Many people aspire to leadership positions within their organization, but it takes more than an impressive title to be truly effective at leading a team. 

Good leadership is vital to an organization’s success and to growing and particularly in retaining a strong team. A 2015 survey of over 7000 adults from market research firm Gallup found that about 50 percent had left a job at some point “to get away from their manager.”

1. Ask the Right Questions 

So what does it take to be an effective leader? According to SCS Leadership Essentials Certificate instructor Tom Barker, the first thing it takes is a willingness to pose important and sometimes difficult questions to which they do not have the answers. “This is uncomfortable yet vital. The leader needs to have the courage of their convictions to pose the question and stay with it.” 

Barker sites leaders like Shelley Lazarus of Ogilvy and Mather who asked the right questions to inspire the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.

“Organizations are full of smart people, but alas they are also awash with contradictory information, issues and noise,” explains Barker. “A leader can help everyone around them focus on what’s important, and then the smart folks can do the rest.”

2. Avoid Common Pitfalls

In addition to asking the right questions, it is vital for leaders to be authentic. 
“People who adopt superficial leadership behaviours, saying the right buzzwords are quickly unmasked by colleagues and associates alike,” says Barker. “Authentic leadership comes from having and using clear personal values, being able to work with people and having people want to work with you. At the other end of the spectrum it also means being able to align your own goals with the organization’s business goals. That’s why the Leadership Essentials Certificate has helped so many leaders, as it provides an opportunity to improve all these areas.”

3. Develop Skills before you Need them

Another common pitfall aspiring leaders can fall into is waiting until they find themselves in a leadership position to develop their leadership skills. Barker says it’s important to work on developing your leadership skills from whatever position you are in so that when the opportunity to lead comes you will be ready. “I use the analogy of facilitation. Its difficult to facilitate a large business meeting. But people don’t wake up one morning and say ‘I think I’ll offer to facilitate the business planning meeting today’. That would be risky. Instead they could start to use facilitative behaviours in their interactions and meetings, things like summarizing discussions, validating other’s opinions and so on,” he explains. 
“That way they are building skills as they go, taking small steps and mastering valuable skills each year.”

4. Think Critically and Manage Conflict

For a leader to successfully motivate a team, they also need to let go of the notion that there is only one right answer to an issue. “One of the realities that leaders recognize is that there is no such thing as the right point of view on any issue. There are many points of view corresponding to all the stakeholders and they are all different,” says Barker. “A leader who has the skills and strategies of conflict management to work through the options with stakeholders to reach an agreement, and the critical thinking skills to structure a win-win solution is one who will be in high demand.”

5. Be a Lifelong Learner 

Finally, a critical component of successful leadership is the desire and willingness to keep learning. Barker says this is true for three reasons. “First because we either move forward and learn more or we slip backwards into unthinking repletion and lazy convenience,” he says. “The way to keep improving is to keep learning new things and challenging ourselves. Secondly, because to lead is to model behaviour, and if we want others to be inspired to learn then we must do so ourselves. Thirdly, to lead is to listen and in order to listen well requires us the believe that the person is going to tell us something that we can learn from. The desire to keep learning is the hallmark of all the good leaders I’ve ever met.

Instructor Michael Mladjenovic explains how Lean Six Sigma differs from project management, and the business challenges it can help address. 

Lean Six Sigma aims to improve business processes and reduce inefficiencies 

Project Management and Lean Six Sigma have some common elements. Both methods use a team and project approach in order to create value for their customers and organizations. Project Management is focused on how to get a project up and running while effectively and efficiently utilizing resources. On the other hand, Lean Six Sigma focuses on how to simplify and improve capabilities of business processes. It is based on the application of DMAIC framework and realized on a team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation. 

LSS can be applied to any industry 

Lean Six Sigma business improvement methodology has been applied to all industry sectors: healthcare, government, manufacturing, education, financial services, pharmaceutical and IT. We can say that Lean Six Sigma implementation can expand value creation, simplify processes, reduce non-value-added activities and waste, improve workflows, increase process efficiency and effectiveness, eliminate defects and rework, increase customer satisfaction, generate financial benefits, and increase employee engagement and satisfaction. 

