the bigger organisation. The first line manager of every team is responsible for the achievement of goals within their specific small business – also referred to as Mini-Businesses.  For every Mini-Business there should be specific measurements for Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety and Motivation (QCDSM). From an operations perspective, the first-line teams have a direct impact on these indicators and therefore it is of utmost importance that they are equipped with information about their team’s QCDSM performance.

Once the operational objectives or QCDSM indicators have been defined for every team. These indicators have to be monitored and discussed on a daily basis through a structured meeting which is held preferably at the start of the day/shift. Monitoring and discussing the same information in a structured way, repetitively, over a period of time, creates a rhythm of constructive communication which ultimately leads to the understanding of information.

Understanding of information is reinforced by applying simple techniques like involving team members in the collection, manual updating and visually tracking of information about these operational indicators. Another way of reinforcing understanding is having different members of the team facilitate the morning meeting and give feedback.

If the layer of understanding is well-constructed for the team, they will be able to start recognising patterns and understand drivers which influences the results. Brainstorming and idea generation will flow naturally with everyone on the look-out for improvement opportunities and reducing waste.

If an idea or a problem that has been identified requires some analysis before it can be implemented, the next step is to formulate a small problem-solving group, referred to as a Small Group Activity (SGA) which operates independently from the Mini-Business meeting.

The first principle to remember when commencing with a Small Group Activity is to NEVER SOLVE PROBLEMS ALONE. Apart from the obvious benefits of viewing the problem from multiple perspectives, there is a significant amount of learning and cross-skilling that takes place during problem-solving activities. Knowledge is often only transferred when we are prompted to share it. Solving problems together allows for the transfer of implicit knowledge and equips individuals to develop their intuitive responses when faced with similar problems.

Another important principle of problem-solving is following the disciplined approach outlined in the CAPDo cycle.

CHECK – The ability to “see” a problem is a victory in itself. If the environment is not safe, employees tend to hide problems and mistakes, or they simply do not realise that something is wrong. Employees have to be encouraged to see and highlight potential problems.

ANALYSE – This is the most important step in the cycle where most of the time and energy should be spent, especially when you are faced with more complex problems. The Analysis phase requires a thorough and detailed RCA (Root Cause Analysis) process. The quality and sustainability of the solution depends on the depth of the analysis.

PLAN – The possible solutions are then translated into a SMART Action plan. All actions should be documented meeting the conditions of being specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. The objective of the action plan is progress and accountability.

DO – Ensure that the plan is implemented by following up on specific tasks executed by specific people within a pre-determined timeframe.

CHECK – After implementingthe plan we have to “check” whether the plan/solution had an impact on the results. If the impact can be seen, CELEBRATE SUCCESS and standardise. If not, we continue to run through the CAPDo cycle until we have achieved the desired result.  

The result of “Thinking People” on all levels of the organisation is an energised workplace where every individual understands their role and contribution towards the ultimate long-term success of the organisation. In this way, the individuals in the business can pull together to achieve the same goals. As former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch stated:” The companies that find a way to engage every mind – harness every volt of passionate energy, bring excitement to the lives of people to come to work in search of a better way – every day – will be the companies that will win”

Author: Esbe’ du Toit: Senior Consultant

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I was recently so encouraged again by a group of learners who really took the importance of this concept very seriously.

After their training to gain knowledge about Goal Alignment, an NQF2 learnership group at CTP were asked to role-play the creation of a mini-business, and to facilitate a mini-business meeting.

In spite of all the challenges regarding Microsoft Teams (poor sound and video quality, difficulties to log in, load-shedding, etc.), they pulled together, and delivered an incredible mini-business role-play.  As the images will show, they learnt the importance of:

• Working together as a team.
• Agreeing on common Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety and Morale goals and objectives.
• Understanding how these goals and objectives are aligned to those of the organisation.
• Regular communication at team level.
• Creating a sense of purpose, belonging, worthiness, and creativity.
• Using techniques such as the mini-business, to generate a tremendous amount of energy.

They also learnt that all of the above will inspire every employee to become a true ambassador of the organisation that they are a stakeholder in!

The learners were divided into two groups, and I could sense the positive competitiveness between the groups, even via Microsoft Teams.

Group 1 was named Kailin’s Nails, and Group 2 – The Footwear Factory.  At The Footwear Factory, staff members even wore specially branded overalls, which represented the look and feel of the business.

The two groups of learners enjoyed the role-play, and took real ownership of the brief given to them. Enthusiasm about their businesses, their product, and how to improve quality, were the order of the day. Both groups showcased their vision, and how they value their “customers”. They want to deliver – on time, all the time!!!

The objectives of the day were achieved, and next steps are to ensure that everything that was learnt is also implemented in the workplace.

Well done CTP NQF2 Group 5. I was highly impressed with your two mini-businesses – SO SO proud!!!

Please note that Goal Alignment also forms part of the ODI E-learning platform. This programme, which allows learners to complete their course/s online, has yielded great success.

To read more about this Learnership – NQF2 in Production Technology, click here.

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1. Len Hansen – Consultant at Astral Operations, presented: “My Journey with Organisational Development International (ODI) since 1991.”
2. Esbe du Toit: Organisational Improvement Manager at Wispeco Aluminium, presented: “Celebrating Innovation … A snapshot of our journey towards world-class.”
3. Theo van Strijp: Managing Director at GFC, presented: “Grain Field Chickens: Road to Excellence Award.”
4. Forona Stephens: Human Resources Business Partner at GWK and her topic of discussion was: “Think Big, Start Small, Unlock Excellence.”
5. Wouter Olivier Managing Director of Sondor Performance Foams, presented: “People are the Foundation to Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement.”

