top of page

Definition: Work behavior characterized by its self-starting nature, its proactive approach, and its persistent in overcoming difficulties that arise in pursuit of a goal. 

​

​

 TIPS

  

 Consider these suggestions when honing your ability to take initiative:  

  • Look for the next task– always be on the lookout something that can be improved 

  • Do more than is required– go above and beyond the minimum requirements of completing a task 

  • Speak up – contribute to meetings and share your ideas when brainstorming 

  • Consider every opportunity – ask yourself: “what opportunities for growth can come from this situation?” 

  • Always be prepared – continually refine your skills so that when the opportunity presents itself, you’re ready 

  • Ask questions – frequently ask questions to clarify ambiguous directions or assignments 

​

“There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    — Mary Kay Ash

​

​

Self-Directed Learning Activities 

 Relevant Readings:  

​

 Books:   

  • Gustavson, P., & Liff, S. (2014). A team of leaders: Empowering every member to take ownership, demonstrate initiative, and deliver results. New York: American Management Association. 

  • McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 disciplines of execution: Achieving your wildly important goals. New York: Free Press. 

  • Seldman, M., & Seldman, J. (2008). Executive stamina: How to optimize time, energy, and productivity to achieve peak performance. John Wiley & Sons. 

  • Sweeney, P. (2015). What you aren’t seeing: How using your hidden potential can help discover the leader within. New York: McGraw-Hill Education

​ 

 Self-Guided Activities: 

 

Guided Learning Activities 

 

Experiences: 

  • Make a to-do list (see planning and organization for details creating a to-do list), and once it’s complete practice initiative by taking action. Immediately begin working on the tasks in the list, and check them off once completed. Be proactive, and avoid procrastination with the tasks. Use one of the Learning Journals to reflect after using the daily planner. Assess what went right and where you could improve, and analyze the overall outcome 

  • Identify an issue or problem that your department is facing without being asked to do so. Problem-solve and develop a plan for a potential solution. Go to your supervisor with this solution and ask for his/her support to implement your plan to solve the problem.  

  • Ask for feedback from your supervisor concerning your initiative. Do he/she believe that you take action without being asked? Do you identify problems and independently generate solutions? Create a developmental plan with them where you create goals and track your progress.

 

Formal Training/Education 

 

School and Course Module(s): 

  • Casper College 

    • Leading Organizational Change - MGT 2050: (3L)(3CR) This class will combine leadership concepts with models of organizational change. Change will be examined at the individual, team, and organizational or systems level. The focus is on uncovering traps that create stress, waste resources, slow change efforts, or lead to outright failure and discovering how to lead, cope and win in the face of great change. Class participants become familiar with a variety of change models as they are utilized in real organizations attempting change. The class will examine how organizational culture is an ever-present barrier to lasting change and how that impacts the decision on the part of organizations to initiate change. 

      Principles of Management - MGT 2100: (3L)(3CR) [E] Analyzes objectives, policies, organizational structure, material and human resource utilization, human relations, planning, innovating, and controlling as management responsibilities. Students also study and discuss current activities in specific areas of business and industry. 

​​

  • Central Wyoming College 

    • COM/MGT 2130 - Human Relations: This course is designed to help students become successful in predicting, understanding, and influencing the outcome of their interactions with others by better understanding themselves. The course will involve readings, group activities, class discussions and short essays to explore and analyze theoretical concepts of human relations and their application from a personal, interpersonal, and organizational perspective. The use of interactive instruction will develop the student's ability to solve problems and think critically about their relationships with themselves, their peers, and their co-workers. The course will provide students with human relations skills critical for successful employment in a supervisory capacity. Students earning credit in CO/M 2130 may not earn credit in MGT 2130. (3 lect.) ORAL 

    • BADM 1020: Successful business professionals are effective communicators. This course will develop and sharpen students’ written, oral and interpersonal communication skills. Students will explore crucial rhetorical issues that impact their ability to communicate and achieve specific objectives as business leaders. The psychology and mechanics of written business communication will be thoroughly explored and widely applied. Documents that demand careful planning and composition, solid content and argument, and logical organization and structure will be created. Non-written applications in business areas such as international/intercultural, nonverbal, interpersonal, and ethical communication will also be stressed. Prerequisite: Completion of ENGL 1010. (3 lect.) WR2 

​​

  • Eastern Wyoming College 

    • MGT 1000 Introduction to Supervision (3L, 3CR): This course seeks to develop an understanding and appreciation of the basic concepts of supervision, to include planning, organizing, human resources management, directing, and controlling. Topics covered also include motivation, delegation, leadership, communications, team-building, total quality management, and discipline. The course should assist one to acquire the skills necessary 

​​

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • MGT 1000 INTRODUCTION TO SUPERVISION Students acquire techniques to improve or establish themselves as first-line supervisors. The student will understand and be able to apply basic management principles in solving problems encountered by first-line supervisors. Prerequisite: Completion of ENGL 0810 or equivalent placement test score. 