LSS is a useful skill set for professionals at any stage of their careers  

Everything we do is a process and processes can be improved using Lean Six Sigma methodology. Over the 8 years I’ve been teaching Lean Six Sigma at UofT SCS I had the privilege of teaching hundreds of students. I had the pleasure to transfer Lean Six Sigma expertise to fresh graduates, new immigrants, people with high school, trade or university degree, aspiring managers, people in transition, people at president, senior VP, and director levels. After receiving a Lean Six Sigma training they were able to immediately implement the learned skills at their workplace. 

Dr. Michael Mladjenovic is a Master Black Belt, whose professional experience includes senior leadership positions in manufacturing, engineering, continuous improvement, and quality assurance. He teaches Advanced Lean Six Sigma Techniques, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Online. 

For Salima Mithani, coming to Canada from Pakistan was an opportunity to expand her educational horizons, help others, and immerse herself in a new and diverse culture. But before she could pursue these dreams, Salima needed to navigate the immigration process. 

As a nurse working in Pakistan, Salima was passionate about healing. “I was eager to transition from a clinical background and begin studying the preventative side of health,” says Salima.  “Working with underserved communities back home, I saw so much inequality, which inspired me to go beyond bedside care, and explore the preventative side of health. I wanted to know how we can prevent people, particularly women and children, from needing medical treatment in the first place.” She began exploring study options abroad, and decided Canada was the perfect place to continue her studies.

“My goal was to come to Canada, obtain my nursing license, and then apply for a Master of Public Health at Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto,” shares Salima. “But first, I needed to immigrate to Canada as a skilled nurse successfully, and that meant submitting an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to prove my credentials.” 

Time was not on Salima’s side: she needed to apply quickly to meet a strict deadline due to a cap on nursing applications. “I chose Comparative Education Service (CES) at SCS because I found the website easy to navigate, and the process seemed more straight-forward compared to other options,” says Salima, who was admittedly nervous about meeting her deadline. “My credential assessor knew my situation and constantly kept me in the loop about the status of my application. We were regularly in touch, and whenever I had a question, I always heard back within 24 hours, which was a huge relief. It was comforting to connect with my specific assessor, who cared about my file, and was working hard to ensure I would meet my application deadline.”

Not only did Salima submit her immigration application on time and move to Canada in 2016, she also obtained her nursing license, and was accepted into her program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. In June 2019, she graduated with a Master of Public Health, specializing in Health Promotion and Global Health, with a focus on maternal and child health. Today, she is living in Ottawa, working as a Clinical Research Coordinator for a Global Maternal and Child Health Project. Next, she plans to pursue online studies in Project Management at SCS, to grow her coordination abilities. 

“Coming to Canada and studying at the University of Toronto has been amazing,” smiles Salima. “So many doors have opened for me both personally and professionally. I feel proud to be part of such a diverse country that has so much to offer. Every day I keep learning new perspectives, and I’m excited to help promote health equity in Canada and abroad.”

CES offers a $200 voucher towards any course at SCS to all clients who take advantage of our Comparative Education Service.

"The army taught me teamwork, communication, and how to lead by example” reflects Larry Chan. “These skills shaped me into a soldier, the person that I am today, and the business professional that I’m aspiring to be.”

Larry started his military career as an infantry soldier in the reserves. After transferring from the infantry to become a medic in the army, he eventually joined the Special Forces. When his term of service came to an end, he decided to focus on spending more time with his family, and launching a new career. “I watched friends and colleagues struggle with their transition from the military to civilian life, and wanted to arm myself with the tools to succeed. That’s why I came to SCS.”

Larry decided to pursue his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, taking CPA preparatory courses at SCS. “The program was very flexible and gave me the opportunity to learn quickly and efficiently. It connected me with expert instructors like Bartosz Amerski, who acted as a mentor to me and helped shape my career” says Larry, who won a 2018 Marilyn Booth Award of Excellence from SCS. 

