Introduction:
The rush to improve quality frequently leads to poor decisions about what kind of training to provide. The mistakes suggest a more effective way of determining your company's training needs, a process anchored in the business management model.
Common mistakes:
The rush to improve quality frequently leads to poor decisions about what kind of training to provide. These are some of the most common mistakes:
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A customer telis you it expects a new skill from your company, so you begin training employees in that skill without knowing whether they are ready to learn it.
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You discover a competitor is implementing a certain quality technique, or you read about how such a technique turned a business around; you quickly organize your own training, before finding out whether the technique is a good idea for your company.
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You install new equipment, prepare to make a new product or offer a new service, or redesign a process, and you only consider training as an afterthought.
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You begin general training in broad quality concepts without knowing how each employee will apply those concepts in his or her daily work to improve quality.
The mistakes suggest a more effective way of determining your company's training needs, a process anchored in the business management model.
Northern Trust strives for a balance between corporate-level training and training determined by its business units. The company identifies training needs by:
1. Determining what skills its employees will need to achieve the company's strategic quality initiative. its 24-hour training curriculum,"Training for Absolute Quality," includes skill building in the four key goals Northern has identified for achieving absolute quality
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Unrivaled client satisfaction.
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Continuous improvement of all processes,
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Inspired leadership.
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Active involvement of all Northern people.
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Conducting periodic needs assessments to identify topics to be ad-dressed. As a result of recent assessments and other data, Northern is now focusing on bringing training to employees who need it when they need it, similar to Globe's philosophy.
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Using an ongoing needs Identification process, which includes employees' evaluations of courses they complete, and suggestions by Northern's business units and managers for new training.
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Benchmarking other companies within the industry, to find out what they are doing and where their training programs are going.
Unrivaled Client Satisfaction
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Client needs drive improvement decisions.
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Ali areas need an ongoing process for establishing client and partner requirements.
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Prevention of defects is essential to meet or exceed client and partner requirements.
Continuous improvement of All Processes
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Everything is a process—and every process can be improved.
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Process measurements provide the facts that will guide decisions.
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To solve problems, look beyond symptoms so you can find and remove root causes.
Inspired Leadership
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Absolute quality management is achieved through attention to both process and results.
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We will deliver absolute quality to our clients and partners through cooperation and teamwork between areas.
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Managers can lead improvement by creating a climate of support and respect for all Northern people.
