2007 Annual Conference

The Leadership Roadmap: Building a Winning Organization

Greetings!
You are invited to join over two hundred and fifty Scanlon Practitioners from thoughout North America for three days of networking, workshops and tours designed to help you create high performance organizations.

You'll learn from experts and practioners who have proven experience. You'll have the opportunity to network and build contacts that will help you when you return home. You'll hear leading edge ideas from keynote speakers, who are a step ahead of the crowd.

You are welcome to attend as an indvidual, but we also encourage you to bring a team from your company. At the Scanlon Conference CEO's and frontline employees learn together. Our conference teams then return to their organizations where they serve as change agents.

We know that most organizations are becoming "lean" and time is precious. The Scanlon Conference includes three days of activities from receptions to tours. You can choose to attend all three days or simply attend the main Conference day on May 2, 2007.

The Scanlon Conference has been held every year since the 1940's making it one of the longest lasting gatherings of business people. It has enjoyed this long run because it brings together the best ideas in leadership, and high performance organizations. Come to the conference and become a part of our tradition of excellence.


Why Attend the Scanlon Conference?
"Winning at any endeavor requires a competitive edge, and ability to outperform the competition consistently and definitively. That's called success - a simple word that is not so simple to understand, let alone achieve. In business we define success as meeting the needs of all major stakeholder groups (customers, employees, investors, suppliers, and communities) consistently over the short and the long term. The concepts of The Leadership Roadmap are unique in melding the best wisdom of the business community into a coherent and concise whole - understanding that to be successful, an organization needs the right people systems and the right business systems. This integrated approach to the leadership of people, lean enterprise, and innovation is the universal success driver for any organization (manufacturing, service, not-for-profit, etc.) and for all leaders. It is the only way to achieve a solid competitive advantage, as it ensures the most efficient and effective use of resources."
(excerpted from The Leadership Roadmap, Dwane Baumgardner and Russ Scaffede)

You Will Enjoy these Benefits:

• Learning cutting-edge Scanlon-related theories and techniques from national experts and those who are practicing these concepts every day


• Reinvigorating yourself and your employees with important ideas and tools from 30 dynamic workshop sessions


• Building strengths that will help you manage complex, changing systems


• Networking with people who are facing the same issues you are, and discovering solutions together


• Finding inspiration to face your challenges with confidence - personally, professionally, and organizationally


• Enhancing your abilities to communicate and handle relationships effectively

Where & When: Radisson Plaza HotelKalamazoo, MIMay 1-3, 2007

May 1, 2007

Welcome Reception, Member Exhibits, Best Practices and Ceremonies 5:00 - 9:00

These events will be combined into one long celebration! All activities will be in the Exhibition Hall (lower level of the Radisson).

Welcome Reception: Appetizers will be served, along with a cash bar, and the ever popular ice breaker. The fee for the reception is $15/person.

Member Exhibits: As part of the networking process, members set up display tables to show off their products to participants and their Best Practices. Best Practice Award winners will be honored at a ceremony during the reception.

Cost: $15

May 2, 2007

Conference Agenda

8:00 - 8:45 Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:45 - 9:15 Opening Remarks

9:15 - 9:45 Opening Keynote - Dwane Baumgardner, former CEO Magna Donnelly (pictured top) The Leadership Roadmap: People

9:45 - 10:15 Second Keynote - Shingo Winner Russ Scaffede (pictured middle) The Leadership Roadmap: Lean Enterprise

10:30 - 11:30 1st Concurrent sessions

11:30 - 12:30 Lunch

12:30 - 1:30 2nd Concurrent sessions

1:45 - 2:45 3rd Concurrent sessions

3:00 - 3:30 Scanlon Stewardship Award Presentation

3:30 - 4:00 Closing Keynote - Praveen Gupta, Accelper Consulting (pictured bottom) Business Innovation in the 21st Century

4:00 - 4:30 Audience Reaction Team with Keynoters

4:30 - 4:45 Action Planning

4:45 - 4:50 Closing Remarks

4:50 - 5:30 Rallies (company delegations meet)

Cost:

Members $25

Nonmembers $475

Scanlon Foundation: (Contact Office@scanlonleader.org for membership info:)Level 1 $375Level 2 $250

Workshops:

5 Alignments of Hoshin Kanri: Dr. Michael Moore, MSU School of Labor Industrial Relations and Dr. Bill Mothersell, Grand Valley State University Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment) is an essential part of any lean initiative. See how US companies are achieving great success by following the method Toyota actually uses.

