In This Issue: How to Allocate Time & Effort Page 9 Management Time - Who’s Got the Monkey? Page 12 Time Bandits: How they are Created..... Page 20 Back to Basics - Steam Sterilization Page 39 The of the the Laboratory LaboratoryAnimal AnimalManagement Management Association, 2013 The Journal Journal of Asso ciation, 2009 The Lama Review - Page 1 Volume 25 › 1Issue 1 Volume 22 › Issue Ancare Bottle Filler Fill It. Type 316 stainless steel construction throughout. Removable nozzles for easy cleaning/replacement. Adjustable header height. Includes full backsplash, fully compatible with high purity urity water. Other models, hand held, and custom configurationss available. Ancare Water Bottles Introduced plastic bottles to LAS in 1966 Many sizes and shapes available to accomodate a wide range of cages and species Available in several different plastics Ancare ncare Bottle Baskets All welded welded, stainless steel rod construction Standard stainless steel rod lid, optional wire mesh Extension allows stacking of full bottles with stoppers and tubes in place Other models and custom versions available Better products. Better science. Page 2 - The Lama Review Ancare Corp. P.O. Box 814, 2647 Grand Avenue, Bellmore, NY, 11710 T: 800.645.6379/516.781.0755, F: 516.781.4937 ancare.com facebook.com/AncareCorp youtube.com/AncareCorp ObjecƟves of the Laboratory Animal Management AssociaƟon • To promote the dissemination of ideas, experiences, and knowledge • To encourage continued education • To act as spokesperson • To actively assist in the training of managers This publication contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, economic, scientific, moral, ethical, personnel, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information concerning The LAMA Review, please contact the Editor in Chief, Ted Plemons at e-mail: lamareview@gmail.com Change of Address: Attention, Members. Are you moving? To ensure that you receive your next issue of The LAMA Review, please send your change of address to: The LAMA Review Judy Hansen Laboratory Animal Management Assn. Membership Manager 7500 Flying Cloud Drive - Suite 900 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-253-6235 ext 6077 jhansen@associationsolutionsinc.com LAMA Review advertising rates and information are available upon request via email, phone, or mail to: Jim Manke, CAE Direct: 952-253-6084 LAMA Review 7500 Flying Cloud Drive, Suite 900 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 jrmanke@associationsolutionsinc.com Fax: 952-835-4474 Employment opportunity ads are FREE The Lama Review - Page 3 T H E 2012-2013 Executive Committee Officers L A M A PRESIDENT Tracy Lewis, LATG,CMAR Andover, MA VICE PRESIDENT Pamela Straeter, RLATTG Kenilworth, NJ VICE PRESIDENT ELECT Wayne DeSantis West Chester, PA Volume 25, No.1 PAST-PRESIDENT Lisa Osborne, RLATG, CMAR El Paso, TX In This Issue: 7 President Message 9 How to Allocate Time & Effort 12 Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey? 18 Dealing with Difficult People 20 SECRETARY/TREASURER Howard Mosher Killingworth, CT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jim Manke, CAE Eden Prairie, MN in a changing world BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Secrest- Alexandria, VA Dorothy Loud - Mt. Vernon, IN Leah Curtin - Framingham, MA 2012 LAMA Review Editorial Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Ted Plemons Bethesda, MD Time Bandits How they are created, Why they are Tolerated....... 29 Acknowledge People w/o Turning them Off 39 Back to Basics: Steam Sterilization Principles & Common Mistakes ASSOCIATE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Evelyn Hilt Lafayette, IN EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Steve Baker Framingham, MA Gail Thompson Wheatland, WY Staff Contacts 45 Jim Manke, CAE Executive Director (952) 253-6084 Innovations Using VHP to Turn your Cage & Rack Washer into...... Advertiser Listing Inside Front Cover Across from TOC Page 31 Page 4 - The Lama Review Ancare Purina Lab Diet Pharmacal Kathi Schlieff Meeting Manager (952) 253-6235 X6085 Judy Hansen Membership & Development Manager LAMA Review Coordinator (952) 253-6240 x6077 ±7YGGIWWJYPVIWIEVGL FIKMRW[MXLGSRWMWXIRX RYXVMXMSRUYEPMX]TVSHYGXW ERHVIPMEFPIVIPEXMSRWLMTW² As a LabDiet Nutritionist, I assist researchers in formulating BTRSNLCHDSRNQRDKDBSHMF@CHDSSG@SRTHSRSGDHQRODBHƥBMDDCR I also help maintain the LabDiet products to ensure we are providing a consistent product based on Constant Nutrition ® ® ® (ƥMCHSQDV@QCHMFSNG@UDHMCDOSGBNMUDQR@SHNMRVHSGQDRD@QBGDQR@MCOQNUHCD SGDLVHSGMDVHMENQL@SHNMSG@SL@XADMDƥSSGDHQVNQJ ® +@A#HDS HRATHKSNM@ENTMC@SHNMNESQTRS@MCQDRODBS@MC(L@JDHSLX ODQRNM@KFN@KSNQDƦDBSSGDRD@SSQHATSDRHMLXVNQJ!XBQD@SHMF@ONRHSHUD Q@OONQSVHSGLXBKHDMSR(GDKOSGDL@BGHDUDETKƥKKHMFQDRTKSR Brittany Vester Boler, PhD Animal Nutrition Technical Services Consultant – Purina Animal Nutrition JOGP!MBCEJFUDPNtXXX-BC%JFUDPN The Lama Review - Page 5 Did you know? In the Laboratory Animal community, publishing a professional journal is an essential part of advancing your career. Submitting an article to the LAMA Review provides an opportunity to be published in a professional journal. This is a great opportunity to share your research knowledge and accomplishments. Imagine your journal impacting and influencing the laboratory animal management practices! The LAMA Review provides important information on industry’s advancements and developments to those involved in the Laboratory Animal field with emphasis in management. The LAMA Review is published electronically each quarter and combines short columns with longer feature articles. Each issue focuses on significant topics and relevant interest to ensure a well-rounded coverage on laboratory management matters. Submitting an article Choose an interesting topic that has the potential to benefit the Laboratory Animal Management community. Write the article that you would like to see published in the journal. Be sure to include multiple sources to support your research and accurately cite references. Submit your article to Review via email lamareview@gmail.com Benefits of publishing The LAMA Review is the official journal of the Laboratory Animal Management Association, which is committed to publishing high quality, independently peer-reviewed research and review material. The LAMA Review publishes ideas and concepts in an innovative format to provide premium information for laboratory Animal Management in the public and private sectors which include government agencies. A key strength of the LAMA Review is its relationship with the Laboratory Animal management community. By working closely with our members, listening to what they say, and always placing emphasis on quality. The Review is finding innovative solutions to management’s needs, by providing the necessary resources and tools for managers to succeed. Article Guidelines Submissions of articles are accepted from LAMA members, professional managers, and administrators of laboratory animal care and use. Submissions should generally range between 2,000 and 5,000. All submissions are subject to Submissions are accepted for the following features of the LAMA Review: o o o o o Original Articles Review Articles Job Tips Manager’s Forum Problem Solving Page 6 - The Lama Review President s Message “How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” ― Dr. Seuss Incredible as it may seem, the LAMA year is coming to a close! Isn’t it funny that our administrative year has us at an endpoint when the season of spring is bringing new beginnings? Maybe that isn’t so odd after all, when we really stop and think about it. While my presidency is coming to an end, there are a number of new beginnings. In the near future, we will be gathering in Clearwater for our annual LAMA-ATA meeting. Your program committee has worked tirelessly and I can assure you that they have put together a program that is full of timely topics as well as a bit of fun. You will be seeing a lot of promotion for the program in the very near future…keep your eyes open! While we are in Clearwater, we will recognize the winner of last year’s Ron Orta award. That presentation will occur on Wednesday morning. We will also present awards to some very well deserving managers, and announce the results of our recent elections. It will be my distinct honor to pass the gavel along to Pam Straeter who is indeed one of the best facility managers I have ever had the pleasure with which to work. Moreover, I’m so proud that I can call her my friend. As someone who has worked on program committees, (for LAMA, for AALAS, for local and regional branch events) I can say that the quality of the program is extremely important to me. LAMA is fortunate to have a core of talented individuals in its’ membership; and they are not shy about presenting their ideas! That is one of the best perks of being an active LAMA member. The network that we have puts answers at our fingertips… through email, LinkedIn, phone conversations and certainly face to face meetings. If you can’t get the answer through LAMA, the answer might not be there at all! Another important event that will take place during the annual meeting is the LAMA Foundation Auction. The silent and “not so silent” auction is THE main fundraiser for the Foundation each year. We have a lot of fun, but we also raise money for the Foundation, which in turn - Tracy Lewis funds award recipients resources to attend ILAM or other management training. While there will be plenty of networking and learning, we also need to take some time to de-stress. One way that we will be doing that is during the Fun Fair. As has been tradition, we will have some willing (and maybe not so willing) volunteers organize participants into teams for some friendly competition. Funds raised during this event will be presented to a local charity on Friday. This is how LAMA pays it forward. If I may take just a little more of your time, I’d like to detail what the Education Committee has accomplished this year. NCAB: Technician to Supervisor/Management 101 Charles River (Private Session). CMII AALAS: AR preparatory wkshop. D4 Leadership Training D4 AR preparatory wkshop FESSACAL 1. Vivarium Operations and Design 2. Lean Mgmt 3. Decontamination Procedures 4. Lab Animal Mgmt Panel Discussion On the horizon: LAMA / ATA AR preparatory wkshop QUAD: CM1, 2, or 3 I would like to take a moment to thank Steve Baker as he steps down as the chair of this committee. It’s dedicated people like Steve who work tirelessly to further the LAMA offerings to our members. I’m going to close as I have all of my prior letters to you. LAMA exists because of the hard work and dedication of the members of committees and the board. The more members that are involved, the more that we will be able to offer! Get involved! We’re always looking for volunteers to continue to move LAMA forward. See you in Clearwater! “It is good to rub and polish our brains against that of others.” Michel de Montaigne The Lama Review - Page 7 From The Editor s Cube..... For me, the New Year is the beginning of a slate that has been wiped clean, or a fresh start especially if 2012 was not so wonderful. I always look back and have to wonder where does all the time go? Going into 2013, how many of us have made a New Year’s resolution to be more organized? For me, a little more organization would go a long way to making my home and work life run a bit more smoothly. Where Does All the Time Go? -Ted Plemons- Editor As managers, we are under increasing pressure to boost productivity. There never seem to be enough hours in the week to get everything accomplished. One of my biggest problems is trying to do too many things in too little time, trying to satisfy all the requests. With such high demands, many times I find myself at my desk trying to focus on the task only to find that my mind is wandering. Despite my best intentions, I just cannot concentrate. I’m sure that we have all been in this familiar, frustrating situation. Put simply, we are being asked to do more with fewer resources. I am pushing myself and the staff to do things differently, to do things better, to make a positive change in the way we operate. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers; there is no size fits all time-table for managers to follow. In this issue, I have tried to pull management articles that give us suggestions and tools to help all of us to become better at managing our time in hopes that we will all examine our working habits to try to identify ways that we all can become more productive. I believe St. Francis of Assisi had the correct vision “Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly we are doing the impossible.” Page 8 - The Lama Review “How does he find time to meet with 10 customers a week and make his yearly quota in the first quarter? I can barely find time to have five appointments a week and get all my paperwork done correctly and turned in on time.” A manager ponders about his colleague on the corporate fast track: “How does she manage to champion strategic initiatives, network with executives and only work 40 hours a week? After a day full of project meetings, the best I can do is reactively respond to email at night instead of proactively developing my department.” Here’s the secret: The colleagues who zoom ahead of you with seemingly less effort have an exceptional level of achievement, and I was fortunate that in my case, it was rewarded with scholarships and job offers. The rules changed when I started my own business more than seven years ago. I realized that doing grade-A work in everything limited my success. At that point, I realized that I needed to focus more on my strengths. As Tom Rath wisely explains in his “Strengths Finder” books, you can achieve more by fully leveraging your strengths instead of constantly trying to shore up your weaknesses. I have realized the importance of purposely deciding where I will invest more time and energy to produce stellar work and where less-thanperfect execution has a bigger payoff. This has How to Allocate your Time & Effort By ELIZABETH GRACE SAUNDERS From hbr.org c.2013 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate A salesman wonders about his top co-worker: learned to recognize and excel at what really counts – and to aim for less than perfect in everything else. It is likely that the highest-producing salesman on your team devotes less than half the amount of time that you do to fill out paperwork. Yes, his may be sloppy, but no one really cares because he’s skyrocketing the revenue numbers. The manager who has caught the eye of upper management may send emails with imperfect grammar and decline invites to tactical meetings. But when a project or meeting really matters, she outshines everyone. If you’re shocked and feel that this seems completely unfair, I’m guessing you probably did very well in school, where perfectionism is encouraged. I was a straight-A student from sixth grade through college graduation and did whatever it took to produce work at a level that would please my professors. Admittedly, this strategy paid off as a student. My perfect GPA signified had a profound effect on my own approach to success and my ability to empower clients who feel overwhelmed. When I talk with time-coaching clients – whether they be professors, executives or lawyers – a common theme comes up: They feel as though they can’t find time to do everything. And they’re right: No one has time for everything. Given the pace of work and the level of input in modern society, time management is dead. You can no longer fit everything in, no matter how efficient you become. My time-investment philosophy encourages individuals to see time as a limited resource and to allocate it in alignment with their personal definition of success. That leads to a number of practical ramifications: • DECIDE WHERE YOU WILL NOT SPEND TIME: With a limited budget of time at your disposal, you will not have the ability to do everything you would like to do, regardless of your efThe Lama Review - Page 9 ficiency. The moment you embrace that truth, you instantly reduce your stress and feelings of inadequacy. Professionally, this might mean reducing your involvement in committees; on the personal level, you might consider hiring someone else to maintain your lawn or finish up a home-improvement project. These things need to get done, but you can aim for Blevel work. Optimize activities are those for which additional time spent leads to no added value and keeps you from doing other, more valuable activities. Aim for C-level work in these – the faster you get them done, the better. Most basic administrative paperwork and errands fit into this category. • STRATEGICALLY ALLOCATE YOUR TIME: Setting boundaries on how and when you invest time in work and in your personal life can help to ensure that you allocate properly to each category. One of the most compelling reasons for not working extremely long hours is that this investment of time resources leaves you with insufficient funds for activities like exercise, sleep and relationships. The overall goal is to minimize the time spent on optimize