Upcoming AQP Courses at a
Glance...
Advanced Facilitation
This training is invaluable for professionals with
occupational or educational experience in facilitation.
Developed from an extensive research study, the course
emphasizes self- and peer assessment against competencies
identified as those required of exemplary advanced
facilitators. Participants explore a variety of the
complex situations in which facilitators must make
judgment calls and utilize interactive case studies and
scenarios with practical application to all occupational
areas. Participants are exposed to innovative tools,
techniques, and resources that support the advanced
facilitative process.
NEW!
Building High-Performance Teams (2-day
course)
Teams in the workplace are growing at an ever-increasing
pace; however, most people have never been taught how to
work in teams for optimal performance. This session
covers the critical elements of running high-performance
teams in the workplace. This session is highly
interactive using exercises, breakout discussions, gags,
and magic to demonstrate the concepts in a way that will
never be forgotten. Participants learn by doing, rather
than by simply listening. The session also helps
participants understand the dynamics of personality
through the use of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
All participants are surveyed in advance of the session
and personal materials are developed for them with
explanations of how the unique type interacts in a team
environment. All participants engage in an exercise to
identify specific actions they will take upon returning
to the workplace.
Conducting a Baldrige
Assessment
One of the biggest challenges facing companies in doing a
Baldrige assessment is the amount of time assessment
teams must spend in learning the Criteria and in
conducting the assessment. With the focus of this course
on conducting an assessment, you will learn how to use a
10-step process with special tools and methodologies that
minimize the time required by the organization to conduct
an assessment. You will be introduced to the different
types of assessments and how to determine which is the
best type for your organization. You will learn
best-demonstrated practices for conducting an assessment
and be introduced to several unique tools and
methodologies that will help your organization quickly
gather and organize assessment information into a
value-added feedback report. The course will also address
how to turn assessment findings into improvements.
Organizations are encouraged to send several participants
to the course because the instructor uses the course to
help you kick-start your assessment process.
Facilitating Teams and Groups
As organizations move toward team-based environments,
employees at all levels must have an understanding of how
teams work and how they can complement the overall
quality and performance goals of the organization. In
this four-day course, the cornerstone of AQP’s
curriculum, attendees gain an understanding of group
dynamics and how they affect the success of teamwork.
They will learn facilitation skills to increase meeting
effectiveness, including communication and conflict
resolution techniques, and how to develop critical team
roles and responsibilities. Participants learn how to
guide groups through a problem-solving process, using a
variety of appropriate tools and techniques.
NEW!
Lean Thinking Applied to Services and Administrative
Functions (1-day course)
Lean Thinking is a philosophy and a powerful set of tools
designed to eliminate process waste and focuses on what
adds value in processes from a customer’s
perspective. While lean thinking has its roots in
manufacturing, this workshop covers how to apply it to
services and administrative functions. Lean thinking
provides fast and dramatic results. If you are looking
for an approach that builds on TQM and past improvement
techniques, lean thinking uses many “old” and
familiar tools in fresh and innovative ways, and is the
next generation of organizational and process
improvement. Topics covered in the workshop are:
Principles of lean thinking, definitions of waste, how to
create a value stream, creating an improvement plan from
the value stream, conducting lean thinking improvement
events, how to measure success, and engaging employees in
lean thinking.
NEW!
The Strategic Value of Teams (1-day course)
This course discusses the critical importance of teamwork
and collaboration in today’s workplace, how to
measure team performance, the natural resistance to team
processes, and how to “sell” the idea of
teams in an organization. Engaging class exercises will
help participants internalize the concepts. Participants
will leave with practical ideas and strategies that can
be immediately implemented. Learn to develop a greater
awareness and appreciation of the power of collaboration
and teamwork, understand and be able to promote the
strategic value of teams, and measure the effectiveness
of teams and team processes.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND...
New Roles for Today’s Managers (2-day
course)
As organizational structure becomes less hierarchical,
managers must move from a “do and tell” mode
to an “ask, inspire, and influence” mode.
Identifying and embracing these new skills will allow
managers to increase their effectiveness as developers of
individuals and teams, and leaders of change. Making the
transition, however, can be difficult. This recently
updated course will help managers meet the challenge of
leading in a participative work environment. Participants
will learn how to examine organizational issues in order
to provide vision, gain commitment, and promote a total
quality atmosphere within their organizations. Attendees
will take home specific skills and a personal action plan
to master their new roles.
Baldrige Self-Assessment for Education
School leaders are facing the new century with the
greatest challenges in the history of the education
system. The Baldrige Award Criteria for Education provide
a framework for those organizations seeking excellence in
meeting these challenges through world-class quality
management. This comprehensive course is designed to
introduce participants to the powerful concepts embodied
in Baldrige and to provide participants with an
understanding of how to conduct an assessment using the
2002 Baldrige Award Criteria for Education and the AQP
10-step assessment process. The focus of the course is an
understanding of the value that Baldrige brings to your
organization and how to use the assessment as a change
management tool. Emphasis will be placed on conducting
the assessment; the issue of obtaining buy-in and driving
improvements based on the findings will also be covered.
Exercises are designed so that you learn the Baldrige
Criteria by using examples from your own organization.
Organizations are encouraged to send several participants
to the course as a way to kick-start the assessment
process.
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April 2002 News for a Change
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