Today, Larry is an Auditor in the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, and aims to complete his CPA in 2021. “I want to actively contribute to society by having a fulfilling career and continuing to serve” he says. In the  future, Larry aims to earn an MBA  and continue growing as the industry evolves. “The development and implementation of artificial intelligence and automation will change the future of accounting” he says. “People will need to bring deeper meaning to the numbers, and do what machines cannot do, in order to remain relevant.”

 “The  development and implementation of artificial intelligence and automation will change the future of accounting."

The skills and values Larry gained in the military are still in full force. He is now involved with Treble Victor, or 3V, an organization that connects past and currently serving soldiers to help ease the transition from a life of service to civilian life. “It’s important to turn around and lend a hand to the person behind you, to help them over that wall” he says. “Everyone hangs up their uniform eventually. We need to be reminded not to dwell on the end of one journey, but to focus on the exciting challenges ahead.”   

Ready to transform your career? Find programs and courses that align with your interests here. 

Agile Made My Team a Learning Tribe

Organizations today are confronted with rapidly changing technology, new competitors, and a diversified workforce. In order to succeed, they have to do things differently, find new ways to build performing teams, and get work done well. Becoming a learning culture is part of the story organizations are starting to write for themselves.

Building a learning culture 

When I led a team of developers and project management practitioners, my focus was on them. I knew that if we built a high performing team, we would be very successful in what we were doing. One way of keeping the team motivated and engaged was through lots of practical training that was customized for their needs. When we started working in Agile development- a different way of working that complements project management and helps projects deliver value to the customer- training was mandatory. Having the team trained as early as possible in our transition to Agile meant that they all learned the same concepts and methods, and decided together which ones to adopt first. 

They learned how to work as a team and, most importantly, how to rely on each other, take action, and make and own decisions for their tasks. The fact that they knew they had options and budget for training was very important to them, and I always encouraged them to sign up for any development opportunity. It brought the best out of them, and created a learning culture that fostered innovative and productive ideas. 

The right training for your organization

Project teams have become small learning organizations, and the ability to create teams who learn is the goal for every business leader. Agile training focuses on values, principles, and practices, therefore bringing learning to a more applicable level. You need to find the type of training that brings the most return on investment for your team, without feeling you need to make any sacrifices. As your organization gets more competitive, and the focus to create growth occupies most of our times as leaders, we forget we need to allow time for training. Putting training time in everyone’s calendar is part of the commitment to learning.

Top trends agile has created

Technology is a powerful driving force in our society and culture. The complexity of new technology models created a need for better and leaner delivery approaches, so Agile was born. Agile practices have created some trends in the working space that cannot be ignored:  

Safe space 
Genuine Agile teams operate in safe environments where new ideas are welcome, people are highly engaged, experimentation is mandatory, and failure is not sanctioned. The safe space encourages transparency and collaboration at all levels of the organization, making people more aware of their strengths and weaknesses. 

Tribe 
People work better and achieve more together, rather than at the individual level. Group training is always more powerful than one-on-one training because of interactions, shared vision, and positive competition. Learning and working as a tribe can strongly influence the culture of your organization to prepare it for rapid changes and disruption. 

Coaching 
Coaching provides an external perspective on your organization and makes you more prepared to learn, and receive guidance and advice. Organizations tend to stop learning when they get stuck in typicality and status quo. The coach can provide active awareness of a team to keep the focus on behaviours and practices that help achieve collective greatness.

The future of Agile

Agile implementations are driven by two forces: inspection and adaptation. That means the team will adapt their practices based on the learnings they accumulate while performing work. Agile is building an environment for learning and continuous improvement, and rarely does training needs to be enforced. The team decides on when and how they need training, and sometimes they are willing to pay for it because they want to learn more. 
My perspective on the future of Agile is around the team. Agile teams will continue to grow and mature much faster than traditional teams. We will see more agile teams wanting to work in environments that are transparent and open, that are focused on results and making value for customers, and less focused on waste and politics. Mature teams grow into self-organizing, predictable mini-companies, with the right blend of leadership skills, focus, and autonomy. These powerful teams will help organizations succeed in executing their strategies. Spotify is the best example, where these teams exist in the form of Squads, Tribes, Chapters, or Guilds. 