activities so that you can maximize your time spent on investment activities. I’ve found that this technique allows you to overcome perfectionist tendencies and invest in more of what actually matters, so that you can increase your effectiveness personally and professionally. • SET UP AUTOMATIC TIME INVESTMENT: On a tactical level, here are a few tips on how you can put the INO technique into action: Just like you set up automatic financial investment to mutual funds in your retirement account, your daily and weekly routines should make your time investment close to automatic. For example, at work you could have a recurring appointment with yourself two afternoons a week to move forward on key projects, and outside of work you could sign up for a fitness boot camp, where you would feel bad if you didn’t show up and sweat three times a week. • AIM FOR A CONSISTENTLY BALANCED TIME BUDGET: Given the ebbs and flows of life, you can’t expect that you will have a constantly balanced time budget. But you can aim for having a consistently balanced one. Over the course of a one- to two-week period, your time investment should reflect your priorities. Once you have properly allocated your time, you also need to approach the work within each category differently. Trying to get straight A’s keeps you from investing the maximum amount of time in what will bring the highest return on your investment. That’s why I developed the INO technique to help overcome perfectionism and misallocation of your time. Here’s how it works: When you approach a to-do item, you want to consider whether it is an investment, neutral or optimize activity. Investment activities are areas where an increased amount of time and a higher quality of work can lead to an exponential payoff. For instance, strategic planning is an investment activity; so is spending time, device-free, with the people you love. Aim for Alevel work in these areas. Neutral activities just need to get done adequately; more time doesn’t necessarily mean a significantly larger payoff. An example might be attending project meetings or going to the gym. Page 10 - The Lama Review • At the start of each week, clearly define the most important investment activities and block out time on your calendar to complete them early in the week and early in your days. This will naturally force you to do everything else in the time that remains. • When you look over your daily to-do list, put an “I,” “N” or “O” beside each item and then allocate your time budget accordingly, such as four hours for the “I” activity, three hours for the “N” activities and one hour for the “O” activities. • If you start working on something and realize that it’s taking longer than expected, ask yourself, “What’s the value and/or opportunity cost in spending more time on this task?” If it’s an I activity and the value is high, keep at it and take time away from your N and O activities. If it falls into the N category and there’s little added value, or the O category and spending more time keeps you from doing more important items, either get it done to the minimum level, delegate it, or stop and finish it later when you have more spare time. • If you keep a time diary or mark the time you spent on your calendar, you can also look back over each week and determine if you allocated your time correctly to maximize the payoff on your time investment. Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach, founder of Real Life E Time Coaching & Training and the author of``The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress.’’) To purchase this article, please visit www.nytsyn.com/ contact and contact your local New York Times Syndicate sales representative. For customer support, please call 1-800-972-3550 or 1-212-556-5117. We all have “too much to do.” True? Sure ‘nuf. And that says a lot of good things about you. That you have “too much to do” suggests that a lot of people have entrusted much confidence in you. I mean, people who are drifting about early each afternoon begging co-workers for something to do, may not have earned that confidence we will enjoy. It’s the logical choice. So let’s say it’s the start of your workweek and you have a lot of “things to do,” some of which are “Crucial,” some “Not Crucial.” Intuitively and instinctively you and I want to be good time managers. Therefore, where does our attention gravitate towards? Do we focus on the “Crucial” CRUCIAL v. NOT CRUCIAL By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore from others. And this applies not only in our work lives but in our personal lives as well. But this creates a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s great to enjoy the confidence of others. Yet, having “too much to do” often creates the stresses and distresses that may reduce your overall productivity. I divide our responsibilities into two categories: “Crucial” and “Not Crucial.” Crucial items give us the “biggest bang for the buck” for the time spent and is the most productive use of our time. It is the logical use of our time. “Not Crucial” gives us emotional relief. It’s doing the little things, the junk mail, desk dusting and the like, that, while necessary, do not really advance our daily success very much. When we accomplish the “Crucial” things in our life we are doing “business” v “busyness.” We are making progress versus wheel spinning. Have you ever had a day when you were busy the whole daylong but when you got home that night you knew you had not accomplished a darn thing? (We can fool the world sometimes but we cannot fool ourselves.) Doing the Crucial things builds up our self-esteem and our motivation level. Ever notice when you’ve had a really productive “Crucial” day how that positive momentum carried forward into your evening hours? You are more inclined to do the woodworking, spend time with the kids, or work on hobbies, when you’ve had a great day. But when you’ve had one of those “Not Crucial” days, the motivation and momentum levels are reduced and when we come home that night, many of us just want to block out the day with that all important exercise, “click, click, click,” the sound of the TV remote device, surfing us through a multitude of channels that fail to grab our interest. I really believe that most people, intuitively and instinctively, want to be good time managers. It makes sense. The better we manage our time, the more results or “Not Crucial” tasks? The “Crucial”? Sure! Logic tells us that. The more “Crucial” things we do, the more productivity and success we enjoy. But, you know what? When given a choice between “Crucial” and “Not Crucial” items, we will almost always do the “Not Crucial” items and ignore the “Crucial” items in spite of the fact that we all want to be productive in our day. Why? Because we are driven more by emotion rather than logic. You see the “Crucial” items are typically longer and harder to accomplish. The “Not Crucial” items are typically quicker and fun and emotionally satisfying. We need to get over to the “Crucial” side more often to increase our personal productivity. Would you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tips on a regular basis to increase your personal productivity and get more out of every day? Sign up now for our free “Time management Discussion List Just go to: http://www.topica.com/ lists/timemanagement and select “subscribe”. We welcome you aboard! Dr. Donald E. Wetmore-Professional Speaker Productivity Institute-Time Management Seminars 127 Jefferson Street Stratford, CT 06615 (800) 969-3773 (203) 386-8062 fax: (203) 386-8064 Email: ctsem@msn.com website: http://www.balancetime.com Professional Member-National Speakers Association Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above information in its entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your webpage. For permission, please email your request for “reprint” to: ctsem@ msn.com The Lama Review - Page 11 Management Time “Who’s Got the Monkey?” by William Oncken, Jr., and Donald L. Wass This article was originally published in the November–December 1974 issue of HBR and has been one of the publication’s two bestselling reprints ever. For its reissue as a Classic, the Harvard Business Review asked Stephen R. Covey to provide a commentary. Why is it that managers are typically running out of time while their subordinates are typically running out of work? Here we shall explore the meaning of management time as it relates to the interaction between managers and their bosses, their peers, and their subordinates. Specifically, we shall deal with three kinds of management time: Boss-imposed time—used to accomplish those activities that the boss requires and that the manager cannot disregard without direct and swift penalty. System-imposed time—used to accommodate requests from peers for active support. Neglecting these requests will also result in penalties, though not always as direct or swift. Self-imposed time—used to do those things that the manager originates or agrees to do. A certain portion of this kind of time, Page 12 - The Lama Review however, will be taken by subordinates and is called subordinate-imposed time. The remaining portion will be the manager’s own and is called discretionary time. Self-imposed time is not subject to penalty since neither the boss nor the system can discipline the manager for not doing what they didn’t know he had intended to do in the first place. To accommodate those demands, managers need to control the timing and the content of what they do. Since what their bosses and the system impose on them are subject to penalty, managers cannot tamper with those requirements. Thus their self-imposed time becomes their major area of concern. Managers should try to increase the discretionary component of their self-imposed time by minimizing or doing away with the subordinate component. They will then use the added increment to get better control over their boss-imposed and system-imposed activities. Most managers spend much more time dealing with subordinates’ problems than they even faintly realize. Hence we shall use the monkey-on-the-back metaphor to examine how subordinate-imposed time comes into being and what the superior can do about it. Where Is the Monkey? Let us imagine that a manager is walking down the hall and that he notices one of his subordinates, Jones, coming his way. When the two meet, Jones greets the manager with, “Good morning. By the way, we’ve got a problem. You see….” As Jones continues, the manager recognizes in this problem the two characteristics common to all the problems his subordinates gratuitously bring to his attention. Namely, the manager knows (a) enough to get involved, but (b) not enough to make the onthe-spot decision expected of him. Eventually, the manager says, “So glad you brought this up. I’m in a rush right now. Meanwhile, let me think about it, and I’ll let you know.” Then he and Jones part company. Let us analyze what just happened. Before the two of them met, on whose back was the “monkey”? The subordinate’s. After they parted, on whose back was it? The manager’s. Subordinate-imposed time begins the moment a monkey successfully leaps from the back of a subordinate to the back of his or her superior and does not end until the monkey is returned to its proper owner for care and feeding. In accepting the monkey, the manager has voluntarily assumed a position subordinate to his subordinate. That is, he has allowed Jones to make him her subordinate by doing two things a subordinate is generally expected to do for a boss—the manager has accepted a responsibility from his subordinate, and the manager has promised her a progress report. The subordinate, to make sure the manager does not miss this point, will later stick her head in the “Get control over the timing and content of what you do” is appropriate advice for managing time. The first order of business is for the manager to enlarge his or her discretionary time by eliminating subordinateimposed time. The second is for the manager to use a portion of this newfound discretionary time to see to it that each subordinate actually has the initiative and applies it. The third is for the manager to use another portion of the increased discretionary time to get and keep control of the timing and content of both boss-imposed and systemimposed time. All these steps will increase the manager’s leverage and enable the value of each hour spent in managing management time to multiply without theoretical limit. manager’s office and cheerily query, “How’s it coming?” (This is called supervision.) Or let us imagine in concluding a conference with Johnson, another subordinate, the manager’s parting words are, “Fine. Send me a memo on that.” Let us analyze this one. The monkey is now on the subordinate’s back because the next move is his, but it is poised for a leap. Watch that monkey. Johnson dutifully writes the requested memo and drops it in his out-basket. Shortly thereafter, the manager plucks it from his in-basket and reads it. Whose move is it now? The manager’s. If he does not make that move soon, he will get a follow-up memo from the subordinate. (This is another form of supervision.) The longer the manager delays, the more frustrated the subordinate will become (he’ll be spinning his wheels) and the more guilty the manager will feel (his backlog of subordinate-imposed time will be mounting). Or suppose once again that at a meeting with a third subordinate, Smith, the manager agrees to provide all the necessary backing for a public relations proposal he has just asked Smith to develop. The manager’s parting words to her are, “Just let me know how I can help.” Now let us analyze this. Again the monkey is initially on the subordinate’s back. But for how long? Smith realizes that she cannot let the manager “know” until her proposal has the manager’s approval. And from experience, she also realizes that her proposal will likely be sitting in the manager’s briefcase for weeks before he eventually gets to it. Who’s really got the monkey? Who will be checking up on whom? Wheel spinning and bottlenecking are well on their way again. A fourth subordinate, Reed, has just been transferred from another part of the company so that he can launch and eventually manage a newly created business venture. The manager has said they should get together soon to hammer out a set of objectives for the new job, adding, “I will draw up an initial draft for discussion with you.” Let us analyze this one, too. The subordinate has the new job (by formal assignment) and the full responsibility (by formal delegation), but the manager has the next move. Until he makes it, he will have the monkey, and the subordinate will be immobilized. Why does all of this happen? Because in each instance the manager and the subordinate assume at the outset, wittingly or unwittingly, that the matter The Lama Review - Page 13 under consideration is a joint problem. The monkey in each case begins its career astride both their backs. All it has to do is move the wrong leg, and—presto!