Do you work for a 3BL company?

The triple bottom line (abbreviated as TBL or 3BL, and also known as people, planet, profit or "the three pillars") captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organisational (and societal) success: economic, ecological, and social.

Company Culture

Through Principles learned from some of the “best companies to work for” and “most successful companies” we help you focus on the cultural clusters in your company that can help you grow, implement new strategies and become more productive.   We help you with the introduction of tailored solutions to change non-practical cultural believes, and get buy in from the front line through to senior management.  We stay involved throughout the whole process, enabling the best possible outcomes.

Change Management

Change can often be difficult and met by resistance.  We help you fully understand change, what is required, help you map out the path, and support you through it, just like in a successful partnership.

Employee Engagement

The key here is to not only have your employees engaged, but for them to manage up and create innovation from within.  Employee engagement will also reduce absenteeism and staff retention.

Staff Motivation

Most people have something that drives and motivates them, and in most cases it’s not the same.  Establishing whether people are extrinsically or intrinsically motivated, and finding out why they are at work, will aid in creating a better workplace where employees look forward to showing up.

Team Leadership

Starting with leaders understanding themselves through “self-evaluation”, understanding the EQ’s SQ’s (emotional and social quotient) etc., understanding the difference between leadership and management, and how to get the best from your staff are only some of the factors we focus on.  Our program cannot be successful unless we have total support from the senior leadership team down, as well as from the front line up.  Lean culture and lean leadership are two key components in the journey of become a great leader.

Systems & Processes (Lean Six Sigma)

Lean Six Sigma is todays buzz word, but in essence all we are talking about are principles found in Lean and Six Sigma.  There are many other tools, but at the end we investigate if a process that is in place is really the best means to an end.  We may find that there are a few steps to many, which make it inefficient.  We may look at the supply chain and find areas to save time, money, reduce inventory, etc.  This will create savings due to the removal of wasteful practices.

Productivity and Efficiency Increases

Through a combination of all of the above we are able to help you target specific areas in your business that will most benefit in the short term, as well as a focus on the big picture and long term sustainability of the business. 

Environment and Sustainability

With carbon taxes, global warming, utilities and transport costs all affecting our bottom line, we can take a closer look at the triple bottom line (3BL).  People and profit will be targeted through the areas above, and planet will be included early on to ensure any change incorporates environmental responsibility and sustainability, without any major cost impacts on the business.

Our approach 

in assisting your business is based on an initial business audit, a 360 degree review, a systems and processes audit, people audit and much more.  Below are some of the key target areas and some very basic explanations on what we do.  We could discuss each and every one of these points over many pages, but we’d rather meet you and find out what most concerns you in your business.  What are you or your employees losing sleep over?  Once we fully understand where it hurts, we can target these areas, and through root cause analysis drill down into the whole value chain of your business (from suppliers to end customers), to ensure a measured approach in line with your business strategy.

Last, but not least, we have the added advantage of not only being a specialist consultancy firm, but through our RTO (Registered Training Organisation) arm, we can structure our programs to include your whole organisations training requirements.  Whether it is accredited and nationally recognised training, skills cluster training, or purely non accredited specific skills in areas like sales, procurement or finance (to name a few) to address any areas above and make you an even more successful business.  If you are in Australia, New Zealand or Great Britain that furthermore means that we can access to a number of government initiatives to support some of the programs on offer financially.

If you have read through all the above, my guess is that you have nodded at least a couple of times.  Are you ready however to drop me a line or give me a call to set up a meeting over a coffee to start the conversation on how we can add value to your business?

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Wow, what a great year 2012 has been, and it flew by.  Many new relationships and great results in helping businesses achieve better outcomes in productivity and efficiency as well as increased individual skills and massive changes in company culture and leadership.

I'd like to thank all our clients and business partners, the Chase Performance team who have worked tirelessly to ensure customer satisfaction, and most of all our families, who have had to put up with long hours and the ups and downs individual days can bring.

I look forward to an even greater 2013.  Watch this space, as there will be some exciting developments.  If you want to be part of our programs in 2013, please drop me a line or visit our web site:  www.chaseperformance.com

Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy new year!
FroheWeihnachten & ein Glückliches Neues Jahr!

Roland Weber

Culture, Productivity, Kaizen, Lean, Business Improvement

All the above are current buzz words, especially productivity.  No matter which of these areas we focus on, I think we would agree that leadership is of utmost importance.

When talking about the above we mention empowering individuals, and allowing for innovation from within.  But how can we achieve this without effective leadership, and a culture that thrives on the excitement of being involved in creating a better department, company or economy.

The Australian prime minister’s task force came up with a report on manufacturing entitled “Smarter Manufacturing for a Smarter Australia”. (http://www.innovation.gov.au/Industry/Manufacturing/Taskforce/Documents/SmarterManufacturing.pdf)

While looking at the challenges that face the manufacturing sector, the report also focuses on the opportunities that this creates.  It discusses the importance of manufacturing to Australia, the economy and most importantly our people, you, me and our children.