Build a learning organization

Peter Senge, founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL) and MIT Sloan senior lecturer, argues that learning organizations require changes in leadership practices. The traditional leader who used to set direction, make key decisions, and energize the troops, is now seen as operating from an individualistic perspective. This leadership model is based on assumptions that people lack personal vision, are unable to master change, and have no power to make things happen; deficits that can only be remedied by great leaders. 
In learning organizations, leaders are designers, coaches, and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations where people continuously expand their capabilities and understand complexity. Building a learning culture will foster a mentality of mastery, productivity, and creativity. That is “generative learning”: learning enhanced by the people’s own desire to store the information and apply the knowledge to different situations. The fact that people become owners of their actions toward learning, and sharing that learning with the rest of the organization, is a recipe for success. 
Learning gets to the heart of what we are as humans. We become able to re-invent ourselves and therefore re-invent the organizations we work for.

Joanna Tivig facilitates Project Management and Agile Project Management in our Corporate Training Program. She is a Senior Leader with more than 10 years of experience delivering major projects, mostly in the Financial Services industry. Currently, Joanna is AVP, Digital Channels, at Investors Group, and previously held numerous senior leadership roles at Scotiabank, most recently Director of Development - B2E Mobile Solutions. She has strong change management skills, influencing organisations to implement new technologies that lead to high efficiency and productivity. Joanna also acquired international business experience across different countries and industries in Europe, Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Industry insider and SCS instructor Joanna Tivig shares her expert perspective on the art of project management:

I started my career as a project manager, working in a newly formed Project Management Office (PMO) for one of the largest banks in the GTA. The PMO rapidly became a center of excellence, where the most critical and high-risk projects were assigned to the best project managers in the organization. We were the ‘A’ team, and training was a key ingredient. Through professional training, we were learning the right knowledge to apply in a constantly challenging environment. It allowed us to make the adjustments necessary to achieve success. 

Soon, we extended the training to the project teams as well as the leadership teams. We acknowledged the importance of aligning all levels of the organization to the principles of project management. That ensured everyone spoke the same language, targeted the same outcomes, and appreciated the effort that goes into managing projects. 

As I advanced in my career and became a leader of a digital development team, my team was my priority. I wanted to give them the support and the tools necessary to be successful. Project management training was a big part of this strategy, and it inspired a desire for continuous learning and improvement. I only had to give my team the opportunity to take the courses, and they brought the rest: motivation, flexibility, and the transparency of a learning team. Clearly, I am big advocate of project management training!

Project management is an art; it is the art of managing projects successfully for the benefit of the customer. It is about doing things right. It is not coincidental that each project is unique, and therefore it needs to be managed in a unique way. It takes a lot of talent, passion, and skill to manage projects successfully. Everything is done with a purpose: to deliver an outcome that in the end has the right ingredients for the customer. Project Management Alliance conducted a survey in 2017 that shows project management training boosts the success of projects by 26%, while 67% of project managers believe that training improves project performance. This indicates that having the right training for your organization is the key to successful project implementations. 

In today’s changing market, companies are facing a serious challenge: getting qualified people. Finding the right people to deliver the right things for your company is not an easy task. As an employer recruiting new talent, you demand prior experience, knowledge, attitude, availability, and differentiation. For that, you need to find a way to prioritize the ‘must-haves,’ and build the other skills another way. That’s what project management training is for. Good quality training is designed to teach a combination of hard and soft skills, to help people build the knowledge they need and apply it in real-life scenarios.

As a mandatory skill, project management needs to be continuously developed. New concepts are frequently introduced to facilitate the way we work as project managers while helping our project teams deliver better results. Whether it is Waterfall, Lean, or Agile, the way we are managing projects is constantly changing. We are asking for more flexibility, faster decision making, more continuous improvement through incremental experimentation, and better attention to the needs of the customer. All these new requirements are demanding different ways of working, new methods, and innovative processes.