— the subordinate deftly disappears. The manager is thus left with another acquisition for his menagerie. Of course, monkeys can be trained not to move the wrong leg. But it is easier to prevent them from straddling backs in the first place. for whom. Moreover, he now sees that if he actually accomplishes during this weekend what he came to accomplish, his subordinates’ morale will go up so sharply that they will each raise the limit on the number of monkeys they will let jump from their backs to his. In short, he now sees, with the clarity of a revelation on a mountaintop, that the more he gets caught up, the more he will fall behind. Who Is Working for Whom? He leaves the office with the speed of a person running away from a plague. His plan? To get caught up on something else he hasn’t had time for in years: a weekend with his family. (This is one of the many varieties of discretionary time.) Let us suppose that these same four subordinates are so thoughtful and considerate of their superior’s time that they take pains to allow no more than three monkeys to leap from each of their backs to his in any one day. In a five-day week, the manager will have picked up 60 screaming monkeys—far too many to do anything about them individually. So he spends his subordinate-imposed time juggling his “priorities.” Sunday night he enjoys ten hours of sweet, untroubled slumber, because he has clear-cut plans for Monday. He is going to get rid of his subordinate-imposed time. In exchange, he will get an equal amount of discretionary time, part of which he will spend with his subordinates to make Worst of all, the reason the manager sure that they learn the cannot make any of these “next difficult but rewarding managerial art called moves” is that his time is almost Care and Feeding of entirely eaten up by meeting his own “The Monkeys.” Late Friday afternoon, the manager is in his office with the door closed for privacy so he can contemplate the situation, while his subordinates are waiting outside to get their last chance before the weekend boss-imposed and system-imposed to remind him that he will The manager will requirements. have to “fish or cut bait.” also have plenty of Imagine what they are discretionary time left over saying to one another about for getting control of the timing and the content not the manager as they wait: “What a bottleneck. He just only of his boss-imposed time but also of his systemcan’t make up his mind. How anyone ever got that imposed time. It may take months, but compared high up in our company without being able to make a with the way things have been, the rewards will be decision we’ll never know.” enormous. His ultimate objective is to manage his Worst of all, the reason the manager cannot make any time. of these “next moves” is that his time is almost entirely eaten up by meeting his own boss-imposed and system-imposed requirements. To control those tasks, he needs discretionary time that is in turn denied him when he is preoccupied with all these monkeys. The manager is caught in a vicious circle. But time is a-wasting (an understatement). The manager calls his secretary on the intercom and instructs her to tell his subordinates that he won’t be able to see them until Monday morning. At 7 pm, he drives home, intending with firm resolve to return to the office tomorrow to get caught up over the weekend. He returns bright and early the next day only to see, on the nearest green of the golf course across from his office window, a foursome. Guess who? That does it. He now knows who is really working Page 14 - The Lama Review Getting Rid of the Monkeys The manager returns to the office Monday morning just late enough so that his four subordinates have collected outside his office waiting to see him about their monkeys. He calls them in one by one. The purpose of each interview is to take a monkey, place it on the desk between them, and figure out together how the next move might conceivably be the subordinate’s. For certain monkeys, that will take some doing. The subordinate’s next move may be so elusive that the manager may decide—just for now—merely to let the monkey sleep on the subordinate’s back overnight and have him or her return with it at an appointed time the next morning to continue the joint quest for a more substantive move by the subordinate. (Monkeys sleep just as soundly overnight on subordinates’ backs as they do on superiors’.) As each subordinate leaves the office, the manager is rewarded by the sight of a monkey leaving his office on the subordinate’s back. For the next 24 hours, the subordinate will not be waiting for the manager; instead, the manager will be waiting for the subordinate. Nor can the manager and the subordinate effectively have the same initiative at the same time. The opener, “Boss, we’ve got a problem,” implies this duality and represents, as noted earlier, a monkey astride two backs, which is a very bad way to start a monkey on its career. Let us, therefore, take a few moments to examine what we call “The Anatomy of Managerial Initiative.” Later, as if to remind himself that there is no law against his engaging in a constructive exercise in the interim, the manager strolls by the subordinate’s office, sticks his head in the door, and cheerily asks, “How’s it coming?” (The time consumed in doing this is discretionary for the manager and boss imposed for the subordinate.) There are five degrees of initiative that the manager can exercise in relation to the boss and to the system: When the subordinate (with the monkey on his or her back) and the manager meet at the appointed hour the next day, the manager explains the ground rules in words to this effect: “At no time while I am helping you with this or any other problem will your problem become my problem. The instant your problem becomes mine, you no longer have a problem. I cannot help a person who hasn’t got a problem. “When this meeting is over, the problem will leave this office exactly the way it came in—on your back. You may ask my help at any appointed time, and we will make a joint determination of what the next move will be and which of us will make it. “In those rare instances where the next move turns out to be mine, you and I will determine it together. I will not make any move alone.” The manager follows this same line of thought with each subordinate until about 11 am, when he realizes that he doesn’t have to close his door. His monkeys are gone. They will return—but by appointment only. His calendar will assure this. Transferring the Initiative What we have been driving at in this monkey-on-theback analogy is that managers can transfer initiative back to their subordinates and keep it there. We have tried to highlight a truism as obvious as it is subtle: namely, before developing initiative in subordinates, the manager must see to it that they have the initiative. Once the manager takes it back, he will no longer have it and he can kiss his discretionary time good-bye. It will all revert to subordinate-imposed time. 1. wait until told (lowest initiative); 2. ask what to do; 3. recommend, then take resulting action; 4. act, but advise at once; 5. and act on own, then routinely report (highest initiative). Clearly, the manager should be professional enough not to indulge in initiatives 1 and 2 in relation either to the boss or to the system. A manager who uses initiative 1 has no control over either the timing or the content of boss-imposed or system-imposed time and thereby forfeits any right to complain about what he or she is told to do or when. The manager who uses initiative 2 has control over the timing but not over the content. Initiatives 3, 4, and 5 leave the manager in control of both, with the greatest amount of control being exercised at level 5. In relation to subordinates, the manager’s job is twofold. First, to outlaw the use of initiatives 1 and 2, thus giving subordinates no choice but to learn and master “Completed Staff Work.” Second, to see that for each problem leaving his or her office there is an agreed-upon level of initiative assigned to it, in addition to an agreed-upon time and place for the next manager-subordinate conference. The latter should be duly noted on the manager’s calendar. The Care and Feeding of Monkeys To further clarify our analogy between the monkey on the back and the processes of assigning and controlling, we shall refer briefly to the manager’s appointment schedule, which calls for five hardand-fast rules governing the “Care and Feeding of Monkeys.” (Violation of these rules will cost discretionary time.) Rule 1. Monkeys should be fed or shot. Otherwise, they will starve to death, and the manager will waste valuable time on postmortems or attempted resurrections. The Lama Review - Page 15 Rule 2. The monkey population should be kept below the maximum number the manager has time to feed. Subordinates will find time to work as many monkeys as he or she finds time to feed, but no more. It shouldn’t take more than five to 15 minutes to feed a properly maintained monkey. Rule 3. Monkeys should be fed by appointment only. The manager should not have to hunt down starving monkeys and feed them on a catch-as-catch-can basis. Rule 4. Monkeys should be fed face-to-face or by telephone, but never by mail. (Remember—with mail, the next move will be the manager’s.) Documentation may add to the feeding process, but it cannot take the place of feeding. Rule 5. Every monkey should have an assigned next feeding time and degree of initiative. These may be revised at any time by mutual consent but never allowed to become vague or indefinite. Otherwise, the monkey will either starve to death or wind up on the manager’s back. CommentaryMaking Time for Gorillas by Stephen R. Covey When Bill Oncken wrote this article in 1974, managers were in a terrible bind. They were desperate for a way to free up their time, but command and control was the status quo. Managers felt they weren’t allowed to empower their subordinates to make decisions. Too dangerous. Too risky. That’s why Oncken’s message—give the monkey back to its rightful owner—involved a critically important paradigm shift. Many managers working today owe him a debt of gratitude. It is something of an understatement, however, to observe that much has changed since Oncken’s radical recommendation. Command and control as a management philosophy is all but dead, and “empowerment” is the word of the day in most organizations trying to thrive in global, intensely competitive markets. But command and control stubbornly remains a common practice. Management thinkers and executives have discovered in the last decade that bosses cannot just give a monkey back to their subordinates and then merrily get on with their Page 16 - The Lama Review own business. Empowering subordinates is hard and complicated work. The reason: when you give problems back to subordinates to solve themselves, you have to be sure that they have both the desire and the ability to do so. As every executive knows, that isn’t always the case. Enter a whole new set of problems. Empowerment often means you have to develop people, which is initially much more time consuming than solving the problem on your own. Just as important, empowerment can only thrive when the whole organization buys into it—when formal systems and the informal culture support it. Managers need to be rewarded for delegating decisions and developing people. Otherwise, the degree of real empowerment in an organization will vary according to the beliefs and practices of individual managers. But perhaps the most important lesson about empowerment is that effective delegation—the kind Oncken advocated—depends on a trusting relationship between a manager and his subordinate. Oncken’s message may have been ahead of his time, but what he suggested was still a fairly dictatorial solution. He basically told bosses, “Give the problem back!” Today, we know that this approach by itself is too authoritarian. To delegate effectively, executives need to establish a running dialogue with subordinates. They need to establish a partnership. After all, if subordinates are afraid of failing in front of their boss, they’ll keep coming back for help rather than truly take initiative. Oncken’s article also doesn’t address an aspect of delegation that has greatly interested me during the past two decades—that many managers are actually eager to take on their subordinates’ monkeys. Nearly all the managers I talk with agree that their people are underutilized in their present jobs. But even some of the most successful, seemingly selfassured executives have talked about how hard it is to give up control to their subordinates. I’ve come to attribute that eagerness for control to a common, deep-seated belief that rewards in life are scarce and fragile. Whether they learn it from their family, school, or athletics, many people establish an identity by comparing themselves with others. When they see others gain power, information, money, or recognition, for instance, they experience what the psychologist Abraham Maslow called “a feeling of deficiency”—a sense that something is being taken from them. That makes it hard for them to be genuinely happy about the success of others—even of their loved ones. Oncken implies that managers can easily give back or refuse monkeys, but many managers may subconsciously fear that a subordinate taking the initiative will make them appear a little less strong and a little more vulnerable. How, then, do managers develop the inward security, the mentality of “abundance,” that would enable them to relinquish control and seek the growth and development of those around them? The work I’ve done with numerous organizations suggests that managers who live with integrity according to a principle-based value system are most likely to sustain an empowering style of leadership. Given the times in which he wrote, it was no wonder that Oncken’s message resonated with managers. But it was reinforced by Oncken’s wonderful gift for storytelling. I got to know Oncken on the speaker’s circuit in the 1970s, and I was always impressed by how he dramatized his ideas in colorful detail. Like the Dilbert comic strip, Oncken had a tongue-in-cheek style that got to the core of managers’ frustrations and made them want to take back control of their time. And the monkey on your back wasn’t just a metaphor for Oncken—it was his personal symbol. I saw him several times walking through airports with a stuffed monkey on his shoulder. I’m not surprised that his article is one of the two best-selling HBR articles ever. Even with all we know about empowerment, its vivid message is even more important and relevant now than it was 25 years ago. Indeed, Oncken’s insight is a basis for my own work on time management, in which I have people categorize their activities according to urgency and importance. I’ve heard from executives again and again that half or more of their time is spent on matters that are urgent but not important. They’re trapped in an endless cycle of dealing with other people’s monkeys, yet they’re reluctant to help those people take their own initiative. As a result, they’re often too busy to spend the time they need on the real gorillas in their organization. Oncken’s article remains a powerful wake-up call for managers who need to delegate effectively. William Oncken, Jr., was chairman of the William Oncken Corporation until his death in 1988. His son, William Oncken III, now heads the company. Donald L. Wass was president of the William Oncken Company of Texas when the article first appeared. He now heads the Dallas–Fort Worth region of The Executive Committee (TEC), an international organization for presidents and CEOs. Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week. - Charles Richards The Lama Review - Page 17 Dealing with Difficult People in a Changing World by Terry Paulson, PhD, CSP, CPAE Conflict is built into the very fabric of every organization in today’s changing world. When it is not dealt with well, it can create enemy relationships and grow to sap the time, energy, and productivity of even the best relationships. Conflict can also be a catalyst that sets the stage for needed changes. You will never deal with conflict perfectly, but here are ten tips worth using in dealing with your difficult people on and off the job: 1. Talk to people instead of about them. Dealing with conflict directly may be uncomfortable and lead to some disappointment, but it cuts down the mindreading and the resentment that can occur when problems are not dealt with directly. Timing, tact, and taking distance will always have their place, but make sure you still keep conflict eyeball to eyeball. 2. We are taught from childhood to avoid conflict and often vacillate between the pain of dealing with unresolved problems and the guilt Page 18 - The Lama Review over not dealing with them. Such vacillation saps energy and time; it can affect morale and turnover. Be a problem solver not a problem evader. Problem solvers avoid avoidance; they learn to deal with conflict as soon as it even begins to get in the way. 3. Develop a communication style that focuses on future problem solving rather than getting stuck in proving a conviction for past problems. You want change, not just an admission of guilt. Winners of arguments never always win, because consistent losers never forget. You want results, not enemies seeking revenge. By focusing on future problem solving, both can save face. 4. Problem solvers deal with issues, not personalities. It is all too easy to abuse the other party instead of dealing with issues. Be assertive but affirm the rights of others to have different positions, values and priorities. When you personalize disagreements and attack back, you invite escalation. Keep the focus on mutual problem solving not name calling. even if a few difficult people never respond. 5. Honor, surface and use resistance. Attempts at 9. If none of these suggestions work, keep your threatening, silencing or otherwise avoiding criticism of change will only force resistance underground and increase the sabotaging of even necessary changes. Explored resistance helps build clarity of focus and action. Push for specific suggestions. If criticism is extensive and continues even after facing it, it may not be resistance--Know when to admit that you are wrong. perspective—”This too shall pass!’ Keep evidence of your efforts to build a better relationship. Find ways to work on projects that build new exposure in other areas within your organization. You may just find a new position with a different team to work with. With a crazy or brutalizing boss or coworker, you may even have to leave. Always invest 5% of your time in your next career so you are continually developing career choices. You want to stay for the right reasons, not because you are trapped. 6. Redefine caring to include caring enough to confront on a timely and consistent basis. Avoid labels that give you or others excuses for not confronting a problem—They are too sensitive or too nice, scene makers or people who have contacts, too old or too young, or the wrong race or gender. If you believe people cannot change or benefit from feedback, you will tend not to confront them. Instead, treat all equally caring enough to be firm, fair, and consistent. 