    • MGT 1500 LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS Students develop performance-based competencies and skills needed to prepare for leadership positions in today's workplace. Topics explored include leadership communication, conflict resolution, employee and self development, change management, coaching, managing performance problems, and team building. Students develop action plans for transitioning the skills discussed during class into the workplace. 

​​

  • Northwest College 

    • CO/M 2015 - Leadership Skills: (1-3)This course is designed to educate specified groups in effective leadership skills. Includes discussion and practice in teamwork, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, planning, conflict management, and social responsibility. Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor. (.5 hr lec, 1 hr lab) 

​​

  • Western Wyoming Community College ​​

    • COMM 1070 EFFECTIVE LISTENING: Listening is the process of hearing, attending to, interpreting, remembering, and responding to spoken messages. This course will explore listening theories and research, the listening process, listening challenges, various listening contexts; and essential listening skills. 

Initiative

Initiative

Managing Projects

Definition: A set of principles, methods, and techniques used to plan and control project work effectively to achieve project objectives. 

 

 

TIPS 

​

 Consider these suggestions when honing your ability to manage projects:  

  • Define the Project– take time to fully understand what exactly you are doing and why you are doing it 

  • Plan the Work – brainstorm with all who will be involved with the project, and formulate a detailed plan 

  • Set Realistic Deadlines – be realistic about the time needed to complete the project, and have realistic expectations. Determine the constraints of the project (e.g., time, cost/resources, and scope). 

  • Assess Risks – early in the project be aware of potential pitfalls, so you can create solutions ahead of time 

  • Communicate – talk frequently with those involved in the project as it allows for everyone to be on the same page 

  • Track Progress – perform frequent (e.g. weekly) check-ins to make sure progress is being made 

  • Resolve Issues – issues will likely manifest, so be ready to find solutions 

  • Know When to Finish – be aware of when the project is coming to an end, and avoid wasting resources on unnecessary work 

​​

“Operations keeps the lights on, strategy provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                     — Joy Gumz

 

 

Self-Directed Learning Activities 

 Relevant Readings: 

​​

 Books: 

  • Frame, J. D. (2002). The new project management: tools for an age of rapid change, complexity, and other business realities. John Wiley & Sons. 

  • Gray, C., & Larson, E. (2006). Project management: The managerial process (3rd ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill. 

  • Mager, R. F. (1999). What Every Manager Should Know about Training: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Money's Worth from Training. Center for Effective Performance. 

  • Schwaber, K. (2004).  Agile project management with Scrum. Microsoft press. 

  • Project Management Institute (2013) A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK, 5th ed.). Project Management Institute, Inc. 

​​

PowerPoints/Videos: 

 

 Tools: 

​​

 Self-Guided Activities: 

  • Think back to a previous or current project and identify the components of a Project Scope Statement. Use the template provided. 

  • Create a Gantt chart for a team of three to prepare and present an oral report. Use lined paper to show the timing of five or more tasks for this project.  

  • Almost everyone has worked at some time on a project that - while good-intentioned - did not turned out as planned and organized. Evaluate one of these past projects and identify what went right and what could have been done better. Could the use of organizational tools such as Gantt-or Flow charts increased the chances of success? Did the project suffer because of poor communication and infrequent team meetings? Write a short analysis of the project with suggestions to how you improve its success for future students.  

  • This training module provides information on managing projects. Included in this training is information about project basics, roles, planning and implementing. In addition, tools are provided that will help you organize and present project information. Be sure to utilize the Key Points & Self-Quiz links located on the left side of the screen throughout the training to check your learning! 

  • Think of a previous project or a current one and conduct a risk analysis while planning for contingencies.

 

 Guided Learning Activities 

​

 Experiences: 

  • If applicable, after completing a project with team members, work through the Project Closure Checklist and the Lessons Learned documents to help with improving the project management process. 

  • Remember to keep your emails short and simple when sending updates and delegating tasks. Work on the content and formatting of your emails and get feedback from a coworker or supervisor on whether or not your emails have been effective in getting the message across quickly. 

