LNO Fireside Chats: Culture of Continuous Improvement with Mary Lou Moore

[Music] Welcome to another LNO Fireside Chat. Today we are going to be chatting with Mary Moore. I'll be co-hosting. My name is Amanda Dennis and I am from the Ketester Act team. I'm Jackson, one of your other co-hosts today. I'm from the Ketester Act. Mary, if you could tell us a little bit about yourself, where you work and what you do. Hi, I'm Mary Luhmore. Thank you so much for having me here today. I'm super excited to be with everyone. I am currently at AFMC CDX Office. We are a very unique office that has three cells that work collaboratively into the three elements, which is the Mission Enhancement Cell. They're really focuses on the Human Center approach to implementing change. My office specifically, the CITU and its Continual Improvement Innovation. The focus is on Greenbelts, Blackbelts Training. Also incorporating some of the agile design thinking, understanding that there is other ways to improve and innovate. We also have the grassroots innovation, the Smart Tank campaign for our matchcom. And then we have another very unique cell that works on the acceleration of the innovation piece, which is the expertise and acquisition. My background has really been overall change management. I am prior service. I was enlisted for 10 years between the Active Duty Reserve Guard time. And then I also have my civilian service that I have up to now serving as a chief over improvement innovation. Awesome. Thank you for your service and everything that you're doing. So a hot topic this week has been AFA and how we are going to move forward. General Alvin said that the Air Force is built for a previous era and is no longer optimized for the current strategic landscape. He said that change is an option but a must and necessity. We need to adapt to effectively demonstrate readiness and capability to detire and prevail if conflict did occur. It was highlighted repeatedly for the need to re-optimize for the great power competition. How do you plan to navigate the innovation and process improvement field and support of this? And so right now we're still in work and creating a change management strategy for tackling some of the things that are to come. And I, in my opinion based on my experience, what I've observed right now it's great power competition five years ago it may have been something different. 10, 15, 20 years ago it was something different. Change is inevitable. But how we tackle change and making sure that we are focused on the people element is what I believe helps you identify whether you're going to be successful or not. And so one of the things that I've always been really passionate about is the people element or airmen or guardians. And so that's the really unique thing about our office and what we're able to do with our installation visits and being able to cross collaborate with so many people across our match gone. I mean building relationships with our A1 community, you know, all the functionals and being able to have that reach outside of our match come as well. To make sure that we're looking at the people element and inviting people outside of our office to cross collaborate and share those other responsibilities and that may belong in other areas to be able to create a solution to the problem on how we're going to impact that change. So I'm very passionate about change management. That's why I've stayed in in continuous improvement for 14 years now. The really amazing thing about what we are looking at doing is the missing piece has always been the focus to the human center design that people element and you know everything we do how we execute our mission, the decisions that are being made are all going to be implemented by our people. And so being able to understand, you know, what are those behaviors those desired behaviors that we're looking for and do we understand that there's going to be some level of resistance of change. Do we understand what those resistance to changes will be? How are we looking at those who is looking at those and how are we pulling extracting all this information to provide what I consider that big view. From a match comes perspective, so our leaders can make decisions on what other things may need to be considered. I think, you know, looking at it from a people process and what are the resources that our people need is extremely important to to keep in mind. That is my focus. I can't speak for others, you know, but I know that our office and with our leadership and we are a very focused human center designed office and that's what makes us so unique and how our synergy works together because we do understand that. You mentioned human center design approach. Are you able to dive into that a little bit more and what that. I can give you some examples elements. Again, it's still in work. It's definitely something that could use some modification. However, I think it's a good approach. An example is when we're proposing a change, we may look at a manpower element that is one indicator, right? There may be a process element to understand, are we are these processes effective. Efficient is good, but what we're looking at in my from my perspective is in GPC is are these processes effective, right? And so being able to utilize and capitalize on some of the tools that are available to us, we have learned through a couple of responsibilities that been handed to our office that there's a lot of Microsoft Office tools that are not being utilized to the full potential. And so sometimes we tend to look outside before looking inside to what are the tools that are available that can help us be more effective in our business operations. So that may be another element. The one thing that I mentioned about resistance into change that that should be a consideration and just really being able to understand, you know, what are all those factors that may impact a person as we're going through change. You know location are they