7. Avoid forming enemy relationships. The subtle art of influence is often lost in the heat of battle. When interaction becomes strained or bias exists, the negative interaction coupled with the distance that often results invites selective scanning and projection. We see what we want to see to keep our enemies the enemy. If a relationship is limited to polite indifference and significant negative interaction, expect polarization and an enemy relationship. In such relationships everyone loses. Take seriously the words of Confucius, “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” Even your most difficult person usually has some people they work with well. Make one of those people you. Don’t look for the worst; learn to look for the best in even difficult people. 10. Finally, don’t forget to spend some time looking in a mirror. Ron Zemke put it well when he said, ‘If you find that everywhere you go you’re always surrounded by jerks and you’re constantly being forced to strike back at them or correct their behavior, guess what? You’re a jerk.” As with all of life, start by making sure that you are not being difficult yourself. BYLINE INFORMATION Dr. Terry Paulson is author of The Dinner, 50 Tips for Speaking Like a Pro and They Shoot Managers Don’t They? As a speaker, he helps leaders and teams make change work. For more information visit http:// www.terrypaulson.com or contact directly at (818) 991-5110 or terry@terrypaulson.com Never let yesterday use up today. Richard H. Nelson 8. Invest time building positive bridges to your difficult people. Abraham Lincoln reportedly said, “I don’t like that man. I’m going to have to get to know him better.’ Don’t be insincere; look for ways to be sincere. It takes a history of positive contact to build trust. Try building a four-to-one positive to negative contact history. Give specific recognition and ask for assistance in the areas you respect their opinions. Work together on an common cause and search for areas of common ground. Even if bridge building doesn’t work, by being a positive bridge builder, you build a reputation all will see and come to respect The Lama Review - Page 19 Copyright 2008 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800) 545-7685. BH 272 Time bandits: How they are created, why they are tolerated, and what can be done about them Time Bandits a, a David J. Ketchen, Jr. , Christopher W. Craighead , M. Ronald Buckley b b Auburn University, Lowder Business Building, Auburn, AL 36849, USA University of Oklahoma, 307 West Brooks, Norman, OK 73072, USA KEYWORDS Time bandits; Resource utilization; Reward systems; Job design Abstract Organizations today own little slack, and they must very carefully manage their resources. In this article, we describe an omnipresent, yet often ignored resource utilization problem whereby some workers abandon certain responsibilities and use the freed-up time to pursue personal interests such as hobbies and side businesses. In essence, these “time bandits” work part-time in exchange for full-time pay. While bandits are a minority among workers, their negative effects are significant and widespread. Specifically, banditry undermines an organization’s mission, morale, and productivity, as well as putting stakeholder support at risk. In an effort to address this problem, we offer insights in three areas. First, we identify key causes of banditry, including supervisors not enforcing performance standards, poorly constructed reward systems, and the failure to recognize individual differences when designing jobs. Second, we describe reasons why banditry is tolerated within organizations, such as supervisors’ desire to avoid conflict and their fear of being labeled as hypocrites. Most importantly, we offer a set of techniques that can prevent and reverse banditry. These include carefully defining expectations, intervening quickly when the symptoms of banditry appear, reducing bandits’ compensation over time, and designing jobs that capitalize on individuals’ varied skills and motivation. © 2007 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved 1. A thief by any other name… “Sam Cooper” (a pseudonym) is a mid-level manager within a division of a Fortune 500 firm. The firm’s business centers on serving large, competitively-bid contracts. These contracts apply to fixed periods of time, so a steady flow of new contracts is needed for the firm to remain successful. Sam’ performance in servicing existing contracts is regarded as reasonable. A much different situation arises where preparing bids for new contracts is concerned. At strategy meetings, Sam contributes both enthusiasm and insight about how to win each competition. When it comes time to actually write a proposal for a new contract, however, Sam is always “too busy” or “traveling too much” to participate. Yet, as an avid surfer, Sam always seems to have plenty of time throughout the week to hit the beach. “Barb Dobler” is a department head within a state government agency devoted to public health. Barb possesses adequate technical Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: ketchda@auburn.edu (D.J. Ketchen, Jr.), craigcw@auburn.edu (C.W. Craighead), mbuckley@ou.edu (M.R. Buckley). 0007-6813/$ -see front matter © 2007 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2007.11.005 Page 20 - The Lama Review skills and her performance on this portion of her job is satisfactory. However, her main responsibility is managing others, a role that she eschews. Barb not only fails to give subordinates guidance and support, she also verbally abuses them. Ignoring her managerial duties has freed up a lot of time for Barb, and she uses this time to trade stocks online. Upper management has sent Barb to a series of out-of-town seminars on effective management, but she has treated these trips as vacations. “Phil Moultor” has long served as a professor at a large public university. Like most professors at such institutions, Phil is assigned responsibilities in teaching and research. In the 1980s, Phil’s record of research accomplishments resulted in his appointment to a position that granted a reduced teaching load. The university’s expectation was that Phil’s research activity would flourish via the freed-up time. In the intervening decades, however, Phil has conducted very little research. He teaches his classes – atask that takes only a few hours a week, given his reduced teaching load – and contributes little else to the university. Meanwhile, Phil works many hours at the Italian restaurant that he runs “on the side.” contention, based on a collective total of 44 years at seven universities, is that banditry is a pervasive problem within educational institutions. In particular, we have observed the widespread existence of bandit professors such as Phil Moultor, who have made a conscious decision to not fulfill the research responsibilities of their positions. At many business schools, the work assignment of a tenure track professor includes a significant portion of their time (perhaps 25% to 50%) that is supposed to be allocated to research activities. Often, bandits will teach their classes but that is the extent of their contribution to the institution. Bandit professors are generally tenured, and they treat tenure not as the intended protector of academic freedom, but as a sinecure and a license to steal from the educational system. Hambrick (2005, p. 300) has stated that abandoning research responsibilities is a main reason Several forms of theft take place within organizations. Some are well known, such as insider trading, shrinkage (where employees pilfer goods), and embezzlement. The anecdotes offered above illustrate another form of theft, one that most of us are aware of intuitively but that has not yet been discussed in the practitioner or academic literatures. In each case, a person has chosen to not fulfill part of his or her assigned work responsibilities. We label these people as “time bandits” because they are stealing time from their employers and therefore are paid for full-time employment, but only work part-time. With the time freed up by shirking some of their responsibilities, bandits pursue hobbies (such as surfing or online stock trading), enjoy leisure time (such as following the latest celebrity gossip via the Internet), or enrich themselves through side businesses (such as running a restaurant or a real estate agency). Most of our direct experience with time bandits (or, more simply, “bandits”) comes through our roles as professors. Our The Lama Review - Page 21 why “if tenure could be redecided five years after the initial decision… about 20% to 25% of professors would be asked…to pack their bags.” While tenure clearly facilitates banditry among some professors, the cases of Sam Cooper, Barb Dobler, and many others demonstrate that the absence of a tenure system has not prevented banditry from arising within businesses and government organizations. Indeed, we routinely hear MBA students, College of Business Advisory Board members, our spouses, and our friends offer complaints, jokes, and derisive comments about the proliferation of bandits at their places of employment. While bandits are a minority, it appears that they can be found within the corral of most every organization. Business executives may be dismayed to learn that our expectation is that banditry will become more prevalent within industry over time. Organizations may be most susceptible to banditry when an employee has the ability to be frequently out of the office. Salespeople and professors, for example, often have the freedom to come and go as they please. This situation allows potential bandits to claim to be “working at home” or “on a business trip” while they are engaged in hobbies or side businesses or just avoiding work. More broadly, businesses increasingly rely on arrangements such as virtual teams and telecommuting whereby workers receive little direct supervision and can adjust the hours they work (Ford & McLaughlin, 1995; Greenberg, Greenberg, & Antonucci, 2007). Like the bandit salesperson or professor, some workers will not resist the opportunity to misuse this freedom. Thus, part of our message to executives is to take note of the abuses that have evolved among a minority of employees and strive to prevent similar scenarios from developing in your organizations. In this sense, we believe that a daunting challenge sales managers and university administrators have faced for decades foreshadows an emerging dilemma for many supervisors. We do not believe that all bandits maliciously pursue the theft of time. Some employees become bandits due to their situational context: as a result of boredom, lack of direction, lack of support, or frustration with work. Regardless of the underlying causes, banditry is costly. Indeed, the dollar value of banditry is substantial. For the purpose of illustration, consider that according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB, 2006), the average salary of a business school professor is $96,000. If we assume a fringe benefit factor of Page 22 - The Lama Review 25%, this equates to $120,000 in direct and indirect compensation. A professor with a time allocation for research of 40% (a percentage that varies by appointment and school) is compensated $48,000 annually for his or her research efforts. Bandits such as Phil Moultor, who are disengaged from research, are stealing this amount of money every year from university stakeholders. Similar calculations can be made for industry and government desperados such as Sam Cooper and Barb Dobler. This reality becomes more troubling when the sources of the money with which bandits abscond are considered. Faculty salaries are derived from state funds, tuition dollars, and endowments from the donations of alumni, companies, and friends of the university. Essentially, bandit professors rob their colleagues, their institutions, and university stakeholders (such as students and legislatures) as surely as if they stuck a pistol in their stakeholders’ ribs. Within industry, bandits rob firms’ shareholders and fellow employees, among others. Within government, taxpayers are the primary victim of banditry. However, the ill effects of bandits go well beyond the dollars pilfered; we take a closer look in the next section. 2. The effects of banditry 2.1. Undermining the mission All organizations have missions that need to be accomplished and some fixed amount of resources at their disposal to achieve those missions. The loss of resources through banditry undermines organizations’ ability to meet the challenges of their missions. For example, as noted above, Barb Dobler is a department head within a state agency devoted to public health. The mission of this agency is “to promote and protect the health and safety of all” citizens of the state. By neglecting the managerial aspect of her position, Barb has undermined the ability of subordinates to work toward this goal. Every hour that subordinates spend confused about their duties or spend protesting Barb’s abuse to higher administrators is an hour that could have been devoted to improving the health and safety of the state citizenry. The mission of Sam Cooper’s firm centers on helping customers achieve success. Sam’s stealthy refusal to work on the contract proposals that create new customers jeopardizes the firm’s future by hurting its ability to serve its constituents and accomplish its mission. For most business schools, teaching and research are the two main elements of their missions. Deans today face the unenviable task of leading their schools to make contributions to these elements in a complex and challenging context. According to the AACSB (2002, p. 2), “the most critical problem facing business schools today is the insufficient number of new PhDs being produced worldwide.” There is little slack left and this supply shortage could drastically reduce the ability to meet teaching and research obligations. The AACSB (2003, p.1) predicts that “unless decisive action is taken to reverse declines in business doctoral education, academic business schools, universities, and society will be faced with an inevitable erosion in the quality of business education and research.” To cover classes, many schools are moving to a faculty structure whereby appointments are tilted more heavily toward part-time instructors rather than traditional tenure-track slots (Nemetz & Cameron, 2006). As a result, fewer faculty members are tasked with serving a critical component of the mission of the university; that is, research. The effects of banditry are thereby spread out over a smaller number of research faculty and its effects become more damaging and noticeable (see Albanese & Van Fleet, 1985). subordinates in a position to succeed. If these subordinates failed, the result would be that none of the agencies’ missions would be effectively served. Because Barb’s agency received funding from these allies, the difficulties Barb created ultimately reduced the resources of her agency. Key university stakeholders oftentimes possess only a peripheral understanding of the nature of the work done by professors (Gordon, 1986). For example, legend has it that a university president was once summoned to a state legislative hearing. The following exchange ensued: Lawmaker: “How many hours do your professors typically teach?” University president: “Six hours.” (Meaning per week) 2.2. Undermining morale and productivity Our observation over time has been that bandits have significant deleterious effects on the work habits of other employees. Particularly strong-willed and dedicated workers have the focus needed to concentrate on their own tasks. However, most of us ‘mortals’ take notice of and are influenced by the situation around us. A ‘law abiding’ equity sensitive worker who observes bandits getting away with working part-time may question the wisdom of working hard. Equity theory would suggest that such people will reduce their efforts until they believe that they are receiving rewards relative to their inputs at a similar rate to the bandits in their department (Adams, 1965). The result is that, like rabbits, bandits multiply. Another outcome predicted by equity theory is that productive workers who observe banditry find it intolerable, become cynical, and ultimately leave in order to join an organization with more distributive justice (McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992). Furthermore, an emotional contagion (Hatfield, Cacioppo, & Rapson, 1994) may occur whereby other employees start to tthink and feel like the bandit. None of these possibilities bode well for an organization . 