  • Find someone who works as a project manager or is a member of a project team. Use the interview guidelines and ask the questions in person, via the phone, or via the internet. Discuss the results with your team/peers, and then prepare a one-page paper or prepare a short presentation to summarize your findings. (See page 33-34 of Schwalbe PDF) 

  • Practice making a project plan for a large personal project at home, church, etc. use the following link as a reference on how to create your own plan - this link HERE. Once you feel comfortable creating and using a project plan, start implementing this technique for work-related projects. Use one of the Learning Journals to reflect after practicing the project plan. Assess what went right and where you could improve, and analyze the overall outcome of your project. 

​​

 

Formal Training/Education 

​

 School and Course Module(s): 

  • Northern Wyoming Community College 

    • Project Management – BADM 2000: This course introduces students to the process involved in planning a project and the tools needed to manage a project. Students explore practical project management techniques consistent with the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide (PMBOK Guide), including key factors that contribute to the success of a project. Upon completion of this class, students will plan, design and assess a business project. 

​​

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • Microsoft Project Management –MSFT 2900: Students learn to plan, design, and manage technical projects. Students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to plan, design, and manage technology-based projects effectively in order to meet the business needs. Students plan and design Microsoft systems and networks through the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). Students develop a project plan which addresses all phases of a successful project. Students use project management tools to aid in the design and implementation of their projects.  

    • Production and Operations Management- DSCI 2210: An introductory course in production and operations management. Students gain knowledge and skills about operations strategy, project management, forecasting, quality management, supply chain management, inventory management, production and operations planning. Students apply these decision-making strategies to typical management situations. 

    • Principles of Management – MGT 2100: Students examine the theory and practice of management. Utilizing goal-oriented action, students work collaboratively to create a service project for a non-profit agency integrating the four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Students examine the rolls and responsibilities of modern managers in an organization. 

Managing Projects

Definition:  The understanding of work assignments, processes, and performance standards; ensuring that employees understand work assignments; and maintaining work assignment fairness. 

​

​

Tips 

​

  • When you delegate work assignments, you should 1) delegate quickly; 2) build in a buffer; 3) clarify what, when, and why; 4) do it nicely, 5) check progress; 6) remind before the deadline; 7) follow up fast; and 8) ignore excuses. 

​​

  • When assigning work tasks, think carefully about who should be involved in the planning, implementation and revision stages of the process. Maintain objectivity when assigning team leaders and members, and delegate tasks based on their skills, knowledge and competence, rather than how you view them personally. For example, do not automatically dismiss an employee from the process because she is known to be difficult. Even if she is not the best team player, she might be able to contribute in other ways, such as coming up with fresh ideas or executing certain tasks independently. 

​​

  • To help employees develop a broad range of skills, it may be beneficial to assign employees different work tasks when appropriate. This will also help employees learn about what their coworkers do, as well as how all of the work tasks contribute to the bigger picture.

 

  • When creating work assignments, remember to be fair and involve your employees, while also asking for their input. Provide complete work assignment instructions. Make sure they have all the information they need to complete the assignment and confirm that s/he understands and accepts the requirements.  

​​

  • Don’t forget to say thank you, make sure employees know that their efforts are recognized and appreciated. 

​​

 

Self-Directed Learning Activities 

​

 Relevant Readings:  

 

PowerPoints/Videos: 

 

Tools: 

  • Use the above template as a starting point for developing an employee work plan for a project with multiple tasks. For multiple projects, supervisors can utilize additional copies of this template or migrate these fields and create others in a spreadsheet format to track multiple projects and/or employees. 

 

Self-Guided Activities:

  • Reflect on your work assignments, do you know what is expected of you? Do you have the necessary resources? What would you like to ask your supervisor to clarify? What do you wish s/he had given you from the start? 

  • Practice planning out how you will achieve your goals. Think about how much time you have on each one and prioritize based on level of importance.  

​​

Guided Learning Activities 

​

Experiences:

  • Practice offering regular, timely, and constructive feedback to your coworkers. 

  • Ask other employees whether they understand their work assignments and whether they’re fair. Ask questions that will help you understand their thoughts and concerns. For instance, a) what will your first steps be to get started with this assignment, b) what is your understanding of the desired end result for this assignment and your role, c) if you were required to question this assignment, what would you ask, d) if possible, please provide me with an update on how this is going before you leave for the day, e) what tools or information do you need to be able to accomplish this assignment, and f) when you were working on this, what did you consider doing that you haven’t tried yet? 