During my last 10 years as an instructor at SCS, I’ve had the pleasure to watch learners transform themselves into better professionals by taking project management courses. Even after the course is complete, they still rave about how SCS helped them become successful in their careers, while applying the concepts they learned in real situations. This made me realize how impactful our job as instructors is, and how quality training can impact the professional lives of people in search of new knowledge.

Passing the CFA program instructor Michael Hlinka reflects on what it takes to succeed in his class, and why the Chartered Financial Analyst designation is so in demand. 

Success in Passing the CFA is a matter of time and commitment

To drive success in the CFA Exam preparation program, the most important thing that any learner can do is put in the requisite time. My estimate is that most students require between fifteen to twenty hours a week each and every week up until the examination day. Now I focus the students’ efforts. On a weekly basis I provide a very detailed study schedule that is telling each student what they should be doing and where they should be at each point along the way. So there’s definitely guidance, but guidance without time just doesn’t do it. You simply have to put in the time. You have got to make the commitment. And if you do, there’s a very high chance for success.

Open channels of communication with instructors help learners master material quickly

I believe that my accessibility contributes a great deal to student success. I make a real commitment, during working hours, to get back to student questions, whether by email or telephone, within hours if not minutes. What this allows a student to do is to get the questions that they need answered immediately so that they can move on and start mastering the difficult material.

Hundreds of short video modules support learning process

The course methodology goes something like this: I don’t want students to read the notes before they come to class. Rather, I want them to listen to an audio pre-lesson, which is about one hour in length. Then, if they are attending class, they’ll attend class. If they’re using the online option, they will review the notes.

What I’ve done in support of the most difficult concepts is prepared literally hundreds of short video modules that students can use to review the difficult content themselves. Then there’s always the opportunity to reach out for extra help if it’s needed.

Challenging content part of what makes the CFA a coveted designation

The CFA is a coveted designation because in a world where educational institutions are selling diplomas and selling degrees, the CFA is a pure merit-based system. The pass rates for each level are generally under 50%, which means that if you get through the CFA, you have demonstrated that you are an elite person, you are an elite candidate and that’s why CFA charter-holders are so much in demand in the marketplace.

Michael Hlinka received his MBA from the University of Toronto in 1986, became a CFA Charterholder in 2004 and is a tenured professor at George Brown. Michael specializes in industry licensing courses such as Canadian Securities, Derivatives Fundamentals and Portfolio Management. In addition to his teaching duties, Michael is a regular commentator on CBC Radio's Metro Morning is a nationally syndicated radio columnist, and writes a regular weekly column for Outreach Magazine, marketed by Toronto's homeless and unemployed.

Now more than ever, the issue of privacy is a major concern for any enterprise, and with online data breaches frequently making headlines, the subject is particularly important for those operating in the digital world today.

“I used to say that Privacy was Cinderella while infosec and risk management were the famous stepsisters. Not anymore!” says U of T School of Continuing Studies (SCS) instructor Amalia Barthel. 

“The amount of personal data breaches everywhere, impacting people's credit scores and their digital identification, plus a number of regulators passing strict requirements for mandatory data breach notifications brought privacy to the forefront.”   

It is essential for online businesses to get ahead of potentially devastating privacy issues. That’s where Barthel and fellow instructor Constantine Karnaliotis come in. The pair teach Developing a Privacy Management Program in the Digital Enterprise, the third course in the SCS certificate in Privacy Management in the Digital Enterprise. Barthel finds that learners working to earn their certificate are eager to take a practical approach to privacy, one that can be applied wherever they are in the world. 

“We keep it real, our students have their feet on the ground all the time, they are solving business problems while weaving in Privacy by Design and concepts related to data subject rights.”

This approach helps prepare learners to become internal ambassadors for privacy management, giving them a 360 degree view of personal data and information processing in a business context. The courses are designed so that learners from any industry and anyone new to the realm of personal data protection can benefit and be successfully “promoted” on to their next course to look at privacy issues from a new vantage point. 

