The goal of the programme is to help small and medium sized business owners and managers – particularly in the food and food processing, construction and property management, tourism, and financial services sectors of Cyprus – be able to quickly and continuously identify the hidden wastes in their operating processes and practices, and understand the practical steps they can take to start eliminating that waste, thus improving productivity while at the same time improving quality and speed.

Throughout the programme, participants will also learn to define and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) that are linked to their overall strategic objectives – and related operational risks. These KPIs will help them in empowering their employees towards taking the appropriate actions themselves to achieve strategic goals, specifically by cutting out wasteful activities and eliminating rework, and simplifying business processes to improve productivity.

Through a sequence of interactive exercises, the participants will also learn a vernacular with which to change the mindsets, attitudes, and eventually the behaviours in their organisations, a change that is essential to achieving operational excellence.

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The training is largely based on a series of simulations, i.e. practical exercises that are a simplified reflection of typical business processes, which lend themselves to analysis and discussion of improvement opportunities, and of similarities as well as differences with the participants’ actual situations. Some theoretical and empirical foundations are provided during the discussion following each exercise/simulation, but the focus is on providing practical guidance, tools and techniques for implementation in the participants’ own organisations.

Introductions and debriefing of most exercises are facilitated with short MS Powerpoint presentations, with participants in classroom formation; participants receive a workbook for completing some individual exercises and questionnaires, and for taking notes; participants also have to discuss certain problems and questions among themselves in teams, and present their joint findings or solutions.

The bulk of the seminar/workshop involves business process simulation, using among others Lego blocks, wooden slats, playing cards, etc., whereby participants will physically interact with each other according to specific operating instructions, followed by debriefing.

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DAY One
Traditional performance measures

9:00 − 10:30 / The Failure of ‘Traditional’ Performance Management:

• Why traditional performance measurement including customer/employee satisfaction surveys fail to indicate what needs to change, and in particular do not highlight in-process waste.

The Strategic Imperative (in the Industrial vs Knowledge Economy):

• Focus on Product, Inventory, Bottom Line and Cash Flow.
• Focus on Service and Customer Intimacy, Innovation and Operational Excellence

Case discussion: Impact of Organisational Design and Culture

• Command-and-Control vs Collaborate-and-Cultivate
• Participants’ own experiences

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Following the workshop there will be an on-site visit to each of the attending companies. Objective of these on-site visits aims to:

• Review the existing management reporting and identify its strengths and weaknesses;
• Review and discuss the business’s opportunities for cost/waste reduction and productivity improvements; incl. a quick walk-through of some main business processes;
• Develop in further detail company actions identified during the workshop;
• Discuss implementation issues, including how to integrate innovative business practices so as to ensure business performance excellence.
• Provide additional recommendations.

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