​​

Formal Training/Education 

​

School and Course Module: 

  • Casper College 

    • Principles of Management - MGT 2100: 3L)(3CR) [E] Analyzes objectives, policies, organizational structure, material and human resource utilization, human relations, planning, innovating, and controlling as management responsibilities. Students also study and discuss current activities in specific areas of business and industry. 

​​

  • Central Wyoming College 

    • BADM 1020: Successful business professionals are effective communicators. This course will develop and sharpen students’ written, oral and interpersonal communication skills. Students will explore crucial rhetorical issues that impact their ability to communicate and achieve specific objectives as business leaders. The psychology and mechanics of written business communication will be thoroughly explored and widely applied. Documents that demand careful planning and composition, solid content and argument, and logical organization and structure will be created. Non-written applications in business areas such as international/intercultural, nonverbal, interpersonal, and ethical communication will also be stressed. Prerequisite: Completion of ENGL 1010. (3 lect.) WR2 

​​

  • Northwest College 

    • CO/M 2015 - Leadership Skills: (1-3) This course is designed to educate specified groups in effective leadership skills. Includes discussion and practice in teamwork, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, planning, conflict management, and social responsibility. Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor. (.5 hr lec, 1 hr lab) 

    • MGT 2100 - Principles of Management: (3) Covers objectives, planning, organization of resources, human relations, coping with change and conflict, and controlling as management responsibilities. Includes appropriate behavioral and management science applications to the management process. Prerequisite: BADM 1000 or six hours of business-related courses. (3 hrs lec) 

​​

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • MGT 1500 LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS Students develop performance-based competencies and skills needed to prepare for leadership positions in today's workplace. Topics explored include leadership communication, conflict resolution, employee and self-development, change management, coaching, managing performance problems, and team building. Students develop action plans for transitioning the skills discussed during class into the workplace.  

Work Assignment

Work Assignment

Definition:  Anticipating, meeting, and exceeding the needs of people who buy or use your products or services. 

​

Tips

​

  • Five essential customer service skills are empathy, positivity, patience, clarity in communication, and continuous improvement. 

  • Understand who your customers are; identify and anticipate customer requirements, expectations, and needs; develop and promote a clear understanding of the customer’s business; provide customers with a variety of options for offering feedback; respond to customer feedback; and continually search for ways to improve customer/client service. 

  • Avoid using the word “no”. 

  • Create trust and openness with your customers. Demonstrate interest in them as individuals and understanding of the issues they face. 

  • Make a professional connection: 

  • Listen to customer problems intently. 

  • As you talk to customers, use language that reflects your knowledge of their businesses. 

  • Ask informed questions about their role or their business. 

  • Share appropriate information about your business or your job. 

​​

                                                                          “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

                                                                                                                                                             — Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft

​

                                                               “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”

                                                                                                                                                             — Walt Disney, Founder of Disney

 

Self-Directed Learning Activities 

​

Relevant Readings:  

 

Books:  

  • Beemer, C. B., & Shook, R. L. (2008). The Customer Rules: The 14 Indispensible, Irrefutable, and Indisputable Qualities of the Greatest Service Companies in the World. McGraw Hill Professional. 

  • Cockerell, L. (2013). The Customer Rules: The 39 essential rules for delivering sensational service. Crown Business. 

  • Fleming, J. H., & Asplund, J. (2007).  Human sigma: Managing the employee-customer encounter. Simon and Schuster. 

  • Goldenberg, B. J. (2008).  CRM in real time: empowering customer relationships. Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books.  

  • Miller, L. S., Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. M. (2013). Community policing: Partnerships for problem solving. Nelson Education. 

  • Press, T. (2015). Extra mile: 500 customer service tips for success: Tools to attract, satisfy, and retain even the most difficult customer. Beverley, CA: Tycho Press. 

​​

PowerPoints/Videos: 

​​

Self-Guided Activities: 

  • Identify at least two examples of when you have received excellent customer service and two example of when you have received poor customer service. Really think about what it was that specifically made you view the service as either excellent or poor. Look for common themes (e.g., how helpful and responsive was the person) 

  • Identify your key groups of customers and step into their shoes. Think about a specific customer, what her/his needs are at every stage of the process, from making initial contact with you, through to the service or product s/he asks of you, as well as the final departure and after-sales service. 

  • Did everything go as expected? Would you have done anything different? Did the customer get the information and response s/he needed? 

  • Identify ways that you can demonstrate ‘going the extra mile’ to help the customer so that you can commit to a personal change from the exercise. 

