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APICSMAGAZINE

RISKPREPAREDNESS/MAINTENANCE,REPAIR,ANDOPERATINGS

UPPLIES

JANUARY/FEBRUARY2012

APICSEnhancing operational ef cienciesThe health care supply chain

Superior employee education

January/February 2012 Volume 22 | Number 1

Ideas and innovations in operations and supply chain management

Proactive risk management

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2 January/February 2012 | APICSmagazine

January/February 2012 Volume 22 | Number 1

APICSmagazineJanuary/February 2012 Volume 22 | Number 1

27 30

FEATURES

27 Top-Tier Master DataManagement

By Arthur Raguette

Drive bottom-line savings

and streamlined operations.

30 Health Care and SupplyChain ManagementStrategy

By John M. Donnelley,CPIM, C.P.M.

Learn rom the health careindustry to reduce waste at yourorganization.

COVER STORY

34 Your Resilient Supply ChainBy Mohanish Makharia;Gerhard Plenart, PhD; andRamanan Sambukumar

Achieve a fexible, scenario-basedsupply chain.

38 The Rules of KnowledgeAcquisition

By Lucio Zonca, CPIM, CSCP

Institute a commitment toeducation and training at all levelso the organization.

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38 January/February 2012 | APICSmagazine

DepartmentTitles

Employee education and training must be strategic, cost-

justied undertakings. Every proposed program should beevaluated from the start with a thorough benet-cost analysis.

Benets include improved customer satisfaction; betterproduct or service quality; reduced scrap, rework, or return

inventory; improved productivity; increased employee

retention; and a more exible workforce. Costs include

trainee salaries, lost production time, facility expenses,

educational materials, trainer fees, andperhaps most

importantlythe tangible and intangible consequences of

nottraining.

e decision to embark upon a training program is just

the rst step in successful completion of the entire process.

I have consulted and performed training at various multi-

national corporations, and following are the key steps and

lessons I learned.

Determining training needsA proper assessment of training needs helps prioritizeresources to ensure they are available to address the most

critical issues. This can take the form of a company-wideperiodic assessment, in which the analysis provides data for

an annual training plan and budget. Or, it might be the simple

observation that an employee does not know how to perform

an assigned task. Methods to determine needs include tests,

surveys, checklists, simulations, self-assessments, performance

observations, individual or group interviews, brainstorming,

and focus groups.

In order to meet the needs of trainees, it is important to

clarify early what the training program should contain and

establish a clear intended learning outcome. A good outcome

is characterized by the acronym SMART: It must be specic,

manageable, attainable, relevant, and time-specic.

The Rules ofKnowledge AcquisitionDesigning the right employee training program for your business

By Lucio Zonca, CPIM, CSCP

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APICSmagazine | January/February 2012 39

To comment on this article, senda message to feedback@apics.org.

Designing the training programOne of the most important tasks is selecting a trainer. eseprofessionals need to be precisely thattrainers, not simply

experts in their elds. Seek an instructor who comes from thesame profession as the trainees, as it will increase his standing

with the audience and create a greater corresponding impact

on attitudes and values. One caveat I have found when using

experts not local to the environment is they may lack under-

standing of domestic laws and policies. Be sure to provide these

individuals with summaries of the appropriate regulations.

Composition of the training group has great inuence on

communication and cooperation. In general, participants are

most at ease in homogeneous groups with people at a similar

level in the business hierarchy and who possess comparable

knowledge and experience. In mixed groups, trainees are more

reluctant to express opinions and ask questions.

e aim of the training also can factor into group composition.

For example, if the intent is to inform trainees about a broad

topic, such as changes in regulations, then a large-scale semi-

nar with participants at all levels of hierarchy and experiencecould be appropriate. In this situation, interactions amongparticipants would be limited, and the learning process would

not be hampered by the heterogeneity of the participants. But

a session on developing skills or inuencing attitudesin

which interaction is a primary condition for successmight

be better served by a small, homogenous group.

e targeted participants have a great inuence on the

level of knowledge or skills required and on determining the

appropriate training method. Most people prefer taking an

active role in training activities, so the program should have

a clear and practical approach and respect their knowledge,

experience, and motivations.

IllustrationbyDm

itriJackson

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