On Tuesday, November 13, 2018, from 7:45 am – 9:30 am, the Central Maine Human Resources Association will be presenting a program on how to inspire a devoted workforce and boost performance, productivity and quality with employee engagement and Lean thinking. If you have not been to a CMHRA meeting before, sign up as a first time guest and let Rebecca Webber or Jordan Payne Hay know so we can introduce you to folks at the meeting. The location is The Carriage House at 1119 Lisbon Street, Lewiston (right near the Lewiston turnpike exit). Click here to register
So what is this all about? Here is the description from the speakers, Jason Dix of Geiger and Dr. Walter E Lowell of Lean Capitol, LLC:
In this session we will be discussing techniques for employee engagement and process improvement. We will look at how to create ownership amongst your employees while improving quality and productivity. This session will provide introductory Lean skills and in the moment teaching techniques. The term “Lean” was coined to describe Toyota’s business model during the 1980s. The fundamental idea of Lean is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. To accomplish this Lean thinking focuses on optimizing the flow of products and services throughout the entire value stream. Lean companies are able to respond to changing customer desires with high variety, high quality, low cost, and very fast throughput times. During this presentation you will get a unique perspective from manufacturing, governmental services, and office environments leading to a robust learning experience. You can expect to learn how to effectively ask questions leading to a more engaged and devoted workforce. We will describe how to actively engage your workforce resulting in employee empowerment which can exponentially improve quality and productivity.
Presenters:
Jason Dix is the Continuous Improvement Manager for the Geiger Group. In this role Jason has continued the development of Geiger’s exceptional internal continuous improvement certification program. He is responsible for Lean training and the continued education of Lean concepts for Geiger personnel. Jason serves as facilitator and project manager for Kaizen events and is the chief administrator of Geiger’s Idea Generation program. Jason has worked to build Geiger Group’s reputation within the community by serving as a guest lecturer to the University of Southern Maine Lewiston/Auburn campus and speaking at the Lean Systems Summit held every year in Portland Maine. Jason holds his Lean Six Sigma Yellow belt and is currently working on his B.S. in Industrial Management.
Dr. Walter E. Lowell is President of Lean Capitol, LLC in Augusta, Maine. Lean Capitol, LLC specializes in providing Continuous Process Improvement/Lean consulting services to public and non-profit organizations with methods and tools specifically designed for government, healthcare, education, and back-office services for them to fully realize their productive capacity. Lean Capitol, LLC, brings state-of-the-art management methods and tools proven in private, non-profit and government, education, and healthcare sectors. For 6 years Walter was the Director of Lean Management Services for the Department of Health and Human Services. His responsibilities included the design and implementation of the Office of Lean Management for the Department of Health and Human Services reporting to the Office of the Commissioner. The work included managing the Office, strategic planning, Organizational Development, process improvement and working with staff at all levels of the organization training and leading teams in Lean Systems knowledge and methods including value stream mapping, Kaizen events and coordinating with other state agencies on Lean practices with savings of more than $4 million dollars. As a leader of the Bend the Curve program Dr. Lowell was the founder of Maine’s Annual Lean Summit held each summer in Portland Maine.
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This article is not legal advice but should be considered as general guidance in the area of employment and corporate law. Bryan Dench, Amy Dieterich, Jordan Payne Hay, and Rebecca Webber are employment and labor law attorneys; others at the firm handle business and other matters. You can contact us at 207.784.3200. Skelton Taintor & Abbott is a full service law firm providing legal services to individuals, companies, and municipalities throughout Maine. It has been in operation since its founding in 1853.