  • If able, carefully read through past tickets. Look at cases handled by various peers and a range of customers to get a holistic understanding of the voice of the team. You can also dive into external documentation (e.g., website service, support, or help section) and into relevant internal documents (e.g., documents outlining workflows and other processes).

 

​

Guided Learning Activities 

 

Experiences:

  • Have coworkers experience your service as a customer and debrief their experience. What worked well, what could have been better? 

  • Shadow other service representatives. Find an individual who has been known to have exceptional customer service skills and talk to him/her about any tips. You can also shadow people in other departments to help learn how to interact with a variety of customers with different needs. 

  • If applicable, pick 5 customers at random and send them a sincere thank you/follow up that shows them that you’re there for them. This should also show them why you’re grateful for their business and continued support. 

  • Ask a team member to practice playing a game with you. S/he will be the client and you will be the customer service representative. The job of the client is to come to you with a complaint and to be very persistent. Your job is to try to diffuse the situation. The catch is that you cannot say “no”, “never”, or “not”. Afterwards, discuss different ways of addressing customers without being negative.  

  • Summarize customer needs and map them against what you are currently providing. Identify new opportunities.  

​​

Formal Training/Education 

 

School and Course Module(s): 

  • Casper College 

    • Customer Service and Conflict Resolution - HOSP 1580: (3L)(3CR) This course will provide the students the opportunity to understand and demonstrate the importance of customer service and conflict management in today’s competitive work environment. In addition, the student will acquire the soft skills to effectively communicate with customers using a great customer service attitude. The ability to understand and resolve conflict using various methods will be examined. 

 

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • BADM 1021 CUSTOMER SERVICE: This introductory course will cover topics relevant to customer service such as response time, professional appearance and attitude, communications, telephone skills, and postal services. 

​​

  • Central Wyoming College 

    • Counseling-2300: This course presents instruction and practice in basic counseling and communication skills. It emphasizes listening, responding, encouraging, and initiating change in interpersonal communication through mediation and conflict resolution. (3 lect.) 

​​

  • Eastern Wyoming College 

    • BADM 1020 Business Communications (3L, 3CR): This course will cover the topic of business communications—written, oral, nonverbal, and listening. Application will be made to business situations. The major focus of this course is on writing business messages and reports. Emphasis will be given to the study of effective writing principles, problem analysis, and the writing process. Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 or TECH 1005 with a grade of “C” or better 

    • BOTK 2750 Records & Information Management (3L, 3CR): A course covering the background training in the basic filing principles and in the technique of records control with special emphasis given to the principles common in all systems of filing. 

    • CO/M 1040 Introduction to Human Communication (3L, 3CR): This course focuses on the role of communication in current affairs, business, and personal relations. Practical application of theory to communication problems in everyday life. 

​​

  • Western Wyoming College 

    • COMM 1050 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT & MEDIATION: This course blends theory, research and practical skills to help us better understand and manager our conflicts. Additionally, this course offers guidance for those who sometimes find them- selves playing the role of mediator, a neutral third party who assists disputants create their own solutions. Conflict is a natural, inevitable, and potentially beneficial event in our personal and professional lives. Yet few of us take time to formally study and explore conflict. Managing conflict well requires skills, energy, wisdom and creativity 

    • COMM 1070 EFFECTIVE LISTENING: Listening is the process of hearing, attending to, interpreting, remembering, and responding to spoken messages. This course will explore listening theories and research, the listening process, listening challenges, various listening contexts; and essential listening skills.

Servicing Customers

Servicing Customers
Managing Change
Performance Management
Quality Control

Managing Change

Definition: Change management is an organizational process aimed at helping stakeholders accept and embrace changes in their operating environment. It involves the application of a set of tools, processes, skills, and principles for managing the ‘people’ side of change to achieve the desired outcomes of a project or initiative.  

​

​

Tips 

​

  •  Ten guiding principles for change management: 1) address the “human side” systematically, 2) start at the top, 3) involve every layer, 4) make the formal case, 5) create ownership, 6) communicate the message, 7) assess the cultural landscape, 8) address culture explicitly, 9) prepare for the unexpected, and 10) speak to the individual.  

  • To maximize buy-in, minimize resistance, and make change work, involve others in the process. When people feel that they are valued participants in planning and implementing change, they are more likely to be motivated to make the change successful.  

  • Be clear about what people can and cannot have a choice about doing, but make sure to involve people in various parts of the change processes. 