going to have to relocate that may be a reason. You know, we've already talked about the processes, you know, what are the systems that they're utilizing that may that may require additional training because they may not be aware of the new system that needs to be incorporated. So those things need to be considered and then also big thing is are these new job roles that may need to be introduced into their work into their work area. So all these things are considerations to also include, you know, a reporting structure if that is the decision for the change. But the biggest piece that surrounds all these examples that I've just given is how is it going to impact that person and when we're looking at, you know, retention and when we're looking at making sure that we continue to acquire the talent and you know, make them feel that they're value those values that, you know, understand you what they value most and then understand them. And then then understand you what we value as an organization as well and having a human center design focus in the middle of it allows people to understand that our people are our most critical asset. And I think that's what makes it very unique. That's great. I want to touch on the like everything we have though we don't know that's available to us. For some people don't know that, you know, this year, this year we've got access to power automate power BI or anything like that. Can you touch on that just a little bit just kind of give examples of what you've seen built. If you have seen anything build those things that that can really improve processes give back wasted time. So being built, I will tell you that so the mission enhancement cell is in our office has been designated as a focal point for some of the Microsoft Office tools and other. that are currently available and we've been working with within our network with an AFMC to understand what are people utilizing, where are the gaps, what are some other things that are being utilized that we need to go ahead and capitalize on. And what we've learned through that process is, and this is not my area expertise, but this is what we all cross share. And what we've learned from that is that many people don't even know that the power apps is even available. Something as simple as that, the people that are capitalizing on utilizing power apps are very successful. And so what we're trying to do is provide them a platform either through our CDX newsletter or through other platforms to allow people to see the possibilities of just utilizing that. For just for the listeners, if you're interested in learning more about Power BI, DAF360X5, Power Apps, there's OpenPower, Open Teams, channels just for these, people that collaborate on their request questions, people showcase what they've built. So if you're interested in learning more about that, I highly suggest you go and see, you check those out and get creating, make this process is better. 100%. So we are already connected to some of those networks. And we've actually broadcasted that through our CDX newsletter. And we've seen a great turnout. I think that we reached several thousands that actually viewed our newsletter in the last two, three months. So just being able to consider, you know, just what kind of outlets people are actually using to get their information. I think that as much as we can share it multiple ways, I think that it's great. So thank you for offering that as well. And you know, we just need to continue to share the message that there's stuff out there and there's training available that is free. So take advantage of it. Definitely. And those are resources that often got unused. But hopefully we can get the word out there. I had a question about what are some of the organizations that you guys work with. Overall, so I think we're very well connected. Well, so we are aligned. Our CI2 office is aligned to staff and G. So we have a lot of cross collaboration there to include the master process officers across the Air Force. So there is not a MagCon that we don't work with. There's a lot of we meet once or twice a year, all the master process officers run the entire Air Force. And so there's a lot of cross collaboration there. And we have close relationships with someone in our office goes relationships with Morpheus. There's been a lot of conversation. A lot of a lot of that process about the SEI codes that they created. And how can we use those? I know it's definitely something that we want to explore in the future. And just figure out like how can we better utilize that as an opportunity. Appworks definitely has always been something that we've been been involved. I've been, you know, and then whatever else that branches out with. Of course, Tezarat, I've brought you guys in for a couple of things. And I love that we have such great collaboration. And I'm happy that I'm able to just, you know, click a button. And hey, did you know about this or hey, can I share this with you? And so that's just to name a few. I may have missed some. I don't know. But I know we also have initiatives that we're working on with other cross agencies, Navy, and music, of close relationship with music and NSIC as well. They're here at Wright Pat. And then definitely all our centers within our magical. That's awesome. It just shows the importance of networking and, you know, connecting across so many different fields to make things happen because it all goes back to our airmen. And all of these resources, these tools that we we gather when an airman comes to us with a problem or with a solution that they need help to get to the point of scaling or making sustainable. We're able to help them with with these resources. Well, there's one thing I could add that I really think that the, you know, in the past, we really thought of, you know, process improvement CPI of so 21. As this lengthy process and I think that, you know, changes forcing us to do things differently. And one thing that we recognize is