2.3. Undermining institutional support No business, government agency, or university can “go it alone.” Instead, each organization depends on the support and resources of other organizations in order to function. Through their behavior, bandits create questions about whether their organizations are good investments and thereby jeopardize their support. For example, Barb Dobler’s agency works in conjunction with other state agencies that have similar missions, such as protecting the environment. Over time, Barb’s managerial malfeasance made these other agencies reluctant to work with her. They had little confidence that Barb would put her Lawmaker: “What do they do the other two hours of the day?” The mystery surrounding what we do has helped universities minimize accountability. But as tuition continues to grow far faster than inflation and publicity about tuition increases continues to rise, we suspect that it is inevitable that state legislatures will more carefully scrutinize the internal operations of the universities that benefit from their largesse. When found to be populated by the aforementioned $48,000 bandits, some universities will find themselves losing legislative support. Frankly, they should. 3. How are bandits created? It is difficult to attribute the motivational process of bandits. We doubt that a bandit wakes up one morning, has an epiphany, and proclaims, “Iam tired of working full time and I think I will take advantage of my employer.” In our observation, a bandit’s turn to the ‘dark side’ evolves in a gradual way and may be driven by several factors, including lack of interest or support for an activity, lack of direction, or frustration with the work environment. Doubtlessly, some people are more disposed toward exploiting the system than others, but employees would struggle to achieve banditry if effective controls were in place. Ironically, the organizational features that facilitate banditry run counter to the basic principles of good management that business school professors routinely teach in our classes and that most managers learned in these same classes. The Lama Review - Page 23 3.1. Lack of performance standards Organizations facilitate banditry when they fail to create and enforce performance standards. In Barb Dobler’s state agency, subordinates evaluate their direct supervisor through an annual survey. Year after year, Barb received the lowest scores of any department head, despite her attendance at a series of seminars designed to enhance managerial skills. Higher-level administrators responded not by removing Barb from the managerial ranks, but by moving her direct reports and putting her in charge of a new group of naïve employees. The department head who received the highest evaluation from her subordinates was ‘rewarded’ by being assigned the refugees from Barb’s department. This department head was already putting in long hours, and now she had additional, uncompensated responsibilities due to the behavior of a bandit. Universities face a challenge in this realm. Beyond the standards that are enforced prior to promotion to associate professor and tenure, there are few substantial performance hurdles for most academics. Hurdles do exist for those who wish to be promoted to full professor. However, it is up to the individual faculty member whether or not to achieve them and there is no time pressure to do so. This is in contrast to the first promotion stage, wherein a faculty member has to achieve certain performance levels within five to seven years. Likewise, once a faculty member achieves promotion to full professor, there are no more performance hurdles. Post tenure review is intended to ensure sustained performance, but at most universities it fails to deliver much substantive action. In most cases, a negative post tenure review results in a ‘slap on the wrist’ for lack of productivity, a corrective plan, and a generous amount of time to correct the shortcoming. While professors at various universities have been fired for other forms of theft such as embezzlement, we are not aware of any cases where a bandit has been fired because he or she stole time and money by ceasing to do research. 3.2. Poorly designed reward systems What is the worst thing that could be done in response to undesirable behavior? Reward it! Unfortunately, this is often what organizational reward systems actually accomplish. Almost 100 years ago, Thorndike (1911) recognized an important issue within reward systems. His “law of effect” posits that behaviors which are rewarded tend to be repeated. Page 24 - The Lama Review If we reward banditry, employees quickly realize that, contrary to the popular saying, crime does pay. The result will usually be more banditry. Employees are often treated equally rather than equitably throughanemphasisonacrossthe-board raises, when a portion of a salary program is across the board and a portion is merit, or when only minimal financial distinctions are made between the raises given to good performers and those given to bandits. Such raise schemes serve to equalize the increases received by dedicated workers and those provided to bandits. How often do bandits, who are working parttime, receive a 0% raise? Infrequently, based on our observations. 3.3. One size does not fit all Over time, an employee’s interests may evolve and this culminates in varying levels of dedication to different elements of his/her position. For example, it is inevitable that, as careers progress, some professors will turn away from research due to a lack of interest or obsolescence of their skills. In the case of Sam Cooper, proposal writing may just be an activity that does not hold Sam’s interest or Sam’s proposal skills may have become obsolete. A policy that cannot adapt to these changes may result in learned helplessness (Petersen, Maier, & Seligman, 1995), whereby employees may become disengaged due to the belief that they are ineffective, have little control over their environment, and lack any reason to believe their situation will improve. Forcing a reluctant researcher or proposal writer to keep a large portion of his/her job devoted to research or proposal writing is inviting banditry. A predictable result is avoidance behavior. Further, employees are motivated by myriad rewards (McClelland, 1961) and possess varying levels of capabilities (Wyer & Blood, 2006). For example, some are motivated primarily by a need for achievement (such as through writing research articles or winning proposals) while others are motivated by a need for power or affiliation (McClelland, 1961). If a group of employees is managed as a homogeneous set, one likely result is the disengagement of some individuals. Treat everyone the same and motivation will be the victim. 4. Why are bandits tolerated? “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke 4.1. The high price of dealing with bandits Most individuals prefer to avoid confrontation and conflict. Managers are no exception. Performance appraisals are sometimes difficult occasions, especially when there is a need to redirect performance. Dealing with a bandit can easily degenerate into an uncomfortable, confrontational situation. Like a sheriff with an empty gun, direct supervisors often have little authority to accompany the responsibilities they must handle (Gallos, 2002). Further, if punitive action is taken, the bandit may make a ‘big fuss,’ file a grievance, or even pursue a lawsuit. All of these activities take managers away from the more positive, value-added work that they would prefer to emphasize. When a grievance or lawsuit is filed, firms, governments, and universities often settle the case rather than suffer negative publicity and the expense of mounting a defense. This, of course, encourages other bandits to follow the same path. At a minimum, dealing with bandits is more time consuming than not dealing with them, especially in the short run. Managers are pulled in many different directions. Avoidance behavior and appeasement may seem like the simplest ways to deal with bandits, but they are seldom effective. Managers need to understand that doing what is right isn’t always easy, and doing what is easy isn’t always right. We do not suggest, however, that direct supervisors alone are responsible for dealing with banditry. Acquiescence to bandits is as much the fault of the other employees as it is the fault of supervisors. In many movies about the Old West (e.g., “High Noon”), the cowardly townsfolk let the sheriff stand alone against bandits. Some supervisors are, in Old West lingo, “yella,” but others are willing to correct bad behavior. Managers need to know that other employees will back their efforts to overcome banditry. In the case of universities, this burden falls mainly on senior faculty because junior professors often fear retribution from tenured bandits. Overall, individuals must realize that when they ‘look the other way,’ they are in essence condoning banditry. 4.2. Fear of inconsistency A person promoted to a sales manager position often steps away from his or her sales responsibilities in order to be a full-time supervisor. Similarly, department chairs and deans are pulled away from their research programs as they step on and climb up the administrative ladder. We suspect that some of these sales managers and administrators would prefer to challenge bandits, but are held back by a fear of being labeled as hypocrites. Bandits are likely to respond to a reprimand by pointing out that ‘the pot is calling the kettle black’–the person offering the reprimand has also neglected sales or scholarship. This point is faulty, however. The fact that a person no longer sells to customers or publishes research does not in itself constitute banditry. Sales managers and university administrators who contribute fulltime work in the tasks prescribed for them by their positions should reject accusations of hypocrisy that bandits might offer. 5. What can be done about bandits? “No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.” -Theodore Roosevelt As television viewers who are fond of police dramas are aware, a premeditated crime arises because the criminal possesses a motive, a means, and an opportunity. When any of these three conditions is absent, the crime does not happen. In the case of banditry, the motive and means may be impossible to eliminate. Bandits’ motive is to create time to pursue their own private interests. The unstructured nature of many jobs provides the means to become a bandit. The third element of a crime is where banditry can be stopped. Specifically, there are several mechanisms that can be put in place to take away or at least reduce the opportunity for banditry and, if banditry does occur, can make dealing with it easier. 5.1. Put expectations in writing Virtually every person in an organization has a job description. Often, however, this document is excessively general or is out-of-date. Such a job description has little value. Job descriptions should be revisited on an annual basis to ensure that they reflect current expectations and thus serve as a formal accountability mechanism (Hall, Bowen, Ferris, Royle, & Fitzgibbons, 2007). Job descriptions should also be treated as a contract: in exchange for pay, an employee must fulfill the demands specified within the job description. Like any contract, the job description also should specify the penalties for not fulfilling one’s requirements. If, for example, Sam Cooper refuses to fulfill the portion of the contract that discusses proposal writing, the pre-determined consequences should follow. Additional benefits of putting expectations in writing include reducing the likelihood of a successful grievance or lawsuit and reduction of the potential for employee/supervisor conflict. The Lama Review - Page 25 There appears to be a need for carefully developed contracts across academic, business, and government organizations. In academia, when professors are granted tenure, they are, in essence, granted lifetime employment. Normally, however, there is no document that specifies ongoing and specific performance expectations. Although tenure may not be inherent in other types of organizations, the lack of documented, specific expectations is prevalent. The use of contracts can fill this void. For example, if a faculty member is on a specified work assignment before tenure, the contract could state that the professor must maintain a tenurable record on a rolling timeframe to keep their teaching load as is. Some allowance should be made for the pursuit of other academic endeavors such as textbooks, and for riskier, long term research projects. Thus, a minimum performance level for a faculty member might be the maintenance of a tenurable record based on the previous eight years of activities. If a faculty member such as Phil Moultor does not meet this standard, he should be forced to work a full-time schedule by shifting his responsibilities to emphasize teaching. Although we propose that organizations create work contracts, we do not believe that these documents should “micromanage”employees’ time. To the contrary, in many cases flexibility should be incorporated into work arrangements. Much like the tenured professor, business and government employees could be allowed some discretionary time to develop work projects of personal interest, take continuing education courses, or pursue other activities that may benefit the organization. For example, Google, 3M, and Genentech have ‘pet-project programs’that permit employees to use approximately 15% to 20% of their work time to pursue their own ideas (Frauenheim, 2006). The goal is to allow creativity and innovation to flourish unfettered. Innovations such as Google’s Gmail service, 3M’s Post-It notes, and Genentech’s anti-cancer drug Avastin have arisen from employees’ self-directed projects, illustrating the potential value of pet-project programs. At all three firms, employees are held accountable for the use of their pet-project time, an approach which we strongly endorse. 5.2. Do not reward bandits. At all! Never! Organizations must not reward undesired behavior through raises. In particular, across the board raises should never be used. Such an approach to raises supports the twisted, self-serving logic of the bandit and leads productive employees to question why they continue to work at a high level. If an employee is not performing a significant portion of his/her job, that person is, effectively, taking compensation Page 26 - The Lama Review under false pretenses. Therefore, to restore equity, an unrepentant bandit should receive a series of reductions in pay over time. In addition, bandits should not be offered chances to earn extra money beyond their normal compensation. For example, within the academic realm, bandits should not be given the opportunity to earn overload money for teaching summer classes or within executive education programs. The term ‘overload’ assumes that professors are fulfilling their assigned obligations; bandits are not. In the business context, bandits should be passed over to the extent that the law allows when extra compensation such as year-end bonuses and profit sharing are distributed. 5.3. Do not aid and abet bandits ‘Aiding and abetting’ occurs when a person assists a criminal’s efforts to get away with an offense. Aiding and abetting is itself a crime, according to our justice system. A parallel process happens within organizations. Sam Cooper’s avoidance of proposal writing was the subject of wry, cynical jokes among the other members of proposal writing teams. Yet Sam’s banditry was enabled by these same colleagues because they all increased their efforts to make up for Sam’s lack of work. Because proposals were completed on time and were of acceptable quality, the supervisor of these teams was left assuming that all members of the team were contributing as expected. Within academia, a bandit whose behavior is scrutinized by a department head will often look for ‘quick and dirty’ ways to boost his or her research credentials. Sometimes professors that are productive researchers will take pity on ‘bandits on the run’ by granting them authorship on research articles in exchange for minimal, if any, contributions. While this behavior can be viewed as humane and generous on one level, in essence it merely facilitates counterproductive behavior and ongoing abuse of the system. Further, in both of the business and academic situations we described, covering up for a bandit undermines the organizational controls that are in place and thereby makes it less likely that the bandit’s supervisor will be able to take any corrective action. Hard workers need to understand that aiding and abetting a bandit is not an act of collegiality or mercy. Instead, aiding and abetting turns a good organizational citizen into an unwitting co-conspirator of a fugitive from justice. It is also important to note that bandits who appear to sincerely seek to change their behavior should be encouraged, mentored, and supported. 5.4. Intervene quickly In retrospect, early intervention by their supervisors might have forced Sam Cooper, Barb Dobler, and Phil Moultor to change their ways before they became fully committed to a ‘life of crime.’ Indeed, supervisors have a duty to intervene quickly before a potential bandit descends down the proverbial slippery slope. Similar to the quality control function of a manufacturing process, outputs must be continuously monitored to ensure that the proper output is maintained and, if it is not, to quickly discover and correct the weakness. One of two things should trigger a need for action: performance in a given year that is far below a person’s norm (i.e., an outlier) or two or more years that show the onset of a trend in an undesirable direction. In either scenario, there should be a consultation with the employee to try to uncover and remedy the cause, if possible. Of course, this process should be carefully documented. 