MENU Virtual CI Training and Project Work
Orion Development Group (ODG) is proud to announce the “virtual” launch of Continuous Improvement WAVE 6 at Santee Cooper, the public utility of South Carolina.
Five years ago, Santee Cooper engaged ODG to guide them through an end-to-end cultural transformation. This would include developing an internal cadre of Continuous Improvement (CI) experts who can facilitate collaborative problem solving at all levels of the organization. In 2019, an amazing 93% of the workforce engaged in CI via training, transformation projects, Kaizen events, or “quick hits” on the front line.
As we entered 2020 and prepared to develop a new group of internal experts in Wave 6, COVID-19 threw us all a huge curve ball. Due to both state and corporate restrictions, neither classroom training nor in-person working sessions were permitted; all 40 plus participants would have to adopt a virtual approach to Wave 6. Like so many other companies, Orion had no choice but to rethink and then redesign our curriculum, our working sessions, and the technology used to deliver it. Partnering with the Santee Cooper’s CI Coaches and Leadership team, we reconfigured our entire curriculum to be delivered virtually – with every participant segregated from one another to ensure the risk of the virus transfer is minimized.
The custom CI curriculum at Santee Cooper includes five modules supported by three real-world improvement projects. Three teams of 12 members –each team representing all company functions– are participating in these workshops using WebEx Training as the delivery platform. After each workshop, teams are assigned tasks to reinforce their skills as they complete their project work.
At the close of this Wave, as with the previous five, these SC employees will return to their work areas with a more process-centric perspective as well as the skills and experience that is needed to sustain Santee Cooper’s transformation.