  • Establish and use feedback processes to monitor implementation of key events and their impact. Develop a step-by-step implementation plan with key milestones and time lines. Create templates for communicating about progress, including report formats and graphics. Set clear expectations about what each level of leaders should be communicating about the change. 

  • Change needs to be reinforced and rewarded. 

​​

Self-Directed Learning Activities

​

 Relevant Readings: 

 

 Books: 

  • Clark, T. R. (2010). EPIC change: How to lead change in the global age. John Wiley & Sons. 

  • Cohen, D. S. (2005). The heart of change field guide: Tools and tactics for leading change in your organization. Harvard Business Press. 

  • Fullan, M. (2011). The six secrets of change: What the best leaders do to help their organizations survive and thrive. John Wiley & Sons.

 

 Guided-Learning Activities

​

  • Ask your supervisor or the person in charge to take over a troubled project. 

  • Work with colleagues to redesign a work process. 

  • Volunteer for a task that would normally go to a more experienced person. 

  • Serve on a task force to solve a major organizational problem. 

  • Broaden the services or products offered by your unit. 

  • Manage projects that require coordination across organizations. 

  • Come up with a vision that you would like to implement in your organization (e.g., pets in the workplace, longer breaks) and create a plan that will ignite the energy and commitment of others to gain buy-in. Present your case to your supervisor or peers. The more specific you can be in communicating the actions necessary for carrying out change and the more you can contrast new and old behaviors, the more successful others are likely to be in carrying out those actions. 

  • If possible, ask your supervisor if it is alright for you to experiment with different ways of accomplishing tasks using new practices.

  

Formal Training/Education 

 School and Course Module(s): 

  • Casper College 

    • Leading Organizational Change - MGT 2050 (3L)(3CR) This class will combine leadership concepts with models of organizational change. Change will be examined at the individual, team, and organizational or systems level. The focus is on uncovering traps that create stress, waste resources, slow change efforts, or lead to outright failure and discovering how to lead, cope and win in the face of great change. Class participants become familiar with a variety of change models as they are utilized in real organizations attempting change. The class will examine how organizational culture is an ever-present barrier to lasting change and how that impacts the decision on the part of organizations to initiate change. 

​​

  • Central Wyoming College 

    • COM 1050- Conflict Management and Mediation—This course begins from the premise that conflict is part of everyday life. It is as common as laughter, anger, and love and is probably no less important than any of these. Conflict is a natural, inevitable, and potentially beneficial part of our personal and professional lives. It can reveal injustices, usher in much needed change, and be a source of personal growth, social transformation, and reconciliation. On the other hand, conflict can also breed resentment and alienation, and may be waged with all manner of destructive violence, including war. This course provides an introduction to a range of potentially positive conflict management processes. It blends theory, research, and practical skills to help better understand and manage conflicts. 

    • Counseling-2300— this course presents instruction and practice in basic counseling and communication skills. It emphasizes listening, responding, encouraging, and initiating change in interpersonal communication through mediation and conflict resolution. (3 lect.)  

​​

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • CNSL 2300 3 CREDITS COUNSELING SKILLS FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS Students discuss and apply basic counseling and communication skills. In addition, students develop and demonstrate a command of basic skills including listening, responding, encouraging, and initiating change in interpersonal communication through mediation and conflict resolution. 

    • ​​​MGT 1500 3 CREDITS LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS Students develop performance-based competencies and skills needed to prepare for leadership positions in today's workplace. Topics explored include leadership communication, conflict resolution, employee and self-development, change management, coaching, managing performance problems, and team building. Students develop action plans for transitioning the skills discussed during class into the workplace. 

​​

  • Northwest College 

    • MGT 2100 - Principles of Management (3) Covers objectives, planning, organization of resources, human relations, coping with change and conflict, and controlling as management responsibilities. Includes appropriate behavioral and management science applications to the management process. Prerequisite: BADM 1000 or six hours of business-related courses. (3 hrs lec). 

Performance Management

Definition: A systematic ongoing process of communication between a supervisor and an employee, where they work together to plan, monitor, and review an employee’s work objectives and overall contribution to the organization. 

​

Tips  

​

  •  A typical performance management process starts with the determination of organization strategy and goals and is a circular process that includes performance planning, ongoing feedback, employee input, performance evaluation, and a performance review.  

  • Some guidelines for establishing effective performance goals include a) goals must clearly define the end results to be accomplished; b) to the extent possible, goals should have a direct and obvious link to organizational success factors or goals; c) goals should be difficult, but achievable, to motivate performance; and d) goals should be set in no more than three areas—attempting to achieve too many different goals at once will impede success.  

