dmaic report site

 The Multimedia Centers: Recommendation Report

Matthew Mays Westminster College

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

3

Introduction

5

Dene

5

Measure

6

Analye

!

Im"rove

#

Control



%$Conclusion



%$ Executive Summary I have been acquainted acqu ainted with The Multimedia Centers (TMC) organization for several years. The  purpose of this proect has been to identify barriers to TMC!s TMC!s productivity and to provide recommendations for improvement. "or#ing "or#ing to it help it become more productive has been a great e$perience. %M&IC (%efine' Measure' &nalyze' Improve' Control) methodology' an effective approach for organizational improvement' has been utilized throughout this proect. ach stage of the %M&IC  processes is e$plained relative to TMC!s TMC!s challenges and is supported by data obtained through observations' interviews' and research.

Define The purpose of the define stage is to ensure barriers to TMC!s productivity productivity are properly diagnosed and understood. The barrier that has b een identified centers on organizational commitment' the e$tent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals. In varying degrees' TMC employees are committed to the company. owever' their commitment is not a shared or communal e$perience* e$p erience* it is much more individual' meaning there is great opportunity to strengthen staff relationships and increase their collective commitment. Measure The goal of the measurement stage is to establish a baseline for improvement. TMC!s  productivity as a whole was not measured. owever' organizational organizational commitment as a means to improve TMC!s productivity was evaluated. Two Two methods were used to complete this evaluation+  participant observation and employee interviews. ,articipant observation allowed me to observe  processes and interactions from a distance' as well as engage employees in casual conversation. mployee interviews were used as a means to as# questions that centered on organizational commitment.  Analyze &ll of the data collected from observations and interviews was collected and e$amined during the analyze stage. The analysis yielded three maor themes that contribute to organizational commitment+ communication' training' and the physical environment. Communication is a concern in that employees do not always feel comfortable communicating with another and with leadership. &t times' they feel' it can be easier to not say anything. -ac#room employees are not particularly comfortable wor#ing at th e front des# and interacting with customers. Conversely' the frontdes# employee is in need of additional training relative to bac#room processes and procedures. The physical environment at the TMC store is cause for concern. ach employee e$pressed a desire to wor# in a cleaner and more organized environment. •

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Improve The purpose of the improvement stage is to offer solutions that resolve the problems at hand. Through analysis and research' I have provided three recommendations for improvement+ hold regular team meetings' crosstrain employees' and set time aside for employees to clean and organize the store. /egular team meetings can be an a n opportunity for the staff to calibrate regarding customer  satisfaction and procedural concerns' as well as provide a forum for employees to voice their suggestions for improvement. Training bac#room employees and giving them additional opportunities to wor# at the front des# frustration will alleviate their concerns' strengthen the business' and improve customer satisfaction. 0i#ewise' further educating the frontdes# employee relative to  bac#room procedures will help resolve situations in which customers need to be deescalated and educated. Cleaning and organizing the TMC store regularly will reduce mental stress and lower the frequency of misplaced items* thus' it will improve the quality and efficiency of employee tas#s. •

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Control Improvements are only meaningful if they are sustained. The best way to maintain improvement is to use a control chart. & control chart lists each recommendation for improvement and  provides space for the staff to evaluate their performance performance relative to each recommendation. &dditionally' the staff can see their progress overtime and collectively brainstorm additional ways for improvement as needed. Implementing the recommendations as outlined will give TMC the opportunity to strengthen its employees! organizational organizational commitment' which will in turn increase company!s productivity.