“Anyone can be successful in our courses,” says Barthel. “They learn a lot, there is a lot of reading and self study rewarded with very challenging assignments and in the end .....they get promoted! So they can now make decisions with the knowledge they accumulated previously!”

Amalia is an Independent Privacy and GRC Advisor working with clients to support them in understanding IT, information security and privacy risks. She has started her career in IT prior to Y2K and evolved it into the realm of information security, privacy, audit, risk management, compliance and governance. Her industry expertise spans from pharma, financial, insurance and telecom industry  through to various levels of government.  Amalia has developed and delivered enterprise learning programs for project management, privacy and security for adult learners and is a frequent speaker at various conferences and symposiums. Prior to becoming an Independent Advisor, Amalia worked within IT and Compliance departments managing IT change control in the context of mergers, transformations, strategic risk management and compliance issues, conducting IT controls and privacy audits and providing management with dashboard reporting on compliance. Amalia is active on various boards, such as PMI Southern Ontario Chapter (past Director of the Board) , the IAPP Canadian Advisory Board, Executive Director for the KnowledgeFlow Foundation and she is a collaborator of ISACA and the ISACA Toronto Chapter. Part of Amalia's mandate on these boards is to create and deliver educational programs for the community to support an ongoing understanding and awareness of cyber and privacy risks, in particular for youth and seniors.

Back in 1995, Jack Welch famously turned General Electric around using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. For a long time, GE’s transformation was the go-to example of why companies should adopt LSS. Guess what? The skills associated with LSS continue to be in demand in the Canadian workforce because organizations are still eager to find people with the skills to develop better and more cost-effective ways to deliver quality goods and services. 

Have you wondered if a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) certificate might be for you? To help you decide, here are our top three reasons why you should consider getting certified in LSS:

1. Help your organization reduce risk, and eliminate errors and defects 
Use the “Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC)” methodology and tools to improve product and service quality while at the same time, create value for stakeholders. 

2. Improve business processes and sustain quality improvement 
Building your capability in LSS can empower you to bring meaningful change to your organization through topics such as understanding quality and its relationship to business strategy, and statistical concepts associated with quality.

3. Learn skills that are transferable and valuable in many different industries
Understand the change management and leadership skills needed to achieve excellence.

If you are ready to position yourself for professional success, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has two new, intensive, 12-week online certificates in LSS: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. 

We invite you to see the future u and become what you believe.

The chemistry of consciousness

“I have devoted my professional life to analytical chemistry, to evidences, facts, and data quality. But I’ve always known there is more than the physical world” says Herman Lam, who recently completed our Certificate in Foundations of Applied Mindfulness Meditation, offered in partnership with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.

After working in pharmaceutical development for over 20 years, Herman is now semi-retired, working as a consultant a few days a week. Having more free time inspired him to finally act upon his lingering interest in mindfulness meditation and Eastern philosophies. 

“I wanted to learn more about the life we live, about consciousness, and the history of Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. As I have aged, I have become more and more aware of the fact that our whole human existence is so short in comparison to that of the universe and nature; we have so much to learn” he says. “My whole career was based on precision and accuracy of measurements. Now it’s time to view the world through a different lens.” 

Applied Mindfulness Meditation courses at SCS provided just the lens Herman was seeking. He enjoyed connecting with his instructors and other learners, who came from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. “Hearing my instructors’ unique insights, and discussing how my classmates incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives was really eye opening. The environment at SCS was just so friendly” says Herman. This learning experience not only enhanced his inner peace, but improved his consulting work. “Mindfulness has helped me prioritize” he says. “When you are dealing with a complex problem, you can get lost and struggle to focus. With mindfulness, I bring clarity to my scientific work. I can attempt non-judgmental ways of looking at things, which leads to solutions and new discoveries.” 

When Herman reflects on the integration of science and mindfulness, he sees a future full of potential. “One of the workshops I attended focused on neuroscience and mindfulness, providing a solid scientific basis for the practice of mindfulness. In the future, science will continue to illustrate the power of meditation and awareness” says Herman. Next, he plans to take our Applied Specialization in Mindfulness Meditation Certificate to further grow his abilities. “Science and mindfulness, it’s the yin and the yang” he smiles. “They are interconnected, and I can’t wait to learn more.”