Our next speaker for the day was Moemedi Merafhe: Strategy & Business Improvement Manager, Debswana Diamond Company and he spoke about :

“MBA Lean Implementation Journey”

Moemedi’s introduction about the importance of Debswana to the nation of Botswana was most inspiring.

For Debswana, it is very important to include people in the company’s journey of Operations Excellence. For this reason, mini-business areas are very important in order to ensure that ALL people are included. Everyone needs to know why they exist in their corner of the company. This applies to all levels of the organisation; all the way to the General Manager.

Through Keys 1, 2 and 3, Debswana ensures that people remain central to the development of the organisation.

Key 1: Cleaning and organising to make work easy

In terms of Key 1, a lot has been done through the implementation of the 5S principle. Teams take responsibility for implementation of actions, and this ensures that everyone takes accountability. Some benefits achieved include:

• Ownership.
• Accountability.
• Communication.
• Engagement has improved.
• Good understanding of own processes.

Some real improvements in the workplace was shared by Moemedi, as well as the costs saved due to the 5S implementation.

Key 2: Goal alignment

The importance of integrating all KPIs of people to the targets of the company was highlighted by Moemedi, as well as the huge contribution of mini-business areas.

What is a MB (Mini-business)?

1. A MB is a team/function/department which operates like a small business
2. The MB is defined by the organisation structure
3. A MB focuses on CONTINUOUS OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT
4. The MBA leader is called the Mini-business Manager
5. He/she leads a team of about 5 to 15 people; they meet regularly. The place where they meet is called the Mini-business Area (MBA)
6. The MB team has specific performance measures and targets
7. The performance measures are known as QCDSM measures
   •  Quality/Cost/Delivery/Safety/Morale measures
8. The MBA approach is as follows:
   • Use the QCDSM measures for performance management
   • Set targets for each QCDSM measure
   • Develop action plans
   • Implement the action plans
9. The MB uses a MBA board for visual performance management and communication
10. The MBA board typically contains: the team photo; mission; vision; suppliers; customers; QCDSM measures; action plans; suggestions; time management chart, and general communication information

Key 3: Small group activities

Moemedi shared many improvements made though small group activities

MBA’s were founded on a process that was aimed at fostering continuous improvement.  Debswana uses the CAPDo cycle in the form of See, Assess, Act.

In closing, Moemedi highlighted how the Debswana value of Shape the Future is the driving force behind their continuous improvement journey.

Author: Huibie Jones

To read more about ODI’s Continuous Operations Improvement System, click here.

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• Quality
• Cost effectiveness
• Delivery
• Safety and
• Morale and Motivation (QCDSM).

ODI’s mini-business concept is about such first-line teams. One objective is to establish effective team-working in teams in order to achieve organisation objectives, and to continuously strive to do better in terms of QCDSM.

One of my first questions when visiting a mini-business is usually:

1. “What is your business about?” followed by

2. “How are you doing in your business?”

The usual answers entail a description of the function and objectives of the team (business) with, also the usual answer, that is it going well with the business. The next question will then be:

3. “Why are you saying that it is going well, please explain to me, and show me?”

At this point I would like team members to explain and show the mini-business Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for their QCDSM scorecard. As it is a best practice for mini-business performance management to have a Visual Performance Management (VPM) system in place, this is done in the mini-business area where various graphs and other types of visual displays are kept on a board, or other medium. With this discussion, I often find that “it is going well” is not exactly the case, as KPIs do not show an on-target performance, or the trends with KPIs are not favourable.

This got me thinking about what kind of understanding we want, and the levels of understanding we can use when coaching is done for first-line team leaders and team members. Below is a first effort to describe the four levels of competency.

• Level 1. The person can read and interpret graphs or other forms of visual displays, and can indicate whether it is on target, or not (whether it is “good or not”).
• Level 2. The person can explain what the KPIs measure, and what it means
• Level 3. The person knows the root cause(s) of why a KPI is not on target, and the description of the root cause is aligned with that of the other team members and the team leader.
• Level 4. The person is aware of what is being done to address the root cause(s), can explain the actions, and indicate it on an action plan.

Levels 3 and 4 measure the real understanding, and are also about how problem-solving is done in the team, and whether there is alignment on issues to focus on. That is, has a root cause analysis been done with involvement of team members, and are they and management aligned on what should be done to address it?

I often do a fun test by asking some team members, the team leader and his/her manager to, individually, write down the root cause(s) and actions for improvement. I then gather this and compare it, thereby doing a simple test of goal alignment, which can be quite insightful.

I recently did a fun test where a Managing Director and some of his senior managers visited some mini-businesses with me. Before the visit, I asked him, his senior managers and the team leaders what the key issues are to focus on for improvement? The MD was quite surprised to learn that what he thought were not fully aligned with his senior managers’ thinking, and that there was quite a misalignment between them and the team leaders. Also, when we then did the walk-about, we did not see the identified focus prominently in the mini-businesses.

Mini-businesses are real businesses – we need to see the real KPIs, aligned to organisational objectives, based on real data and facts, and understood by all.

Author: Johan Benadie: Director at ODI

To read more about ODI’s Continuous Operations Improvement System, click here.

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