Annual Planning and The Leadership Roadmap: Bill Main, President Witness how Landscape Forms uses The Leadership Roadmap in the creation of their Annual Plans. For anyone involved in strategic planning

Appreciating Appreciative Inquiry: Adrian Bass, Director, Capitol Quality Initiative Appreciative Inquiry (AI) - is both a theory and an approach to organizational change. AI is the search for the best in people and their organizations. It involves both art and practice of asking questions to seek the positive for organizational change. This session will introduce you to AI and involve you an a short activity which is one of the basic elements.

The Art of Giving Great Service: Stas' Kazmierski & Jude Walton, Managing Partners The innovative customer service of Zingerman's has propelled them from a 2-person deli to a multi-functional corporation and national training house - in just 25 years! Come learn why INC. Magazine calls Zingerman's "The Coolest Small Company in America" and Fast Company has dubbed them a "Customer Service Local Hero".

Crucial Conversations: Gary Miller, Support Analyst/Training Manager, SGS Tool Co. Whenever you're not getting the results you are looking for, it's likely that a Crucial Conversation is keeping you stuck. Whether it's a problem with poor quality, slow time-to-market, declining customer satisfaction or a strained relationship - if you can't talk honestly you can expect poor results. The best practice of Crucial Conversations reverses this situation.

Dealing with Stress and Change in Teams: Dr. Greg Huszczo, Scanlon Consultant Let's face it, teams, leadership and change may be the right things to deal with but they still make our work lives stressful even when they go well. In this workshop we will identify the main sources of "TLC" stress and learn how to use three major strategies to successfully deal with stress in today's world of work. Techniques for each strategy will be discussed and training in a technique to achieve a deep, whole body relaxation response will be provided. For team leaders and members

Driving Change with Survey Data: Kerry Pletch, Wescast OE Specialist All companies use surveys to determine how well they are doing on certain criteria. But how can the data be used to make sure that change actually comes out of the results? You will see how Wescast uses their Employer of Choice surveys to improve operations and maintain leadership credibility.

Hands-On Lean Training with the Lean Sim. Machine: Tim Shannon, Director of Inside Sales, SGS Tool Co. The Lean Sim. Machine gives participants the opportunity to see the real-world gains a business can make utilizing lean principles and practices. The simulation is fast-paced, engaging and memorable. This session will offer a brief description of the educational opportunities presented by the Lean Sim and then actual hands-on experience with the simulation. For those with low to moderate exposure to lean principles, or have not seen the simulation previously

Humor, Risk and Change: Marge Holata, Director of Associate Involvement, SGS Tool Co. Humor skills are a vital component of a healthy, readily adaptable and creative workforce. This video lesson imparts the value and power of humor. The skills imparted in this session are common to people who thrive in environments of rapid change.

Kaizen for Business Processes: A cross-functional panel of Landscape Forms' office kaizen event team members will show you their eye-opening journey, and share what they learned about how their jobs are all interrelated. For office personnel

Innovation Methodologies: Praveen Gupta, Accelper Consulting Business innovation is not well understood but increasingly critical to an organization's health. Praveen will show you how to institutionalize innovation and thereby achieve sustained profitable growth.

Innovating with Wescast's Stage Gate Process: Rob Logan, Materials R&D Leader The Wescast "Evergreen" process is used to track, score and prioritize new product/materials development projects. Each project uses a stage gate approach involving the customer, employee and management to evaluate the new products and materials. This participative process involves various levels of management and employees requiring technical, marketing and operational cross-functional teams.

Leadership and Values at Auto Owners Insurance Co.: Elaine Fhaner, CFO Auto Owners has a truly unique and powerful organizational culture in a highly competitive industry. You will learn how the "No Problem' people meld their 9 Core Values with their leadership and business philosophies to accomplish this.

