Photo By Tech. Sgt. Ted Nichols | Maj. Kathleen Fabrizi (right), continuous process improvement director for the...... read more read more
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This commentary complements the article "Course trains Guard members to eliminate waste, refine processes".
Introduction
Hello, my name is Master Sgt. Martina Crouse, Pennsylvania Air National Guard Recruiting & Retention Superintendent (RRS). I joined the military 14 years ago as a traditional guard member. Prior to serving as the RRS, I served as the Recruiting and Retention Manager (RRM) for the 193rd Special Operations Wing (SOW).
How did you hear about Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma (LSS) had been frequently mentioned during my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program. In December 2013 as I was wrapping up my MBA, many of my civilian employed classmates were enrolling in Lean Six Sigma to begin shortly after graduation. They encouraged me to do the same, but I was reluctant, not knowing if I could achieve the same results within the military. Shortly after I graduated, I learned several senior officers at the 193rd SOW were championing LSS, and bringing the National Guard Bureau LSS course to Pennsylvania. I attended Pennsylvania’s very first course in June 2014.
Do we need LSS in the Pennsylvania National Guard? Why?
Absolutely! In today’s society, there is massive and ever increasing pressure to do more, produce more, and achieve more. Between the professional demands on our time (living up to our position description, additional duties & responsibilities, training, education, high ops tempo, etc.), and the responsibility we have to our family, kids, pets and friends; it's no wonder many of us feel like we're barely staying above water. The benefits of LSS are boundless, and not only improve efficiency and effectiveness of processes, it positively affects the people under you by engaging them in improving the way they work.
How has LSS benefited me and the Recruiting & Retention (R&R) Team?
I use LSS in all my processes; however, my LSS project specifically focused on the officer accession process at the 193rd SOW, which was a huge success! Historically, the highest number of officers the wing appointed was 17. After attending LSS, we were able to appoint 24 in fiscal year 2014 and in fiscal year 2015; the 193rd SOW exceeded the record for the highest amount of officer accessions in a fiscal year with a total of 31 officer accessions. I am a firm believer in LSS. I always tried to do things efficiently and effectively to get the best value out of my time, but LSS taught me so much. I now apply these methods to every process in the professional realm and even find myself doing so in my personal life (home projects, etc.).
In recruiting and retention, we work with every functional area within the wing (finance, medical, etc.) and outside organizations (events, high schools, Military Entrance Processing Station, etc.), so we are constantly looking at processes to remove waste and lean processes.
Why should military members attend this class?
Time is our most precious commodity, that once spent we can never get back. We must know what our daily priorities are professionally and what is truly most important to us personally, then work and live accordingly. For some people, an efficient mindset comes naturally, but maybe not to the level LSS teaches. For others, they are regularly working overtime, not knowing how to improve processes to free up time. By sending our members to LSS, it will lessen stress and prevent being overworked, which is bad for our members and the National Guard. We need to create an environment for our members that drives more productivity and happiness at work. This isn’t idealism; it’s good business, because happy people are more productive. I think providing tools, such as LSS is the ultimate solution. In fact, studies show that when employees feel that they have a positive effect on the organization, they perform better, are more accountable and live happier lives. The more military members we have attend and get comfortable with LSS skills, the more we will better the culture and climate of the organization by removing problems and waste within the organization. LSS not only helps members become better problem solvers and increases the military organizations productivity; it helps build morale.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2016 22:12 |
| Story ID: | 205407 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,047 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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