Let My People Grow - The TWI Method in Healthcare

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Session
Lean Six Sigma
 
Authors
Mark Graban
Senior Fellow
Lean Enterprise Institute

Peter Patterson, MD
Senior Pathologist and Lean Champion
Yuma Regional Medical Center

Description
The defect rate in a hospital order entry process fell 70% the first month after initiating a comprehensive employee training based on Training Within Industry (TWI) a program created during World War II. This presentation tells the complete story and illustrates how to engage employees in improvement of work methods.

Abstract
The Training Within Industry program was originally developed by the US government during WWII to support the war production effort. Fast forward to 2010 and TWI is being rediscovered by many hospitals.

Why does TWI work? Because before being introduced to TWI, most hospitals train new employees using ineffective methods. New employees are frequently "trained" by studying a procedure manual with little interaction or formal instruction by an employee experienced in the job. Then, they are left on their own to learn bits and pieces of the complete job in a haphazard manner. Inconsistent methods, resulting from inconsistent training lead to poor quality, high costs and frustrated staff members. Hospitals often blame individual employees for this poor performance, leading to a vicious cycle of expensive turnover.

In this presentation, Dr. Pete Patterson and Mark Graban and will share their first-hand experience with the TWI method in multiple healthcare settings, including a powerful example of how TWI allowed a new employee to succeed in a role after six previous employees had "failed." Recent program extensions developed to cultivate employee engagement, growth and development will also be illustrated.