5.5. Adopt a portfolio approach In managing their investments, investors strive to achieve a balance among cash flow, growth in asset value, and risk. Because no one investment vehicle can match an investor’s particular preferences, investors adopt a portfolio approach whereby they own a variety of assets. Each asset has a different set of strengths and weaknesses, and collectively they form a portfolio that is expected to deliver the desired mix of outcomes. A similar approach can be taken to managing workers. If Sam Cooper is unwilling to work within a team to complete proposals, it is foolish to continue to expect Sam to deliver both effective management of current projects and substantial contributions to proposal work. The latter responsibility can be taken away, and Sam’s time can be fully devoted to managing current operations. This would free up another person’s time to help more with developing proposals for new business. As a bonus, the inability to hide behind more productive group members would make any future banditry by Sam easier to detect. Recall that Barb Dobler had satisfactory technical skills but shirked her managerial duties. Her supervisors missed a critical opportunity when they reassigned her subordinates to another department. At that point, Barb could have been moved to a position that would utilize her technical skills fulltime and not put her in charge of anyone. This would have eliminated her day trading and wasteful ‘vacations,’ and would have ended her abuse of lower level employees. This is the essence of a portfolio approach to managing bandits: redesigning jobs to focus on tasks that bandits have shown they are willing to perform and that can be easily monitored. Unfortunately, Barb’s supervisors did not have the courage to execute a move that they knew Barb would view as a demotion. In a university setting, a variable workload policy is the key to using a portfolio approach to prevent banditry. Such a policy could specify, for example, that a top scholar that occupies a chair of excellence would teach two courses per year, while productive researchers teach three or four courses per year, and teaching-only faculty teach eight to ten classes per year. Having a college-wide variable workload policy with clearly defined ‘tracks’ accomplishes two important tasks. First, it allows faculty to contribute in a meaningful way even when their interests shift. There is no need for people who lose interest in scholarship to become bandits; they can increase their contributions in teaching. This not only helps a professor remain valued, but it also lightens the load of those whose primary contribution is research. Second, creating a track system reduces the potential for confrontation, grievances, and lawsuits by establishing clear, measurable standards for work outputs. Adopting a portfolio approach to managing workers necessitates other changes. To ensure fairness, creation of an academic track system should be accompanied by changes to reward systems. Many business schools give raises based primarily on research productivity. A person assigned to a teaching-only track who excels in the classroom should be compensated for this excellence. 6. Concluding thoughts We have highlighted the presence of “time bandits” in organizations and have argued that these bandits are, in effect, stealing by taking money for a portion of their job that they have no intention of accomplishing. Bandits undermine the effectiveness of organizations, as well as the morale and productivity of other employees. While we might hope that bandits will rehabilitate themselves, it would be naïve to expect these desperados to come to their senses in the absence of interventions. As a result, banditsare notthe only culprits in this tale. Managers and colleagues are shirking their professional duties if they do not work to prevent and remedy banditry. Looking to the future, we believe that shrinking The Lama Review - Page 27 resources will inevitably reveal the abuses of bandits. For universities, tales of professors collecting six figure salaries while working a few scant hours per week will someday create a critical mass of negative publicity and scandal. When this tipping point is reached, it is easy to imagine the tenure system that protects both the abuses of bandits and the academic freedom of conscientious professors coming under attack. The implication is that academics must address banditry ourselves before stakeholders force a more painful solution upon us. The same basic logic applies to managers within businesses and government agencies. As resources dwindle and scrutiny increases, those supervisors who have tolerated banditry among their direct reports will undoubtedly suffer the wrath of higher-level managers and the marketplace. Acknowledgment We appreciate the comments offered by Art Bedeian, Russell Crook, Jerry Ferris, Micki Kacmar, Sharon Oswald, Jeremy Short, and Chuck Snow regarding earlier drafts of this article. References AACSB. (2002). 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Does acknowledging your employees impel them to explore their potential further or is it more of a mindless clacking of cliché expressions? Is your recognition program a superficial ploy encroaching on your staff’s need to be candidly recognized and inspired? Don’t be disheartened because many organizations suffer the same twisted fate. Employee Morale boosters hinge on how well leaders recognize staff. Everybody likes to be appreciated for their efforts, but only if they are rewarded and acknowledged in a way that is genuine. Include employees’ say in the way you salute their efforts. Most companies have a formal way of acknowledging employees with annual award banquets, including keynote speakers with motivational speeches,top sales awards and certificates. If your award program doesn’t invite a thunderous reception, it may be because it is too generic and not an inspiration COMMON PITFALLS TO LEADERSHIP AWARD PROGRAMS There are some major pitfalls to generic leadership award programs: The reward is handed down from leadership and reinforces imbalances in power. It can be patronizing to receive a small award for a large accomplishment. The leadership recognition program falters because the accomplishment is often a team effort. It fosters resentment when just one person gets the reward. They cause competition and conflict The reward usually occurs annually or semiannually, thereby greatly postponing inspiration and recognition for superior daily performance. Salary raises are nice, but seldom motivate people to consistently achieve on the job. Top performers are often the same people every month. A formal award system may become a program that neglects secondary achievements. How is this helping the rest of your staff? You may be causing resentment, conflict. Formal award nights with humorous keynote speakers may not speak to the heart of recognition for the whole team The most common flaw of leadership award programs is that they often reward people for doing work they were supposed to do anyway. It creates entitlement. Why are formal award systems so popular as a leadership strategy then? The main advantage to formal awards is that they are easy to administer. All you need to do is calculate how close (or how far) people get to their goal, find the “top achievers” and acknowledge them with your standard reward. This advantage is also the major disadvantage. Formal awards are a “mass acknowledgment” program. They can be very impersonal and don’t take into account the strengths, accomplishments, or efforts of individuals. They don’t take into account employees’ say. Formal award systems recognize one narrow aspect of the job (such as increased revenue, Morale, sales or productivity) and those few employees who are good at achieving that goal. By contrast, informal recognition programs focus on spontaneous and personal appreciation of employee efforts. The Lama Review - Page 29 THE ART OF APPRECIATING OTHERS: Four Qualities of a Good Acknowledgment Appreciating others is a brilliant and creative act. Leadership strategy needs to notice and nurture consistent acts of achievement. Yet many leaders don’t consider showing appreciation a part of their leadership skills. Other leaders realize that acknowledgment is important, but they botch the process. Spouting hollow praise too often will bring discouraging results. There is an art to showing appreciation for others. Employees won’t be impressed by trite and generic compliments. Most leadership could use a bit of practice with thoughtful acknowledgments. Possibly a leadership seminar or workshop with a motivational talks to practice the 4 keys to a good acknowledgement. According to B.F. Skinner, a good acknowledgment has four qualities. It is consistently: Specific: Talk very specifically about what you saw the person do. General motivational clichés like “good team player” will have a lukewarm effect. Immediate: Obviously praising someone for something she did nearly a year ago is a waste of time because the best acknowledgment is immediate. “Catch” someone in the act of doing well and compliment the behavior on the spot. Personal: Use the person’s name and talk about the qualities they bring to the team. Spontaneous: Never script compliments or they won’t sound sincere. I would add to this always link individual performance to the overall good of the group. Here is an example: “Mike, congratulations on how you handled that difficult patient just now. He was nasty and not about to give up, but you sympathized, calmed him down and set him straight.” This acknowledgment is specific, immediate, personal, and spontaneous. Next, link individual performance to the good of the group. “Your taking the time to explain things to that patient builds understanding and agreement Page 30 - The Lama Review and makes that patient so much easier for the rest of the team to deal with.” According to a study done by Robert Half International Limited, a lack of praise and recognition is one of the primary reasons why employees leave their jobs. Action Plan Acknowledgment doesn’t have to come from a leader. Train and encourage all employees to recognize each other. Train in the four steps above and have employees role-play to acknowledge one another. Create a culture of appreciation (see below) where employees regularly recognize each other’s contributions. FOUR STEPS TO CREATING A PERSONALIZED REWARDS SYSTEM: Create an acknowledgment committee. This is a fun volunteer position and it should rotate regularly so all staff have an opportunity to participate. The acknowledgment committee is responsible for acknowledging other staff members weekly. Have the acknowledgment committee create a form that helps them get to know employees. Ask employees things like, “Share your favorite color, your biggest pet peeve, something interesting about your family, your hobbies...” Anything unique about a person that they would offer to share is valuable. File these forms away and every week (or month or however often) the committee randomly draws an employee’s name and checks the list to find interesting unique ways to acknowledge him. (e.g. Jason loves telling jokes so buy him a joke book). The “reward” is fun and does not cost a lot (usually under $10). The committee now has to catch Jason in the act of doing well and acknowledges him with the personalized item. You may even create a fun ritual, motivational talk,chant or saying when delivering acknowledgments. Rewards That Increase Say and Engage Employees Increasing the say factor in your organization means increasing employee input to their jobs. Leaderships Motivational Speeches should Reward people individually and in a personalized way for their accomplishments instead of generally addressing the whole group for its performance level. Take time to find out what specifically motivates each of your employees and then see what you can do to make those things happen. How do you find out what motivates others? Ask them. Increase the say factor in the job by getting people talking about what inspires and motivates them and engage them in the reward process. When people get rewarded in the way they want, they will be much more satisfied. Involvement equals commitment. The best management is what you do with others, not to them. Acknowledgment doesn’t have to come from a leader. Train and encourage all employees to recognize each other. All articles copyright protected: Jody Urquhart, motivational speaker. The Lama Review - Page 31 by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore Managing Multiple Priorities We all have “too much to do.” As a professional speaker, I hear that all the time from my audiences. And that says a lot of good things about you, if you have “too much to do” because, obviously, a lot of people have entrusted many things to your care and have confidence in you. Every priority claims itself as the most urgent and crucial thing in the world screaming for your immediate attention. The problem is, we can only do one thing at a time. So, here are four nifty ideas to help you to Manage Multiple Priorities. Keep the focus on personal balance first. Our lives are made up of Seven Vital Areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Social, Professional, and Spiritual. We will not necessarily spend time every day in each area or equal amounts of time in each area. But, if, in the long run, we spend a sufficient quantity and quality of time in each area, our lives will be in balance. But if we neglect any one area, never mind two or three, we will eventually sabotage our success. Much like a table, if one leg is longer than the rest, it will make the entire table wobbly. If we don’t take time for health, our family life and social life are hurt. If our financial area is out of balance, we will not be able to focus adequately on our professional goals, etc. As in the medical profession, it is said that you cannot be sick and make other people well. In Time Management, then, we have to keep ourselves healthy first, in balance first, or it won’t matter how many or how important our priorities are, we will not be able to properly handle them. accomplish nine. Having a lot to do, being a bit overloaded, creates a healthy sense of pressure on us to get through our list. Review each item and ask, “Is this the best use of my time?” There is a lot of difference between “I do it” and “It gets done.” Which is more important? “It gets done.” Sure, it’s great to accomplish things ourselves but we only have 168 hours per week to accomplish results. (And if we take away 56 hours per week for sleep, that only leaves 112 hours!) So, each night during Daily Planning, I review each item on my list and ask, “Is this the best use of my time?” If it is, I will plan to work on it and if it is not, I will try to find a way to delegate it to someone so that it gets done. Prioritize the list. Typically, our “To Do” lists will contain “crucial” and “not crucial” items. Some items will be more important, some not so important. Typically, the “not crucial” items are quicker and often more fun than the “crucial” items, which tend to take longer and are generally less fun. So what happens for many is that without prioritizing our list, we have a tendency to do the “not crucial” items first, substituting the quantity for the quality. Identify the most important “crucial” item on your list, the one you would want to tackle if you could only work on one item tomorrow and then label that as “#1.” Next, identify the second item you would work on, if time permits, and label that as “#2.” Continue prioritizing the entire list in that fashion and tomorrow start with #1. These four steps will help you to more effectively Schedule Daily Planning. I set aside at Manage Multiple Priorities and increase your daily least 30 minutes each night for Daily Planning, a time to have a Board of Directors meeting in the most important corporation in the world, Me, Inc. I make up a list of things for the next day that includes not only all the items I “have to” do, but, more importantly, the items I “want to” do. Putting it all down in writing is vital because if you want to manage it, you have to measure it. This will tend to overload your next day, which is useful because it permits us to take advantage of Parkinson’s Law, which says, in part, that a project tends to take as long as the time allocated for it. If you give yourself one thing to do, it will take all day to do it. If you give yourself three things to do, you get them all done. If you give yourself twelve things to do, you may not get all twelve done, but may well Page 32 - The Lama Review results and that is a good thing. Dr. Donald E. Wetmore -Professional Speaker Productivity Institute-Time Management Seminars website: http://www.balancetime.com Professional Member-National Speakers