Lean Six Sigma

As a supply chain major, a big concept we focus on is lean six sigma, which is a collaborative team effort to improve processes through removing waste. Two large components from this concept that I utilize in my work are continuous improvement and reducing variation. The last three years, students experienced massive change with the shift between in-person and virtual formats, and as a peer leader it has been crucial to be adaptable and identify how to cater to their needs in order for them to perform their best. To do this, I sought out feedback from my students and peers in my roles in the Student Success Center. Asking for feedback and suggestions assisted my understanding of the root causes of broad and complex problems and remove aspects that detracted from the goals of my students. Regarding the professional and civic engagement pathway, understanding root causes and asking others for their perspectives and ideas allowed me to be a more inclusive leader through the incorporation of multiple different perspectives and crafting solutions that were applicable to all.
 

To become an efficient and effective leader in the academic environment, I utilized concepts learned in both my Business Process Management class (MGSC 485) and Principles of Management (MGMT 371). In MGSC 485, we learned about the problem-solving approach DMAIC, which stands for define, measure, analyze, implement, and control. This approach allows for a complete understanding of problems and potential solutions, with the final solution being put into place and ensuring its success through controls (Marodin, slide 17). Different tools are used in each phase, below you can see a tool I used for an assignment where I had to identify root causes of a large problem (part of the analyze phase). This tool and concept is an important aspect of the DMAIC approach and is found by performing surveys, interviews, and seeking feedback from affected parties/persons (Marodin, slide 17). Understanding root causes allows you to identify potential solutions that will help solve the broad problem, and by asking the affected parties for their opinions and thoughts, it ensures the solutions will help all involved persons and limit variation later in the implement and control phases.

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In MGMT 371, we talked about the importance of feedback and how it can have a negative connotation because most people view it as a negative sentiment towards their work. However, feedback in both a positive and negative matter is critical in process improvement and understanding the perspectives of others. Positive feedback allows you to understand what aspects of performance you should continue and how it is effective for others, while negative feedback allows you to understand what is not effective and needs to be changed or eliminated. Feedback limits ambiguity and is proven to improve job performance and satisfaction (Mcfarland, slide 43). Another aspect about feedback we discussed is strategically going through the process: asking the appropriate audience, making the correct changes, and following up. This ensures that we are continually improving our processes and doing what is best for all involved parties. Following the feedback process has been critical in my roles to ensure my peers ideas and perspectives are utilized, and they know they are heard.

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Starting sophomore year, I was selected to be a supplemental instructor (SI) peer leader for the Student Success Center and have worked with and mentored over 200 students per semester in the business school for Financial Accounting (ACCT 225). In this role, I led three 50-minute study sessions per week and 2-hour test reviews where students learned material from class in a collaborative environment. My goal was to improve students study habits and understanding of the material from class through facilitating collaborative learning techniques, therefore reducing the number of students who drop the class or fail. Students who go to SI sessions are 10% less likely to withdrawal from their course, which has a historically high failure rate ("Supplemental Instruction"). When classes transitioned to a virtual format during the Spring 2020 semester, my sessions also shifted online, which made it difficult to facilitate collaborative learning. I found that students were not engaging as much with the material in the online format and would not turn on their cameras or microphones, which made it difficult to encourage collaboration. Most SI leaders were having the same issues, as it was challenging for students to work together online due to the new format being unfamiliar to most of them. To fix this large issue, I sent out surveys to my students to better understand how I could facilitate collaboration online. Below you will see the survey I sent out to my students. Along with this, I consulted with other SI leaders about what techniques and strategies they were using.

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Based on survey results and coworker feedback, I found that students did not like being broken into break out groups, where they were randomly placed with other students in a separate virtual room. I also found that they did not like being randomly called on because sometimes they were not able to turn on their microphones or cameras due to being at home or in an incompatible environment. In other classes, teachers would send out multiple choice questions during class using a function in BlackBoard Collaborate, which my students liked because it got them involved and they could understand the perspective of other students without speaking out loud. Students also used Google Documents during class to work on assignments together. After gathering the results, I stared utilizing the multiple choice survey function during sessions to understand what students wanted to work on. I also began using Google Documents to share practice problems with students and have them work together during the session on the same document. The changes I made helped increase session attendance and form a community, even online. Students were able to further their learning synchronously in my sessions even through our class was online asynchronous.

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In the Spring 2021 semester, I became a Program Assistant Mentor within the SI program and was responsible for directly mentoring a group of eight SI leaders per semester. I held 1-1 check-ins with each leader, observed their SI sessions twice per semester, and led our staff meetings where DEI, collaborative teamwork, and mental health topics were discussed. When sessions were online, I had to help my SI leaders with the low attendance and participation they were experiencing due to the virtual format. I shared responses from my survey with them and what did and did not work for me the past two semesters. By sharing my failures and successes with my SI leaders, they were able to incorporate my advice into their session planning and seek out help from their students. Following the feedback process was critical for the success of my students and coworkers.

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Change is inevitable and it is critical to be adaptable, especially as a leader. When problems occur in a process, it is important to understand the key issues that cause the overall problem and work to solve those through help from the affected parties. As a peer leader, utilizing problem-solving models allowed me to understand root causes of complex issues and seeking out feedback from my peers allowed me to better lead them and experience success. I have been able to drive results through getting and implementing feedback and changing my processes, while continuously improving through seeking out more feedback on each change. This implementation ensured that variations were reduced, and continual feedback ensured that each new process was controlled and updated as outside factors shifted. In the future, I want to continue seeking out feedback from those I lead and from my superiors in order to continually improve and understand variations in my job performance. In addition, I will continue to promote the importance of feedback to those I work alongside and lead, in order for them to improve their processes.