that there's multiple ways to improve and just being able to help with that and create a framework that is very simple that anyone can apply. I think it's really great, you know, what organizations such as Air Force System and Center, they've used a version of TOC, you know, we see other organizations that are applying agile. We we see some people that, you know, apply lean methodologies and that's okay. I think, you know, being able to understand that there's multiple ways to improve. And then how are we leveraging the the expertise we have within our six centers. We have center process managers that are a belly button for us to communicate and not just the messaging piece, but how we're going to implement change. And then we have way process managers at the installation level that are kind of that integrator, that connector between the improvement and the innovation. And there's still some, you know, like any any new thing, there's still some barriers, there's still some hiccups, but these are your people that have been designated appointed by an appointment letter by their leaders, you know, as a trusted agent to help implement some some of the changes. Now, they're not always that innovation person, they're not always that transformation office, but there are people within the organizations in AFMC and other match comms as well, that have that structure where they should be a person that you should be reaching out, because they may have other skill sets that you could utilize to further help you with those changes. So I wouldn't ask you a couple of questions about what are some current challenges that you guys are facing. I mean, I think the current challenges, as CI2, I can always speak for CI2, I believe that some of the current challenges that we're facing is, I would say from I need to say AFI because we know that sometimes, you know, there's a lot of bureaucracy in AFI, but we do have an AFI 3841 and 402, this speaks to it. And, you know, and we are making, there are making some modifications to that, it's in work. However, I do think that sometimes we could so caught up in the vervege that we forget about what was the intent for that AFI. In my opinion, the intent for the AFI back in 2016, then revised into 2019 is to create the culture, to create the culture of continuous improvement, and innovation. And it's not separate. I think the challenge that we also are facing is that some people are doing really well in creating the culture. And sometimes we have those leaders that really are advocates for that change. But what happens sometimes is they leave and the culture sometimes dies off. And it's almost like, you know, I've heard airmen, you know, mentioned during our inspections or through our visits that, oh, we're just, you know, we know that this is going to die when the next commander comes in. And sometimes it kind of breaks my heart a little bit because you see things going really, really well. And so I think that's a challenge. And so how do we help leaders? You and I'm saying us present them as a master process officer, a center process manager. So whoever they designate, how can we provide data to help them visualize the impact to the organization from a culture standpoint? So as things are, you know, when you see a big dip in your innovation, there's not a lot of inputs into, you know, vision or gain or whatever platform you're using for your innovation, you know, those are indicators of something of something. So like, what are we doing to to help that out? I think that's some challenging pieces that I have observed is the old practices. Like I think it's important to acknowledge what was the intent. Understand that our current environment requires drastic changes. And then lean into the future. Make more time to listen to your airmen, to understand and create a psychological safety environment where they are free to share their ideas and that we're not excluding people. And I don't think it's intentional, but sometimes, you know, the airmen basic, you know, no stripes may have a back and some really neat stuff that you may not be aware of. So like, let's stop looking at what's on the sleeve, what's on the call ever, and really, and you know, have conversations that allow people to really share what they can bring to the table. I think we're still challenging. There's a lot of challenges there, and I think it's still, it's gonna continue to be a challenge, but I have hope. I have hope by being that this next generation is pretty amazing. I have hope in the people that are supporting it, and I love America, so obviously, I have hope for America, and continue to be an advocate for our Airmen and Guardians. - I love it. I love the energy on that. I do have a question about the Green Belt and Black Belt training. I went through and did my Green Belt and Person, and then I did my project and everything got certified. Shortly after that, it became virtual. Is the plan to continue keeping it in that type of virtual environment, or are you guys ever, or considering possibly going back to in person? - So that is not a Mary Lou question, and that's a threat, but I can answer from what I know. So I think it's important to understand the context and intent why we went into a virtual environment. What we learned, and is that there was a lot of inconsistency on how the training was being taught. And so obviously, if we understand variation, and I may put, there's nothing wrong with an instructor and putting their spell on the creativeness of how they utilize the tools to teach and connect with their students. However, when there is a tool that is being taught incorrectly, then that person will learn it incorrectly, and therefore when they go and actually conduct an improvement effort, there's a lot of gaps there. And what we started to observe is that inconsistency was causing a very negative feedback from some commanders, from some people that, hey, this project failed. It completely failed. Like we went in the wrong