Introduction aving been acquainted with The Multimedia Centers (TMC) for some time' and understanding the purpose of its business' I was pleased to receive the opportunity to wor# with TMC. 1tudying organizations and helping them become more productive have been passions of mine throughout my academic career. 2urthermore' partnering with an individual and a compan y with which I have a personal connection has made this a particularly positive e$perience. The intent of this proect has been to help TMC become more efficient and productive from an organizational communication standpoint. &t its core' this proect has identified specific barriers to TMC!s productivity and to provided salient solutions. Critical to this proect!s success is the methodology followed throughout. The %M&IC (%efine' Measure' &nalyze' Improve' Control) approach has served as the vehicle to identify obstacles to  productivity and to determine the best course of action for sustained improvement. In this report' report' each stage of the %M&IC process is e$plained relative to TMC!s circumstances and is substantiated with data derived from observations' interviews' and research. 1pending time in the TMC store afforded me the opportunity to grasp the organization!s infrastructure' the daytoday operations' and the mental' ph ysical' and emotional demands on TMC employees. Moreover' through e$tended participant observation I was able to establish trust with TMC employees in such a way that the y were open and honest with their thoughts and feelings regarding the organization and how it might be improved. The overall success of this proect is contingent on TMC ta#ing action and wor#ing to implement the recommendations contained in this report. I am confident that doing so will yield greater organizational efficiency and productivity' among other ancillary benefits. The first step in the  process is to ensure the barriers are understood.

Define ,roblems are best resolved when they are accurately understood and when the contributing causes are identified. Thus' the define phase of this proect has served as a means to determine de termine TMC!s barriers barriers to desired productivity. &t the beginning of this proect' TMC co nveyed its  problems as communication problems that problems  that impact productivity. p roductivity. aving communication problems is a#in to having car trouble. trouble . There are numerous causes that can impact a vehicle!s  performance. Implementing a multitude of solutions to get the car wor#ing may or may not solve the actual problem. owever' effective diagnostics leads a mechanic to the root c ause' greatly increasing the prospect of resolution. 0i#ewise' diagnosing TMC!s communication problems through participant observation' employee interviews' and research has helped me comprehend a significant barrier to productivity. The barrier that has been discovered throughout this proect centers on organizational commitment. 1imply put' organizational commitment is the e$tent to which an individual identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals. &n employee with strong organizational commitment wor#s diligently to achieve organizational goals and maintains a

greater desire to stay employed. Conversely' an employee with low organizational commitment  pays little attention to organizational organizational goals and does ust enough to get by. arly on in my visits to the TMC store I suspected organizational commitment might be an issue. mployees! verbal and nonverbal communication co mmunication to one another and toward the wor# seemed to reflect low levels of commitment and satisfaction. 3ver time' however' I came to understand that TMC employees do in fact care about a bout the business and its success. 3n multiple occasions' ea ch employee made comments and e$hibited e$h ibited behavior that characterized' in a positive way' his or her  commitment to the organization. These e$periences led me to the conclusion that TMC!s  problem with organizational commitment is not that that it doesn!t e$ist' but that it does not thrive thrive from a team perspective. mployee commitment at TMC is not particularly collective or communal' but is much more isolated and individual. In essence' each TMC e mployee is' to varying degrees' committed to the organization' but rarely is it a shared e$perience. In all my time at the store' I was never fully convinced that TMC employees operate as a complete team. Coming to this realization guided my efforts as to what should be measured.

Measure The purpose of the measurement phase is to establish a baseline as a starting point for improvement. There is always a gap between where an organization is and where it wants to be in terms of productivity. 2or this proect' productivity itself was not quantified and measured. owever' organizational commitment has been evaluated as a means to improve TMC!s overall  productivity. Two Two methods were used to evaluate organizational commitment+ participant observation and employee interviews. ,articipant observation offered several benefits. 1pending time with employees and engag ing them in discussion provided insight as to how emplo yees feel about their obs and the company as a whole. I also spent time observing employee behavior from a distance' watching wa tching to see how employees wor# individually and with their peers. Conducting employee interviews was a critical component to this proect!s success. I wor#ed to  build rapport with the employees' so each would feel comfortable in an interview setting and be willing to provide honest feedbac#. The interview questions centered on organizational commitment from several perspectives+ feeling valued as an employee' wor#ing as a team' and what could be done to ma#e a TMC a better place to wor#. &ll questions and responses from the employee interviews can be found in &ppendi$ -4mployee Interviews. Through careful analysis' these two studies yielded data that have provided a framewor# for how TMC can strengthen employees! organizational organizational commitment and ultimately achieve desired  productivity.

Analyze %uring the analysis stage' all of the data was e$amined in order to identify and list potential causes for the problems at hand. 2or this proect' notes from the observation sessions and the responses from the employee interviews have been combined and categorized. Moreover' maor themes from these data have been grouped into three categories+ communication' training' and the physical environment. &ll the raw data from each analysis can be found in &ppendi$ &4  mployee Interviews and &ppendi$ -4TMC 5otes.