  • Performance management is a two-way process; it is not an annual performance appraisal. Appraisals reflect what the manager can remember and are usually the most recent events. Whereas, a performance management takes time and follow-up to do well. Feedback is integral to the PM process.  

  • Some steps to take to make your PM process useful and effective to increase productivity and engagement: 

  • Simplify the process 

  • Use PM to build skills 

  • Plan regular 1-on-1 meetings 

  • Set clear development goals using the S.M.A.R.T. formula 

  • Teach managers to give better feedback 

  • De-couple compensation and development 

  • Coach everyone and stimulate peer coaching

 

Self-Directed Learning Activities 

 

Relevant Readings:  

​​

 Books:   

  • Cokins, G. (2009).  Performance management: Integrating strategy execution, methodologies, risk, and analytics. John Wiley & Sons. 

  • Daniels, A. C., & Daniels, J. E. (2004). Performance management: Changing behavior that drives organizational effectiveness. Atlanta, GA: Performance Management Publications.  

  • Essentials, H. B. (2006). Performance management: measure and improve the effectiveness of your employees. Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, USA. 

  • Pande, P.S., Neuman, R.P., & Cavanagh, R.R. (2014). The six sigma way: How to maximize the impact of your change and improvement efforts (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. 

  • Pande, P.S., Neuman, R.P., & Cavanagh, R.R. (2000). The six sigma way: How GE, Motorola, and other top companies are honing their performance. McGraw-Hill Education. 

  • Whitmore, J. (2009)   Coaching for performance: growing human potential and purpose: the principles and practice of coaching and leadership. Nicholas Brealey publishing.

 

PowerPoints/Videos:

​​

Self-Guided Activities:

  • Think about the last time you had a performance review, were you able to speak any concerns about your ratings? Was it a two-way process? What would you change about it? 

  • Practice assessing yourself. Complete an employee evaluation form. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. People are typically harder and more critical of themselves than others are. When supervisors get the employee’s input on his/her own performance, it can open up lines of communication and allow the supervisor to more easily discuss the differences in opinion and perception between the two assessments.

 

Guided Learning Activities 

 

Experiences: 

  • Practice offering regular, timely, and constructive feedback to your coworkers. 

  • When a new employee joins, a) review the job description and performance expectations with the employee, b) explain how the employee’s work contributes to the organization’s goals, c) design a plan to help the employee acquire necessary competencies, and d) explain how and when you will provide performance feedback. 

  • Practice gathering information from a variety of sources. Rather than getting feedback and input only from an employee’s direct supervisor, ask those who interact with the employee to evaluate his performance as well. This might include customers or clients, coworkers, other departmental and executive level managers, team members, or anyone else who regularly communicates or collaborates with the employee and can provide information on his strengths and weaknesses. 

  • Help employees to understand how their performance ties into the company’s overall vision. By letting an employee see the “big picture,” reminding her often of the company’s mission statement, and clarifying how her contribution helps to fulfill the goals and strategies of the business, you give an employee a sense of purpose in her work. That makes it much more likely she will perform her job as well as she can. 

  • Practice setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely (SMART) goals with your supervisor. Ask them what their goals have been the past year and did they achieve it? What was their plan to achieving these goals?

  

Formal Training/Education 

 

School and Course Module(s): 

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • MGT 1500 LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS Students develop performance-based competencies and skills needed to prepare for leadership positions in today's workplace. Topics explored include leadership communication, conflict resolution, employee and self-development, change management, coaching, managing performance problems, and team building. Students develop action plans for transitioning the skills discussed during class into the workplace.  

​​

 Online Training(s): 

Quality Control - Improvement

Definition:  A process where the quality of all factors are reviewed, focusing on prevention versus detection, maintaining quality work for continued improvement, and fully meeting the customers’ needs and expectations. 

 

Tips

​

  • Customer feedback is one of the most important resources for improving an organization’s quality control. Actively seeking customer input ensures that you know exactly what the customer wants, which will help keep the organization successful. Remember that your organization exists to provide for the needs of your customers. Here are some tips for how to improve quality control through customer feedback: 

  • Define your objectives; know what you hope to accomplish before you begin. 

  • Think about how you’ll analyze the data you gather; consider your objectives as well as time and budget restraints. 

  • Use good questions that fit within your objectives and data-analysis method. 

  • Keep the data-collection process simple to minimize errors. 

  • Use an unrelated party to collect data to prevent bias. 

  • Train your data collectors to ensure consistency and accuracy. 