Leadership Round Table: Dwane Baumgardner will facilitate this Top Leadership brainstorming session, which will expand on the ideas he and Russ Scaffede present in their morning keynote speeches. For senior executives

Leading Lean Transformations: Russ Scaffede After several decades of companies attempting to implement lean systems using Toyota's tools, very few have accomplished the success of Toyota. A combined understanding of the Scanlon Principles and of Lean Philosophies is the missing answer. This understanding and implementation must be lead by the senior executives and we will discuss the establishment of their lean vision and the support required to make this a success for your company. For senior executives

Leading with Vision: Rob Ptacek, Competitive Edge Associates This interactive workshop is based on the "Power of Vision" video by the renowned author and futurist Joel Barker. Participants will view a brief video, then form small groups to brainstorm how they and their companies can use the power of vision to inspire people to high achievement and success.

Lean Accounting - The First Steps: Peggy Neale, Finance Manager If you are considering implementing Lean Accounting or just want to learn more, this workshop provides practical information about Lean Accounting principles, concepts, and tools. Landscape Forms, whose journey from traditional to lean accounting began last fall, shares their experiences through the first steps.

Participative Team Building: Jim Liggett, Ropes Courses Inc. Jim Liggett knows how to use fun, participative team building exercises to build camaraderie and impart some Scanlon wisdom. Come learn while having fun!

The Scanlon Principles Implemented: Paul Davis, President Scanlon Leadership Network How do you make Identity, Participation, Equity and Competence a reality in your company? Paul Davis will present options for implementing each Principle using case studies and best practices of member companies.

Scanlon 101: Paul Davis, President Scanlon Leadership Network Learn the history and development of the Scanlon way of doing business. For those with little or no knowledge of Scanlon

Tools for Team Turnarounds: Dr. Greg Huszczo, Scanlon Consultant What can we do to turn around our organizations when things get bad? This session will provide a ten step process to insure the successful participation of leaders at all levels. Tools for navigating each of the steps will be provided.

Wescast's Operating System and Lean Transformation: David Fish, Lean/Sigma Project Leader At this workshop you will learn about the design of Wescast's Operating System (WOS). This participative workshop will include an overview of challenges and successes of the WOS implementation at the manufacturing work team level. For supervisors and shop floor personnel

Why People Do What They Shouldn't Do and What to Do About It: Rob Ptacek, Competitive Edge Associates This interactive workshop will teach the 16 reasons why people do not do what they are supposed to do. Participants will develop an action plan to improve their ability to help others achieve. They will also learn tools to diagnose the cause of poor performance and under-achievement, then participatively develop strategies to improve their performance and the performance of others.

May 3, 2007

Tours of West Michigan Scanlon Companies

Tours of West Michigan Scanlon Companies are a Conference highlight! Participants will be guided on a facility tour, followed by a Q & A session. Transportation and lunch are provided. See how lean, innovation, and the Scanlon Principles are practiced.

Cost:

Members of the Network $25

Nonmembers $50

Where & When: Magna Donnelly, Landscape Forms, Trans-Matic, or Nicholas Plastics 9:00-Noon

Registration and Hotel InformationOverview

The Scanlon Leadership Network and Foundation have reserved a block of rooms at the Radisson Plaza for $125 for a single. To receive the block rate you must make your hotel reservation by April 6th. Call 269-343-3333 or visit their web site at www.radissonkz.com.

The Scanlon Conference registration is quick and easy for teams or for individuals. To obtain a registration package please call 517-332-8927 or email Office@scanlonleader.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2007 Scanlon Conference! Please forward this email to those who you feel would enjoy networking with us.

Sincerely,
The Scanlon Leadership Network Conference Planning Team

REGISTER NOW!

Download a conference information package and registration forms by clicking here....Conference package as a pdf file.

Scanlon March 2007 E-zine

Greetings!
The 2007 Scanlon Conference will be one of the best in our over 40 years of hosting the conference, judging by the caliber of the speakers and workshops. Please take a look at our brochure and join over 250 Scanlon practitioners on May 1-3 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. If you are interested in Scanlon, Leadership, Lean Systems, and Innovation you won't want to miss this year's conference.