One comment in the report, also made directly to the Prime Minister, Ministers Combet and Shorten was: “We are particularly concerned that leadership and judgement is brought to bear on the ‘perceptions issue’ about Australian manufacturing.”

Again we are talking about leadership and judgement, but the report further outlines the importance of broad-based Australian economy, built on competitiveness, productivity and innovation.

Figure 1.1 below highlights the importance of policy in achieving the above objective through a strong direction created by a solid strategy.  The total report spans over 117 pages and contains detailed data on the manufacturing industry.  I would recommend that you have a good read of it, if you are interested in the future of our country.

Figure 1.1 SMARTER MANUFACTURING FOR A SMARTER AUSTRALIA – POLICY FRAMEWORK

The bottom line however is that while policies can be set, strategies discussed, and recommendations presented, it is up to the individual’s leading the businesses within the sector, as well as the ones supplying the sector, and finally the consumers to ensure the path is sustainable.  Associations and industry councils, advisory boards, the education sector and we as individuals also play an important part.  We all have a hand in shaping the future of this country, as insignificant as it may seem.

At the end of the day, it will be the voice of many that will create a better future.  I think none of us can be under the illusion that it will be easy.  We must accept that severe changes will be required about how and where we do business.  And the “pessimists” must stop the negativity and winching, and should focus on the opportunities that are presented to us.  The faster this happens, the sooner we will move on.

Change can be exciting, although scary at times, and it will mean entering a zone that we are not comfortable with.  But if we are big enough to accept that there are other options, and that we need to open our eyes, we will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

There are many tools that will help us achieve better productivity, leaders, culture and so on.  Not all will work for everyone, but they will allow individuals at the front line to help pave our way to the future.  Together with the right leaders these individuals will create companies that are efficient and sustainable.  There are already many programs available to businesses that will support change financially.  These could be initiatives to support sustainable practices, reduce environmental impacts, or purely arm individuals with the skills required to affect the necessary changes within industry.

For more information on initiatives, leadership, or any other comments, please contact me at Chase Performance on 1300 880 338.  I am located in Melbourne, but regularly visit our offices in Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, and am always happy to have a chat and discuss any of the items above in person over an Espresso.

Best regards

Roland Weber

Lean Six Sigma Case Study - Lab Systems

Problem		Workplace Efficiency / Productivity
Solution		Leaner Principles & Processes via Lean Six Sigma
Implementation		Direct Implementation at the Workplace and for Manufacturing Practises
Improvements		§  Identifying and eliminating waste over the company value stream §  Identifying and developing different departments KPIs §  Improving communication on the shopfloor §  Running special committees to improve and sustain Safety and 5S. Adopting DMAIC as project methodology to deal with complicated problems §  Mistake proofing the process by changing product design §  Reducing inventory by implementing Kanban project

“Regular ongoing interaction is key to improving staff performance”

As specialists in creating state-of-the-art laboratories, LabSystems recognised the benefits of designing streamlined systems to improve workplace efficiencies.

Management turned to the expertise of Chase Performance in September 2010 in order to implement leaner principles into its business processes.

Before long productivity soared as 25 staff underwent the Lean Six Sigma program that helped them create better ways to design, manufacture and install laboratory and clean room equipment such as fume cupboards, fans and associated equipment, laboratory fit outs and chemical storage facilities and cabinets.

Why choose Chase Performance?

LabSystems Operations Manager David Mutimer said Chase Performance’s focus on delivering ongoing training every fortnight ensured new skills were incorporated into the workplace sooner.

David said the actual – rather than theoretical improvements to workplace and manufacturing practices made it a real standout from other service providers. He saw staff training as an investment in his team, many of who had been loyal to the company for more than 20 years. In addition, David recognised the value in ongoing training every fortnight to ensure the new skills were incorporated into staff projects in the workplace between sessions.

“We embarked on this program as part of an overall plan of continuous improvement in the business. With an ageing workforce, we felt the need to up-skill and update our approaches to workplace management.”

Improvements across the board 

• ·    Increased factory efficiency by 10 per cent
• ·    Redesigned factory layout to streamline operations
• ·    Introducing KPIs to boost staff productivity
• ·    Using latest project management tools and data collection to solve problems 
• ·    Significant staff behavioural changes in line with the ‘Lean’ principles and techniques 
• ·    Empowered staff courtesy of improved skills and knowledge
• ·    Improved staff input into their work practices
• ·    Improved communications between management and staff
• ·    Installing information dashboards (big noticeboards) in key locations recording KPIs, minutes of meetings and workplace and safety practices

David said his staff had readily embraced many exciting changes that had led to massive improvements in workplace efficiency. He remains committed to rolling out the program to new staff as well as enabling any staff keen to obtain a higher certificate or diploma.

“Our workplace is now like a pit stop for a racing car. As well as a new layout, we have changed the management of our space as well. There is no clutter, everything is in the right place and the work zones are being upgraded.”