Association Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above information in its entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your webpage. For permission, please email your request for “reprint” to: ctsem@msn.com My Approach to Personal Time Management and Organization By Jim Clemmer “Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.” — Horace Mann, 19th century American educator and reformer. Self-management, like self-improvement is highly personal. What works for one person may be ridiculous to someone else. Over the years I’ve evolved a personal management system that works for me. I think of it as PODS: Prioritization This is where goal setting has become the most meaningful for me — at the daily, weekly, or monthly level (I am awful at hitting any longer-term goals). Starting with a paper time management system (in a leather binder I took everywhere) and now on my notebook computer (which I don’t always take everywhere), I make notes of things I want to do on a particular day, week, or month. These are recorded when I get an idea, make a commitment, or set plans. At the beginning of the week, I prioritize all the ideas, commitments, and plans that have accumulated for that week. With my Personal Information Manager (PIM) program on my notebook computer it’s a breeze. Detailed notes can be shuffled to tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. I begin each day prioritizing the phone calls and tasks for that day in descending order of importance. At the end of the day I shuffle what’s left into tomorrow or some other date. Organization Very few people can “multi-task” effectively and concentrate on two things at once or flit back and forth from one thing to another. I certainly can’t. So I’ve found the clean desk approach to be the most effective. The only things on my desk and credenza are ornaments, family photos, computer, telephone, and an out-basket. My in-basket is the top drawer of my desk. All incoming mail, faxes, and paper go in there. That way, when I am working on something, I am not distracted or overwhelmed by other papers waving to get my attention. Nothing is allowed to stay in my in-drawer over night (unless I am out of town). When I go through the paper in this drawer, it immediately goes to one of four places: the wastebasket or recycling bin, my filing system, my out-basket, or my “pending” file folder for reading later or responding to on an airplane. This forces me to handle it once and not form little piles that slowly become future hiding places for that document I remember seeing once and now desperately need. Discipline Thomas Henry Huxley once observed, “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned.” Discipline is the engine that drives the whole PODS approach. Whenever mine wavers, the choking PODS process takes me down with it. Lack of discipline is at the heart of most The Lama Review - Page 33 of my performance problems. Like the battle of the bulge, this is a lifelong fight with “hardening of the oughteries.” Systems I am too lazy to look for things. I much prefer to know where things are and find them the first time I look. Personal systems take time — and especially discipline — to set up, consistently use, and maintain. But like investments in training or quality improvement, investments of time in personal systems pay back many times their costs by saving huge amounts of time later. Keys go on the same key rack by the garage door as soon as we come in the house. Files go right back in their file drawers. Articles are coded and filed in my library system for book, column, or presentation research later. Books go into their respective sections in my library. Presentations or workshop designs are filed for later reference so I don’t have to start from scratch on something similar in months or years from now. Periodically I overcome the packrat in me and go through my filing system tossing things out, consolidating files, or moving files to my attic archives. Since 1989, all correspondence, articles, columns, books, workshop or retreat designs, and anything else I “word processed” are filed in my notebook computer. In the last few years we’ve added databases for thousands of our personal contact records (the conversations of everyone we talk to are recorded here). I’ve added a research and quotations database filed according to my main article reference filing system (which is where most of the research, examples, and quotes sprinkled throughout my books come from). I have also created and filed hundreds of my presentation slides. So whether I am in an airport, on a plane, or in my office, I can search files, presentations, quotations, and databases. I can then easily retrieve, cut, paste, and create something new. My PODS approach looks dangerously obsessive to some and “interesting” to others. I am continuing to customize and evolve it to fit me. I Page 34 - The Lama Review have come to believe that there is no one right personal time management and organization system. We all need to continue developing and refining the system that works best for our own quirks and preferences. Jim Clemmer’s practical leadership & personal growth books, workshops, and team retreats have helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide improve personal, team, and organizational performance. Jim’s web site, JimClemmer.com, has over 300 articles and dozens of video clips covering a broad range of topics on change, organization improvement, self-leadership, and leading others. Sign-up to receive Jim’s popular monthly newsletter, and follow his leadership blog. Jim’s international bestsellers include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders, Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, The Leader’s Digest and Moose on the Table. His latest book is Growing @ the Speed of Change. Good leaders take more than their share of the blame and less than their share of the credit. Unfortunately, most leaders take more than their share of the credit and less than their share of the blame. They are not respected. When errors do occur, are you ready to support heroic efforts even in the face of failure? He all but fell over his own words of apology. She stopped him, ‘I think you are going to remember the importance of backup. And if this continues to be a problem, we will have a different kind of conversation. But you came in to face your mistake. A lot of people don’t do that. I respect that. You’re the kind of person I want working on my team. Now, I’m going to need your help to get this system back online.’ Jim bragged about his manager. After only two weeks on the job, he had made a critical error that took the Real Leaders Take the Blame and by Terry Paulson, PhD, CSP, CPAE company computer system down. He went to his boss immediately and said, ‘I think I just made a big mistake.’ She replied, ‘I’m sure it is not as big as you think it is.’ He confided, ‘I think it could be bigger.’ Give the Credit Her eyes got large as Jim described the system crash and his lack of a data backup. In the midst of problem solving, her boss entered in low-brain function, that sub-cortical reptilian area that runs on more emotion than intellect. For fifteen minutes she was yelled at for Jim’s mistake. Jim was sure he was history. All Jim could think of was at least his resume was current; he wouldn’t even have to admit that he had ever worked at this company! She took the heat for Jim’s mistake. Not once had she even mentioned his name. It would have been tempting. All she would have had to do was to point her finger at Jim and say, ‘There HE is. He’s new, and he’s defective!’ After the division manager ran out of steam, he said, ‘This shouldn’t have even happened!’ Jim’s boss replied, ‘It did, and I take full responsibility. This is my department. But every minute we are spending here means we are that much later in getting the system back up.’ The division manager left the room, leaving Jim alone with his boss. She did not look at him. Instead, she stared at the door, closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. She opened her eyes, a smile formed on her lips, she looked at him and said, ‘Don’t do that again.’ Jim asked me to look at his business card and said, ‘You can’t see it, but every day I write in invisible ink — ‘SLAVE.’ I would do anything for that woman!’ Leadership may not be as complicated as we make it. The late Bear Bryant, the great football coach, shared the same truth Jim’s boss lived when he said: ‘I’m just a plowhand from Arkansas, but I have learned how to hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how to calm down the others, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat together, a team. There’s just three things I’d ever say: If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.’ Those are wise words on leadership no matter what kind of team you lead. BYLINE INFORMATION Dr. Terry Paulson is author of The Dinner, 50 Tips for Speaking Like a Pro and They Shoot Managers Don’t They? As a speaker, he helps leaders and teams make change work. For more information visit http:// www.terrypaulson.com or contact directly at (818) 991-5110 or terry@terrypaulson.com The Lama Review - Page 35 HOW TO PLUG THE BIG HOLE IN YOUR DAY By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore In a companion piece, I discussed how most people experience a big hole in their workday, losing some 3 hours a day being consumed with interruptions that have “Little” or “No Value” to their productive workday. An interruption is an “unanticipated event”; some are “good,” some are “bad.” Maybe that number is high for you (or worse, it’s low), but the point is we all surrender valuable time each day to unproductive interruptions. The solution? “If you want to manage it, you have to measure it.” I would recommend you run an “Interruptions Log.” Nothing fancy about it. Just take a pad of paper and place “Interruptions Log” across the top then just below, create six columns for: Date, Time, Who, What, Length, and Rating. Now, during your day, immediately after each interruption occurs, log it in. Record the Date and Time it occurred, Who brought it to you, a word or two about What it dealt with, the Length of time it took, and most important, your Rating of its importance to you (“A” = Crucial, “B” = Important, “C” = Little value, and “D” =No Value). Plan to record this information for about a week to get a fair measure of what is really happening as a shorter time period may give you a distorted sense of what is happening. (It is a nuisance to log this information in after each interruption, but it does provide valuable information. And, if you wait until the end of the day to fill it out, it probably will not be accurate.) And be brutally candid as you log in the information, especially the Rating. No one but you has to see it. After accumulating this data for a week, go back and total up the A’s, B’s, C’s, and D’s. Most people will discover that approximately 20% of their interruptions were A’s and B’s, things that were Crucial and Important, and that 80% of their interruptions were C’s and D’s, things that were not worth the time spent. Finally, go to each C and D interruption and ask yourself, “How could this one have been avoided?” and start to take proactive steps to insure that it will not repeat itself in the future. Do this especially with those who bring you repetitive interruptions. For example, perhaps someone comes to you two or three times a day asking for information that they could have located on their own, just as easily. Unless there is an intervention on your part, helping this person to find the information for himself or herself, they will continue to interrupt you to get it. It is the path of least resistance. Help them to help themselves, teaching them how to get what they need on their own, freeing your future from having to spend time on what you know will be additional lower valued interruptions from this person. All C and D interruptions will not be eliminated, but if you can head off, short circuit, and stop just a few and that buys back an extra hour per day, (that’s 250 hours over the next year or the equivalent of over 6 work weeks) then you have carved out some additional time for projects and other responsibilities that are currently being pushed back, thereby reducing some of the stress and frustration in your day. Would you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tips on a regular basis to increase your personal productivity and get more out of every day? Sign up now for our free “Time Management Discussion List” Just go to: http://www.topica.com/ lists/timemanagement and select “subscribe”. We welcome you aboard! Dr. Donald E. Wetmore-Professional Speaker Productivity Institute-Time Management Seminars 127 Jefferson Street, Stratford, CT 06615 (800) 969-3773/(203) 386-8062 fax: (203) 386-8064/Email:ctsem@msn.com website: http://www.balancetime.com Professional Member-National Speakers Association Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above information in its entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your webpage. For permission, please email your request for “reprint” to: ctsem@ msn.com Page 36 - The Lama Review Read the word “productivity” and chances are you envision assembly lines, warehouses stocked with goods, even space- age machinery performing tasks at faster-than- human speed. Or if you are in corporate management, your mind recalls the U.S. So how does a company, regardless of size, begin to improve communications for productivity? First, get a good picture of the status quo. Using either internal or external help, conduct a communications audit. The questions are straight- forward and telling: Job Talk—The Heart Of Productivity by Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications production statistics when compared to foreign countries. And it’s a sure bet that you have read widely on the various end-of- the-alphabet theories, quality circles, re- engineering, learning theories and other management techniques to increase productivity. These are all valid considerations when confronted with the term. May I suggest however that the building block of productive labor —the cornerstone that makes assembly lines flow smoothly and service teams work—is communication. It used to be you’d hear the phrase ” stop talking and get to work.” The far better mantra is now “START talking and get to work.” Communications Audit 1. The reason our company exists is to: 2. When it comes to communication, my company (department, unit, etc.) is… because… 3. I receive most of my information from. (my immediate supervisor, the colleagues, bulletin board, the grapevine, other) 4. I could do a better job if I received the following information in the following manner: 5. I would describe the majority of our meetings as: 6. I would describe communication with my peers as Consider the impact of poor communications: Tasks frequently have to be repeated because 7. I would describe communication with my manager as instructions were not clear. One department does not understand why another department 8. I would describe communication with other needs a report and so it delays sending the departments (units) as requested material. A receptionist cannot explain the company’s services to a guest 9. Communication would improve immediately if in the lobby and the firm loses a prospective client. A manager misses an important meeting 10. I would be a better communicator if I learned to: because she fails to ask her assistant to change her calendar. Senior executives lose precious hours in a meeting that becomes an exercise in egos rather than solutions… all because the dynamics of group interaction are not understood. An important memo is not read because of the length and Second, prepare a program to give staff and confusing sentences. Employees spend time trying managers the tools they need to be good to ferret rumor from fact regarding the company’s communicators. The first tool is a steady flow of position in a troubled economy. A manager engages information about management decisions that affect in doublespeak regarding possible layoffs and morale employees, the marketplace, and competitors. plummets for everyone. Without that information, an organization cannot hope to bring employees into problem-solving discussions, These are but a few examples of situations that lower innovation circles or the like. Although upper productivity, situations caused by miscommunication, management deals with such lofty and necessary poor communication, or no communication. And that’s concerns as strategic planning, capitalization, or a situation no one wants. international expansion, it might very well be the battlefront employee who could see solutions for day-to-day problems. But without the benefit of The Lama Review - Page 37 management’s broader perspective, the solutions could fall short. The second communication tool employees need to increase productivity is a straightforward, clearly written sourcebook on organizational policies and procedures. Even if a company is quite small, there will be more cohesiveness if employees