The times they are a changin’

Today, organizations are changing from a physical model supported by information systems, to an electronic or digital model supported by physical assets. For example, there are now many mattress companies who market and sell entirely online. Their only physical assets are a manufacturing plant with a warehouse attached. The product is ordered and paid for online, and shipped direct to the customer with a money-back guarantee. 

Another great example is Walmart. Their goal is to become an Omnichannel for retail customers, meaning that a customer can order online, have a product delivered, pick it up outside the store, or make a purchase in the store. Their VP of Supply Chain, Chris Glover, says this goal is putting their supply chain under enormous pressure to be more accurate and precise. “You cannot deliver blueberry jelly when the customer ordered strawberry jelly” he explains. “In previous years, we had a stockroom full of product, so you could ensure the customer could get what they needed. Now, the stockroom is empty and everything is on the truck. Our previous way of doing inventory only had to be accurate financially, now it must be accurate by-product too.”¹

Sink or swim

This shift from a physical model to a digital model is a massive change with far-reaching implications, and Business Process Management (BPM) empowers organizations to thrive in this new environment. Employees will need BPM skills to create, maintain, and sustain their organizations. In fact, a recent PMI Pulse of Profession survey² found that the top ways for organizations to manage digital disruption is to train their employees in how to:

1.    Make data-based decisions
2.    Foster collaborative leadership
3.    Embrace culture change 

This need for employees to have new BPM skills was emphasized by Connie Moore at Forrester Research, who states “there are not nearly enough trained process professionals to meet the growing demand. This means businesses and government agencies must step up to the internal challenge of adequately training a large number of knowledgeable BPM practitioners. This should be part of an enterprise-wide business process transformation program supported by top executives.”³ In a nutshell, businesses and non-profit organizations alike need employees with BPM skills in order to survive the digital revolution. 

The power of BPM

In a very real sense, business processes ARE the organization, which is why investing in the BPM skills of your employees is so critical. Business processes encompass systems, information, and assets that orchestrate the work of suppliers and partners while serving customers. Using important metrics, the processes must be managed by people who are fearless in leading change wherever and whenever necessary to stay competitive. BPM is really about managing the organization, not just improving processes. 

Leading change

BPM has within its scope not only information and physical flows, but also the relationship between the people involved all along its length, from the supplier, to the customer using the product or service. Here lies a key difference between BPM and just about any other approach to management: BPM factors in the human element in a way that Intelligent Automation, or Robot Process Automation, simply cannot. 

This massive shift toward digital transformation is as much about culture as it is about technology, and change needs to come from the top down. Without changing how we manage, we cannot manage the new processes that we will create in a digital model. It’s a waste of money to train people to do things in new ways if their manager is still stuck using old methodologies. In contrast, when the whole organization embraces BPM, and learns its lessons together, there are few, if any, better investments. An organization that learns together, succeeds together.

Interested in learning what the School of Continuing Studies can do to help your organization succeed? Learn more about our Corporate and Organizational Training programming.

Tom Barker teaches BPM in our Corporate Training program. He is a consultant, facilitator, and passionate educator, leading his own consulting organization, Tom Barker Associates. Tom assists clients such as Canadian Tire, AstraZeneca, and Mattamy Homes to improve project and process performance through leadership and change management. Committed to helping adult learners succeed, Tom’s other teaching at SCS focuses on business process management, business analysis, and project management.  

Sources:
1 https://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/events-opexweeksummer/downloads/an-interview-with-chris-glover-from-walmart
2 https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/pulse
3 https://www.abpmp.org

The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies is proud to partner with the University of Waterloo WatSPEED unit to offer an online Foundations of Data Science course. Taught by industry expert Larry Simon, this course is perfect for that that want to work in the growing field of data science. If you have some prior knowledge and experience of basic programming, this course is for you. 

Curious to hear more? Watch as Larry shares insights regarding the learners he sees in his courses.