1 Reflect and Review

Now that you have completed your work on Managing Change, let's review our workbook objectives. First:

• You will be better able to initiate improvements in workplace activities.

  There is always scope for improvement in any of the following:

  • the physical conditions in which you and your staff work;

  • the resources you and your staff work with;

  • the relationships you have with other people both within and outside the organization;

  • the procedures you and your staff follow.

  If you make a point of always being on the look-out for possible improvements in any of these areas, you will be contributing to a process of continuous improvement something that more and more organizations are considering essential to their continuing success and prosperity.

  Of course, there is more to initiating improvements than just identifying where they are needed. Before taking any action you may have to investigate the root cause of a problem, using such tools as flowcharts, cause and effect diagrams and the Five Whys.

  You may want to ask yourself the following questions regarding these points:

  • How can I ensure that I identify areas for improvement on a continual basis and actually do something about them?

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  • Do I feel confident about using the tools described in this workbook for identifying the root causes of problems? If not, how might I go about building up this confidence, and perhaps even learning about other tools associated with continuous improvement?

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  The second...