Ideas Are Contagious
As a former Director of Marketing Communications for a Fortune 300 firm, I had to approve requests for staffers who wanted to attend a conference or symposium of some sort. (Tony Adolfi pictured) Usually it was routine because the conferences were related to advertising, public relations and/or sales promotion, all disciplines under my jurisdiction and clearly work related.

Invariably I approved the requests until I decided to “measure” the value my staff was getting from the conferences. I used a simple, one-question test. “Tell me about one new idea you learned at the conference and how you intend to apply it to your job?”

I was chagrined and they were embarrassed when they hemmed and hawed and made it obvious they didn’t have one. They followed the practice that some of my students used when I taught at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and the University of Nebraska. When they didn’t know the answer to an essay question they wrote about everything they could think of whether it was on target or not. Needless to say I continued to approve requests for staff to attend work-related conferences but they returned to work more than prepared for my question.

It was amazing how many good, new ideas they came back to work with, many of which were helpful and practical for application in our department. We quickly sorted out which meetings offered the greatest substance and which were more sound and fury with an abundance of social activities and sports than serious topics with top keynote speakers and excellent leaders in the workshops.

I have been writing about the Scanlon Leadership Network and its member firms for the past decade and one theme that repeatedly surfaced in the dozens of interviews I have conducted with CEOs and other top management and front line employees is why they value the Network.

They have all learned from other managers and employees in member firms especially at the Annual Conference where CEOs and front line employees rub shoulders and mingle freely to talk about how they are implementing the Scanlon principles. Every member puts its own spin on the principles with customized plans designed to fit the goals of their own firms.

When I interviewed employees in the workplace after they attended the Conference, they took great pride in telling me about the new ideas they picked up and were implementing at their companies. They took equal pride in sharing their ideas with others at the Conference. This exchange of ideas is one of the real benefits of the Network’s Annual Conference. Some member firms bring anywhere from one to a dozen employees to the Conference. SGS Tool is bringing 25 employees to this year's conference.

It clearly passes my test with honors with top management and front line workers going home from the Conference brimming with new ideas to refresh and renew their Scanlon Plans.

It is this excitement and interest that has made the Annual Conference a success for more than 50 years. It is one of the oldest, continuing Conferences of its kind with a packed agenda that includes outstanding keynote speakers and workshops and ample opportunity to share information and gather new ideas from other members. (See the other articles in this e- zine about the Conference.) Plan now to attend and invite several of your colleagues to join you. Forward this e-zine to others in your firm and share the information about the Conference.

(For information call 517-332-8927 or visit the Scanlon Web Site at www.scanlonleader.org or call your Conference Coordinator.)

(This article was written by A. J. Adolfi, President of Marketing Communications Inc in Washington, PA, 15301. His e-mail is tadolfi@marketingcomm.net)



Lean-Scanlon Authors Present Roadmap for Successful Leadership
Two renowned business leaders with decades of experience at the top of two very diverse firms and industries will share their Leadership Roadmap in their keynote presentation at the Network’s Annual Conference May 1-3 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo.

Former Donnelly Corporation Chairman and CEO and the President of the Scanlon Foundation, Dwane Baumgardner and Russ Scaffede, President of Lean Manufacturing Systems Group, LLC and the former VP Manufacturing of Tiara Yachts are co-authors of a new book The Leadership Roadmap which focuses on their leadership experiences and how Scanlon Principles, lean and innovation can drive organizational success. (Dwane-top, Russ-bottom)

“We will layout a leadership roadmap for attendees integrating Scanlon Principles, lean and innovation. In our opinion these are the only three processes that really matter when trying to achieve success,” said Baumgardner.

Scaffede and Baumgardner will also define their meaning of success and give attendees a broader sense of how Scanlon and Lean manufacturing principles and innovation contribute to both short-term as well as success over a long period of time.

“We will be presenting beneficial information that can be effective for any organization,” said Scaffede.

Conference attendees will receive handouts during the keynote speech and will have an opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with Baumgardner and Scaffede.

Dwane Baumgardner is a Scanlon Steward award winner and serves on numerous Boards including president of the Scanlon Foundation. He has a lifetime of experience in developing participative, lean and innovative cultures.

Russ Scaffede is a winner of the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing and former plant manager of the Toyota Engine Plant in Georgetown. Russ is also an exceptional Lean Sensei.