  • Perform a trial run to work out any bugs in the collection process. 

  • Make any modifications necessary and gather more information from a larger customer population. 

  • Remember the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle (PDCA). Effective use of it will allow organizations to enhance their control of products/services to regularly meet customer, regulatory, statutory, and organizational performance requirements. 

  • Plan:  Examine the department’s environment/situation and develop objectives and the processes required to meet customer requirements, maintain compliance, and accomplish objectives.   

  • Do: Implement processes. 

  • Check:  Monitor and measure the department’s products, services, and processes against objectives and requirements and report results.   

  • Act:  Take the actions necessary to ensure continual improvement. 

​​

                                                                                                     “Quality is everyone’s responsibility.”

                                                                                                                                          — W. Edwards Deming

 

Self-Directed Learning Activities 

 

Relevant Readings: 

 

Books:

  • Besterfield, D. H. (2012). Quality improvement. Pearson Higher Education. 

  • George, M., Maxey, J., Rowlands, D., & Upton, M. (2004). The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to Nearly 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed. McGraw Hill Professional. 

  • George, M. L., Watson-Hemphill, K., & Skewes, R. A. (2003). Lean Six Sigma for Service: How to Use Lean Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions. Designing World-class Services (design for Lean Six Sigma). McGraw-Hill. 

  • Mears, P. (1995). Quality improvement tools & techniques. McGraw-Hill Trade. 

  • Mitra, A. (2016). Fundamentals of quality control and improvement. John Wiley & Sons. 

  • Pyzdek. T. (2014). The Six Sigma Handbook (4th eds.). McGraw-Hill Education. 

 

Tools:

  • It is a description of the activities, tools, and procedures needed to control a process that delivers a service or product. 

 

Guided Learning Activities 

 

Experiences:

  • Meet with other coworkers and try to identify customer requirements and define the processes that will meet those requirements, manage the connectivity and alignment among the processes, utilize available resources to produce products and services, measure performance, act upon findings and review acts for effectiveness. How effectively the organization connects the processes to ultimately meet customer requirements, as well as other stakeholder requirements, is what elevates one organization over others. 

  • Look at specific examples of how customers were affected when people did not follow establishes processes. Keep track of these types of situations so the group can discuss how to better manage them. Share feedback from internal and external customers. 

  • Similar to above, ask people how they determine if they are delivering high-quality products and services. Check the connection between quality measures and actual requirements. 

  • If possible, ask your supervisor to hold a regular discussion time to review current trends and information on issues relevant to your business. 

  • If possible, ask your supervisor to draw a flow chart of important quality control/improvement processes as s/he understands it and review it with them. 

  • Ask seasoned colleagues in your industry to describe how things have changed and what they see for the future. 

 

Formal Training/Education 

School and Course Module(s):

  • Casper College 

    • MGT 2100 – Principles of Management: (3L)(3CR) [E] Analyzes objectives, policies, organizational structure, material and human resource utilization, human relations, planning, innovating, and controlling as management responsibilities. Students also study and discuss current activities in specific areas of business and industry. 

 

  • Laramie County Community College 

    • PTEC 1500 – Introduction to Process Technology: (3L)(3CR) [E] Analyzes objectives, policies, organizational structure, material and human resource utilization, human relations, planning, innovating, and controlling as management responsibilities. Students also study and discuss current activities in specific areas of business and industry.  

    • PTEC 1550 – Foundations of Quality: (3L)(3CR) [E] Analyzes objectives, policies, organizational structure, material and human resource utilization, human relations, planning, innovating, and controlling as management responsibilities. Students also study and discuss current activities in specific areas of business and industry. 

 

  • Northern Wyoming Community College 

    • FDSC 1630 – Quality Control: This course is focused on the study of factors that influence food quality, the management systems applied in the processing and distribution of foods to achieve quality standards, and food safety. Topics presented include: risk assessment, good manufacturing practices and hazard analysis and critical point systems for control of micro- organisms, design of products and processing operations according to food sanitation principles, methods for quality and safety assurance, food laws and regulations relevant to food quality, and the role of retailers and consumers on food quality. 

​​

  • University of Wyoming  

    • 3210 [OM 3210]. Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management. 3. An introductory course in production and operations management. Typical topics include operations strategy, quality management, facilities location, facilities layout, forecasting, inventory management, production planning, scheduling and project management. Prerequisites: IMGT 2400, MATH 2355, and STAT 2010. (Perhaps you can ask to shadow/observe the course or ask to speak to the teacher for resources) 

 

Online Training(s):

bottom of page