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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 [email protected].
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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