direction. And there could be multiple reasons why. It doesn't necessarily be that it was the facilitator, but many times we found it was the inconsistencies of how it was taught. And we found it through, there was a lot of queries there and there was a lot of data that was collected. And we identified that we needed to have a centralized approach to how we were teaching. So that's why the decision was made to have a standardized approach to training. What we learned is that a lot of people were not ready for that virtual training. And I say this because I am more of a hands-on. And so it was challenging for me, and I know it was challenging for some of the blue collar environment students to be able to really understand the tools that needed to be taught. So what we challenged the instructors and the other seasoned green bolts and black belts to do is take the green belt training. You can take it, you can, I can request to form a class for, let's say, a designated area. And I have 20, 50 seats. You take one, two modules and we do it virtual. And then our can get a classroom together and let me teach you how you apply that. So I think there's a lot of opportunity but we close our eyes to, this is the only way we can do it. Well, yes, so you learn the skills and it's a standardized approach. But there is nothing saying that you can't pull people into a classroom and you could do it in a week or however you do it. You know, you can do it together and let me show you how you would apply it. So that way you get the hands-on inputs. I love it because the Y helps connect the dots. Because I did mine in person and then I did my black belt virtually, which both were good because I was in a classroom setting with other people and like you, I'm hands on and I like to have the conversation. I learned so much talking to other people. I think that's super important and I think it's important, especially with these green belts, to be able to have that connection with others to learn from what their, you know, their perspectives and how they would apply these tools because everyone does it differently. You know, we could all learn, read the material and execute differently or just a little bit our style, which makes a difference sometimes because it can completely change a project. Absolutely. So, yeah, difference between facilitation in your style and how do you apply the tools to make sure that it's done correctly and you don't miss something. So two different things, but absolutely. Thank you for sharing with me. I didn't know you were a black belt. So, yeah, that's the soften. Yes. Jackson, do you have any other questions? No, nothing for me. Well, is anything else that you would like to share with the field? I think overall what I want to say is, yes, change is hard and I, I wonder, and 10% agree with that. But we can continue to do things the same thing, the same way. We're not going to get a different result right. And so, you know, how can we use this as an opportunity instead of seeing it as a negative way or a negative thing. There's going to be a lot of commotion. I think what's important from a human centered focus is, you know, I think it's important to stay quiet sometimes and allow people to speak and share their ideas before we start, you know, getting controversial about certain things. I think there's already a lot of frustration. So, I'd say be very intentional about your conversations and, you know, be compassionate with others, be patient with others because there's going to be, anytime there's a lot of change, it's very challenging for everyone. And we have to remain united. For us at AFNC, it is 1 AFNC and I do feel like it's my work family. And so, I generally want to go in the office and contribute. And sometimes I may have a really bad day and the only thing I can contribute, but maybe just I smile. And that is okay. But I think just being, you know, empathetic to others as they may be going through additional changes, you know, make sure that you reach out to the offices that provide support to you. You know, if you need to speak to someone, sometimes it can be a good thing. But feel very heavy. You know, make sure that you're talking to someone that can give you the help that you need. And then, you know, from a process standpoint, you know, or innovation standpoint, there are so many opportunities to make this better. Challenge, challenge, challenge, you know, the normal stuff. Don't be afraid to submit. If you need help and you're unsure of how to submit, send, you know, someone in our office CDX office, you know, you know, an email, send me an email and we'll find a person to help you or I'll help you. Whatever that is, but you know, change will be hard, but you can't do it alone. So let's make sure that we continue to work together and just be patient with each other. I'll say it's good to keep challenging the status quo. Yeah. Don't settle with the normal. Don't let your normal day be normal. 100%. I love it. I love the message that you're sending and I hope that more people understand what the tools and the resources they have out there and they explore them and they take advantage of them. So thank you, Mary, for joining us today. It was awesome to hear your perspective and what you guys do for our airmen. Thank you for having me. I really hope that we can continue to have these conversations. There's still a lot of things that we're working on to, you know, visualize, share with others, but as soon as I have something, I'm sure that we can cross collaborate and, you know, share the goodness and continue to have these conversations. So thank you so much for inviting me. Thank you. Have a great rest of your day. Any references to trademarked, copyrighted, or protected products or services such as books, movies, or businesses are used here for the limited purpose of education and professional development of Air Force Airmen. If you have any questions, please contact us at www.testerhike.af.com. (upbeat music)