Six-Sigma/Innovation Author To Speak On Innovation for Profitable Business Growth
At this year’s Scanlon Annual Conference Praveen Gupta, President, Accelper Consulting will be addressing attendees on the topic of Innovation for profitable Business Growth during his Keynote speech. (Praveen pictured)

Gupta will speak to Scanlon members about aiming for business growth through innovation and creating jobs in the community they operate. Through delivering his speech he hopes the audience will see the process to achieve growth, learn about basic tools, become inspired to take action in their workplace to achieve excellence and plan to grow new business.

“We need to create new opportunities for employees to grow and do better, rather than dwelling on keeping jobs or losing employment,” said Gupta.

During his Keynote address he will touch on topics such as measures of performance improvement, acceptance vs. excellence, learn what customers love to have, continual creativity and innovation on demand, importance of employees having fun at work, and value of recognizing employees for excellence.

“Everyone is affected by the current state of business. Managers are having a tough time keeping up with the bottom line and employees are having a tough time meeting the growing demands for quality and productivity. Aiming for growth will solve many problems that organizations face today. Innovation is the way because it requires employee participation, which is also one of the principles of the Scanlon Philosophy,” said Gupta.

During his speech Gupta will demonstrate acceptance vs. excellence; and participants will each receive a Performance wristband, and handout. To conclude there will be a question and answer portion.

Gupta has gained extensive experience in the filed of business management over 25 years. He has been a pioneer of Six Sigma methodology at Motorola and of optimizing business performance by using his Execution Map consisting of Business Scorecard, Six Sigma, innovation and process management. He also writes a monthly column,” Six Sigma Sense” as well as has authored and co-authored several books. He holds a BSEE from the Indian Institute of Technology and an MSEE from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Gupta teaches at DePaul University, and Illinois Institute of Technology. Gupta is a Fellow of AS



People! People! People! That’s What It’s About at SGS
“That is what Scanlon is all about, making people understand how important they are to their organization. Attending the Annual Conference also creates a better understanding of the Scanlon Principles and Processes resulting in stronger, more profitable organizations,” said Marge Holata, Director of Associate Involvement, SGS Tool Company.

For the past nine years SGS Tool Company of Munroe Falls, OH has sent attendees to the Scanlon Leadership Annual Conference so they can benefit from the personal and organizational development it has to offer.

Every year this increases the overall number of employees who understand Scanlon and the importance of learning, participating, being accountable and committed.

Representing SGS this year at the Annual Conference will be Tom Haag, President, Jeff Burton, Executive VP of Manufacturing and 25 other employees.

“The more participants SGS sends, the better. For every person that understands the value and contribution of Scanlon to our organization the more our business can get out of it,” said Holata.

SGS also uses the Annual Conference to bring employees together who may never have the opportunity to interact at work. All seven SGS company buildings are located in a ten-mile radius. The four- hour bus ride and the three days spent at the Conference has created new friendships and a more cooperative and enjoyable work environment for SGS upon returning home.

"Going to the Conference with an open mind will really help you learn a lot about your own company and how they use the Scanlon Principles and Processes. You get a real WOW feeling,” said Fred Lloyd, SGS Tool Company, 2003 Conference attendee.
To learn more about SGS Tool Company....



Do Good, Get Discounts, Tax Deduction; Foundation Opens Door to Individuals
For the first time, Individuals may now join the Scanlon community! The Scanlon Foundation has created a class of individual memberships for those who do not work for a Scanlon organizations but who want to help create better organizations through the Scanlon Principles.

There are significant benefits for those who join. The first is knowing that membership fees will be tax deductible and offer a discount on the fee for the Annual Conference and discounts on current and new products and services offered by the Foundation.

The memberships are geared toward those who do not work for a member company but are interested in being part of the Scanlon community.

“There has always been interest in individual memberships but until now we have not been able to make them available. We’re excited that individual members are now able to be part of Scanlon and what it has to offer,” said Majel Maes, Director of Programs and Administration, Scanlon Leadership Network.

For more information on how to become an individual member of the Scanlon Foundation contact Majel Maes at 517-332-8927 or email office@scanlonleader.org.
To download the Scanlon Foundation brochure....