Communication 3n more than one occasion employees e$pressed concern with providing feedbac# to one another and to leadership on how particular processes might be improved. In some cases' they feel it is easier to ust not say anything' bec ause their feedbac# may not be b e ta#en to heart. 1imilarly' 1imilarly' one employee shared that sometimes individuals don!t say what needs to be said' relative to wor# procedures or interpersonal concerns' because he or she wants to avoid confrontation. Consequently' employees operate with burrs under their saddles' so to spea#' ma#ing the wor# environment uncomfortable at times. These communicative challenges are only e$acerbated by the physical layout of the store. ach employee has a dedicated wor#space and' for the most part' wor#s in seclusion. Thus' at times' the tendency to not communicate is reinforced. 3ne concept that is greatly impacted by communication difficulties is training.

Training The bac#room employees are rather uneasy about wor#ing with customers at the front des#. It seems they feel unqualified and unprepared for that type of responsibility* they fear having to deal with an agitated customer' or committing some type of operational error. In my view' they feel inept unnecessarily. Conversely' the the frontdes# employee could stand to be more familiar with bac#room processes and capabilities. 3n one occasion' a customer came into the store to e$press dissatisfaction with a ob completed nearly a year ago. The frontdes# employee tried to empathize with the customer  and to provide an e$planation as to what may have gone wrong. 6ltimately' the frontdes# employee committed to reprocessing the ob. &fter the customer left' the frontdes# employee went to tal# to the bac#room bac#roo m employee about the issue. The bac#room employee e mployee immediately  provided insight and clarification relative to the customer!s concern and #new how to correct the issue. (The ob still needed to be reprocessed.) ad the frontdes# employee (a) been more familiar with bac#room processes or (b) brought the  bac#room employee into the conversation with the customer' it would have deescalated the situation much faster and provided a better cu stomer e$perience.

The final theme that emerged during the analyses differs from the interpersonal domain of communication and training challenges' but is equ ally important and impactful to organizational commitment and productivity. It centers on employees! wor#spaces.

Physical Environment The physical environment at the TMC store is cause for co ncern. &s previously noted' the  physical layout of the store inhibits staff staff communication and collaboration. &dditionally' &dditionally' the concluding question for each employee interview was' 7"hat is one thing that you would change' add' or implement to ma#e TMC a better place to wor#89 ach a ch employee feels there is need for improvement. Two employees' without hesitation' e$pressed that the cluttered environment is bothersome. -oth said they would li#e to spend time cleaning' organizing' and discarding materials that are no longer needed' and that doing so would increase morale' be  better for the equipment' and reduce the frequency of misplaced items. &ddressing the three topics discussed in this section will give TMC the greatest opportunity to remove communicative barriers' which will in turn increase employees! emplo yees! organizational commitment and improve productivity. produ ctivity.

Improve The purpose of the improvement phase is to implement solutions to the problem. 1olutions are most effective when they target root causes. &s noted in the analyze stage' maor findings centered on communication' training' and the store!s physical environment. Therefore' the  proposed recommendations target each topic specifically. specifically. There are three recommendations for improvement+ hold regular team meetings' crosstrain employees' and provide employees time to clean and organize the store.

Team Meetings Contrary to popular belief' meetings are not a waste of time* at least they don!t have to be. Meetings provide an opportunity to communicate' problem solve' motivate' and recognize employees for great wor#. 2or TMC' holding regular team meetings will enab le the staff to get on the same page regarding customer cu stomer satisfaction and procedural issues. &dditionally' meetings meetings will allow employees to voice their suggestions for improvement' which will in turn increase  buyin and commitment to the business. Citing studies completed in the 6:' e$perts suggest that meeting consistently as a team has been lin#ed with greater levels of innovation and teamwor#. 0i#ewise' studies on teamwor#' completed by scholars in the medical field' contend c ontend when groups fail to meet regularly' it is  believed to have a negative impact on team building and communication. It is in TMC!s best interest to hold meetings on a monthly basis. If each meeting has a clear obective and a prepared agenda' the meeting shouldn!t need to last more than ;<=>< minutes.

It is important to remember that the purpose of these meetings is to accomplish practical tas#s and to also create an environment of shared meaning and team unity. /egular meetings will only increase the level of commitment that each employee has to TMC and its organizational goals.

Cross-training Employees 2rom a practical standpoint' it ma#es sense that each TMC employee has his or her own area of responsibility and e$pertise. That being said' the recommendation to crosstrain employees is not suggesting that employees rotate positions necessarily' but that steps be ta#en to better familiarize bac#room employees with frontdes# operations and vice versa. The level of discomfort that bac#room employees e$pressed with regard to frontdes# procedures and wor#ing with customers is concerning. mpowering bac#roo m employees by giving them additional training and the opportunity to wor# with customers will build their confidence' strengthen the business' and improve customer satisfaction. Moreover' further educating the frontdes# employee with regard to bac#room processes and procedures will improve situations in which customers need to be deescalated and educated relative to their concerns. mpowerment is one of the primary benefits of crosstraining employees. /esearch b y ?on ultman' an e$pert in field of employee management' has shown that empowered employees are one reason momandpop businesses can operate with fewer employees. mpowered employees are able to ma#e decisions and solve problems with greater efficiency than employees with limited s#illsets. 0astly' empowered empowered employees are also #nown to possess greater levels of organizational commitment due to the variety of contributions they ma#e to the business. &fter strengthening the lines of communication and e$panding e$pan ding employees! s#illsets' s#illsets' the final step for improvement is to enhance the ph ysical wor#ing environment.

Cleanliness and Organization In both interviews and personal conversations' each TMC employee e$pressed a desire to wor# in a cleaner and more organized wor#space. This desire to wor# in a better environment is validated by ,at eydlauff' a specialist in wor#place deve lopment and design. eydlauff argues that wor#ing in cluttered environments can negativel y impact employees in at least two ways. 2irst' wor#ing in disorganized and messy environments can cause u ndue mental stress' ma#ing it more difficult for employees to complete quality wor#. 1econd' wor#ing in cluttered surroundings impacts productivity from a practical standpoint+ it ta#es longer to find materials when everything is in disarray. More than once employees shared comments about time that is wasted trying to find items that have been misplaced. TMC would benefit a great deal from cleaning and organizing the store. ,erhaps at first' the entire TMC staff could spend time together wor#ing to get the store in shape. This would be a good opportunity to build and strengthen team relationships. Moving forward' employees could then be allotted one or two hours a wee# to straighten and standardize their surroundings.

Improving the TMC store from a physical perspective will surely improve employee morale'  performance' and commitment to the organization. To To reiterate from from the analyze stage of this report' two employees feel that cleaning and organizing the store is the numberone thing that can be done to ma#e TMC a better place to wor#. Implementing the solutions described in this section will put TMC in a position to increase its employees! organizational commitment' which will then yield greater productivity. 2rom there' the ne$t step is to ensure the improvements are sustained.

Control In many ways the control phase is the most important of the %M&IC process. &ssuming the  previous steps are completed with accuracy' it becomes imperative that a plan be put in place to ensure the improvements are ongoing. TMC should hold a #ic#off meeting with the en tire staff to outline the improvements and changes that are going to ta#e place. This setting provides an opportunity to gain employee buy in moving forward. The most effective way to trac# progress and to hold one another accountable is to use a control c ontrol chart. & control chart for this type of proect will list all three recommendations for improvement and provide space for the staff to evaluate itself relative to each recommendation. 2rom there' the staff can review their progress on a monthly basis and strategize additional ways to improve. Control charts can be a large artifact displayed in the store' or a simple spreadsheet' whatever wor#s best.

Conclusion "or#ing "or#ing with TMC over the last several months has been a wonderful e$perience. It has given me the opportunity to implement and utilize u tilize all that I have gained throughout my academic career. Through personal study and research' I have come to app reciate the principle of organizational commitment. 2rom my perspective' it is often overloo#ed or ta#en for granted' especially when organizations are searching for ways to become more productive. TMC has the opportunity to capitalize on and strengthen its employees! organizational organizational commitment by implementing the recommendations included in this report. %oing so will  provide TMC with a united and s#illed staff that is able to do more with less.