understand the do’s, don’ts and how to’s of a firm. For example, the owner of a small enterprise “just figured” his employees knew what was the vacation policy and when salaries would be reviewed. Unfortunately, without a written document, even the boss forgot his intended policy. The resultant confusion and arbitrary handling of vacations and reviews netted a disgruntled staff. And unhappy staff does NOT work to capacity. Consider examining the material developed by The Motley Fool, a small but growing company created to educate, amuse, and enrich the individual by providing easy-to-follow, appealing, and accurate information about investing and personal finance. The spirit behind The Fool Rules! is to present policies that all employers need to communicate to their employees in a way that makes it more enjoyable for all concerned. After a recent profile in INC. Magazine, this small organization has been inundated with requests for its handbook. The third and equally important step to take in improving communication for more productive employees is to provide training in writing, listening and other communication skills. Because we all have learned to talk and someone put a pencil in our hands and showed us how to make words with an alphabet, there is a tendency to think that we know how to communicate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Speaking clearly, with vocabulary and message tailored to the audience, is a task mastered only through learning. Listening, without training, is a selfish trait. Learning how to listen actively, to “hear” the additional messages sent by nonverbal signals and emotions, is a priceless skill. But it must be taught. There are numerous workshops available for in- house classes as well as sessions at local colleges and universities. Since group meetings are a highly preferred communication source, organizations may also consider training individuals to conduct meetings, brainstorming sessions and teleconferencing skills. Page 38 - The Lama Review Likewise, seminars in oral presentation skills allow all levels of managers to learn effective methods for delivering audience-oriented reports and speeches. E-mail now offers another form of communication, which can be both wonderful and terrible. In fact, I am convinced that in too many cases, the “e” stands for “error” and “escalation”. Humans send their most accurate messages vocally and visually, two components missing in e-mail. Additionally, responses are often out of context and sent days later. Use e-mail for facts, immediate answers, and simple requests. But when emotion is involved, opt for phone or face-to-face conversation. Forgetting for a minute the statistical definition of productivity, let us re-define that term. To me productivity is the sum total of work accomplished by an employee in a given job which affects the bottom line. The work environment may be considered a lake. If miscommunication, poor communication, or non- communication hinders an employee from performing duties in a cost- efficient manner, it’s a ripple felt throughout the organization. Addressing and then working to improve communication increases the chances for smoother sailing in the white water world of a global economy. Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are made live. Since 1980, professional speaker and Hall of Fame member Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100 companies as well as individuals create connections that count and conversations that matter. Her latest book is Gifts from the Mountain-Simple Truths for Life’s Complexities. Her other books include Talk Ain’t Cheap…It’s Priceless and Work for a Living and Still Be Free to Live, one of the first books to address the notion of balance and authentic work. A 59 year-old grandmother, she recently returned from climbing among the highest mountains in the world. Find out more about this compelling and effective professional speaker and join her free newsletter by visiting http:// www.eileenmcdargh.com. Back to Basics Steam Sterilization priniciples & common Mistakes By: Wayne Parker, Consultant, Steam Sterilization Marcel Dion, Director of Marketing, Washing & Sterilization Systems, STERIS Steam sterilization has been used for more than a century to decontaminate items that can withstand moisture and high temperature. Steam is water in the vapor state; it is therefore non toxic, generally readily available, and relatively easy to control. A good understanding of basic steam sterilization principles and cycles is necessary to avoid mistakes that can lead to non-sterile load items, poor performance of the equipment, lower productivity, higher operation and maintenance costs, and damage to load items. Steam Sterilization Principles There are several factors that are particularly critical to assure successful steam sterilization, namely; time, temperature, moisture and direct steam contact. Chart #1 1. Time. The exposure (sterilization) time is a critical factor simply because all organisms do not die at the same time. The number of survivors is usually plotted on a logarithmic scale. A straight line survivor curve such as the one showed in chart #1 is typical. The typical DValue (time to reduce the microbial population by 90%) for Geobacillus stearothermophilus is two minutes at 121° C. A typical sterilization cycle at this temperature will include an exposure phase of at least 20 minutes at ≥121° C for a Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) of 10-4. Assuming a starting population of one million (106) organisms, this means there is a -4 one in ten thousand (10 ) chance of a viable organism surviving the process. For each additional two minutes of exposure at ≥121° C, the SAL is increased by a factor of ten. 2. The second critical factor in steam sterilization is the temperature of the saturated steam controlled in the chamber of the sterilizer. Chart #2 below clearly demonstrates how increasing the temperature dramatically reduces the time needed to achieve sterilization. The table illustrates how much time is required to achieve equivalent microbial lethality (SAL 100 with starting population 106, D value 2 minThe Lama Review - Page 39 utes) at different exposure temperatures. The temperature of saturated steam is directly related to the pressure at which it is controlled. The pressure-temperature relationship values are shown in saturated steam tables. A typical cycle at 121° C will require 15 to 17 lbs of gauge pressure in the chamber of the sterilizer. The pressure is limited by the specifications (ASME rating) of the sterilizer pressure vessel. 3. Moisture in the steam has a major impact on its ability to denature, or coagulate proteins. Hence the importance of using saturated steam. Not all steam is acceptable for use in a sterilizer. A dedicated clean steam supply is recommended. Superheated steam, steam containing excessive liquid water, and steam containing excessive boiler additives or contaminates (such as rust) should be avoided. 4. Steam coverage. Direct steam contact with the surface of the object to be sterilized is required for the steam to transfer its stored energy to the object. Without direct steam contact to all surfaces, the item will not be sterilized. Chart #2 5. Presence of air. Air is the biggest deterrent to steam sterilization. Air must be removed from the chamber and the load completely before direct steam contact and sterilization can occur. 6. Drying of the load items. Items must be dry before they can be aseptically removed from the sterilizer. Condensation is the natural result of steam contact with the cooler surfaces of the load during the heating and exposure phases. The presence of condensation (wet packs or pouches) can cause re-contamination of the load when removed from the sterilizer. Steam Sterilization Basic Cycles Steam sterilization cycles typically consist of three phases: 1. Pre-conditioning (for dry goods only): During this phase air is removed from the chamber and the load is humidified by means of alternating vacuum and pressure pulses. 2. Exposure: During this phase the chamber temperature is heated to and held at the programmed sterilizing temperature for the programmed exposure time (both are user selectable). The exposure may also be controlled by accumulated Fo for liquids if a load probe and appropriate sterilizer controls are used. 3. Post-conditioning: During this phase dry goods loads are cooled and dried or a liquids load is cooled. The chamber pressure is brought to atmospheric. Over the years, various cycles have been developed for different applications. It is critical that the proper cycles be used for a given applications. To name a few examples; - A basic gravity cycle (cycle without vacuum) can be used for items such as unwrapped surgical instruments, glassware, or non-porous items that do not entrap air. - Liquids require modified gravity cycles to prevent liquid loss from boiling over. Liquids in open or vented containers or in bottles with loose caps can be processed in a “basic” liquid cycle (slow exhaust). The cooling phase of this cycle allows for the chamber to slowly return to atmospheric Page 40 - The Lama Review o Glass ampoules are also used when the indicators must be placed in a liquid product to be sterilized (culture media as an example). pressure to prevent boil-over. The time required for the slow exhaust phase can vary considerably depending on the quantity of liquid per container and per load. Larger volumes require slower exhaust rates. Vented containers only are to be used with this process. Use of a load probe is recommended for liquids sterilization. Sealed containers require a special overpressure cooling phase to prevent explosion of the container(s) during the cooling phase or unloading process. - Spore Strips Since air is generally a deterrent to sterilization, a “Prevacuum” cycle (alternating vacuum and pressure preconditioning pulses) is recommended for all loads other than liquids (see Chart #3). Self-Contained BI’s Typical Prevacuum Cycle Glass Ampoules Chart #3 Measuring performance Several methods can be used to verify the efficacy of the sterilization process. Typical methods use biological indicators (BI’s) and chemical indicators (CI’s) that are placed in worst case positions in the load and/or in test packs. - Biological Indicators provide the best test for sterilization and are used to establish the efficacy of the cycle. In this category, we can find: - o Autoclave tapes that show the process has occurred with no correlation to time/temperature. o Chemical Integrators that are correlated to time and temperature. These particular indicators can help reduce cycle development time by providing immediate indication of sterilization efficacy. o Inoculated spore test strips. The strips must be aseptically transferred to an incubated growth media soon after the sterilization process is complete. o Self-contained biological indicators (SCBI). Because they are self-contained, SCBI’s reduce chances for false positives due to poor aseptic transfer technique. They are typically used to monitor the effectiveness of steam sterilizing process. Chemical Indicators provide immediate proof of steam penetration (not necessarily of sterilization). In this category, we can find: - Steam penetration studies: Temperature sensors can be placed in hard to reach locations to provide indication of steam penetration. The Most Common Mistakes in Steam Sterilization Most mistakes regarding the programming and The Lama Review - Page 41 operation of typical steam sterilizers are related to the basic principles of steam sterilization. allow the condensate to be absorbed. This also aids in drying. 1. Steam does not directly contact the surface of the objects to be sterilized 4. Wet or damp items are observed at the end of the cycle. Because the items are not dry, they cannot be aseptically removed from the sterilizer. When items such as closed valves, empty glass bottles with tightened screw caps or secured aluminum foil are placed in the sterilizer, the steam cannot directly contact the inside surfaces and sterilization does not occur. This problem can be resolved by making sure that all items in the sterilizer have a way for the steam to get in and the air to get out. If there is uncertainty about whether an item’s configuration, set-up, packaging, or orientation will allow adequate steam penetration, a chemical and/or biological indicator can be placed inside the item to be certain. 2. Insufficient air removal When pouched and/or heavily wrapped items are tightly packed in a chamber, air may remain in the items after the preconditioning phase and prevent sterilization. The preconditioning vacuum and pressure pulses must be set correctly to attain complete air removal from the load. Typically, four (or more) preconditioning vacuum pulses should be programmed to reach at least 28 in Hg vacuum to assure complete air removal from worst case loads. Some very dense loads may require a short (3-5 min) hold phase at peak vacuum to allow time for additional air removal. Preconditioning pressure pulses should be programmed for 3 to 5 psig. 3. Water droplets and/or stains are observed on the outside of wrappers after the sterilization cycle is complete. Because the items are not dry, they cannot be aseptically removed from the sterilizer. Condensation is the natural result of steam contact with the cooler surfaces of the load. The condensate will fall from shelf to shelf. The denser the load item, the more condensate is created. Therefore, place heavier items on the bottom shelf. In addition, consider placing a cotton sheet on each shelf prior to loading to Page 42 - The Lama Review Items (wrappers, pouches, filters, or other porous biological barriers) that remain wet at the end of cycle cannot prevent contamination of the load when removed from the sterilizer. As the load cools outside the sterilizer, the water in the wrapper will be drawn into the wrapped item. Any contamination that is present in the environment can be drawn through the sterile barrier along with the water. There are numerous possible causes for wet loads. The most common are: a. Insufficient drying vacuum level or time programmed b. Items are positioned in the sterilizer incorrectly c. Load is too dense or heavy d. Rubber or plastic items in pouches require additional drying (a pulsed-air vacuum process is recommended for these items) e. “Wet steam” f. Product was wet in the first place. Product should be dry when placed in the sterilizer. While there is no single solution to eliminating wet loads, it’s likely that experimenting with drying time, repositioning items, reducing load density, modifying cycle settings and investigating steam quality will resolve the problem. 5. Pouches have water droplets inside and cannot be aseptically removed from the sterilizer. Typical cause is when the condensate naturally created when steam penetrates the pouch and contacts the surface of the item within is not removed during the post-conditioning drying phase. Pouches should be spaced properly and placed in rack that holds the pouch on its edge (as illustrated here) to prevent pooling of the condensate inside the pouch. Pouches should not be placed flat on the sterilizer shelf. Pouches should not be overloaded. Remember that more mass means more condensate. Sufficient drying vacuum level and time should be programmed to allow for complete evaporation of the condensate. Wet steam should be corrected. exposure at temperatures other than 121.10 C. As the liquid is heated, the calculated F0 (from the load probe temperature) is accumulated until the selected F0 exposure value (minutes) is achieved, at which point the cycle proceeds to the exhaust/cooling phase. For example, from the chart we see that 1 minute at 118.10 C is equivalent to 0.5 minute at 1210 C. 6. Liquids in vented containers are placed in a deep pan to catch boil-over. Chart #4 Conclusion The pan will hold water, therefore it will hold air. The steam cannot contact the tubes within the pan because of the trapped air, and they will not be sterilized. The solution is to eliminate the pan and adjust the sterilizer slow exhaust rate to prevent boil-over. A shallow pan (<1” deep) can be used in the event that a small amount of boilover cannot be eliminated by adjusting the slow exhaust rate. 7. Steam sterilization is a process that is dependent on basic principles that are sometimes unknown or disregarded by the sterilizer user. A large percentage of steam sterilizer failures can be solved by logical and practical application of these basic principles. It should be noted that proper training for sterilizer users should include this education. Proper wrapping and loading techniques are critical for safe and successful sterilization. Media is “overcooked”. Over sterilization of media will caramelize the sugars and render the media useless. The exposure phase should be programmed to achieve the desired SAL and no longer. Use of a load probe and F0 exposure control is recommended for sterilization of media in containers larger than 100 ml. As illustrated in chart #4, F0 is a calculation of the equivalent The Lama Review - Page 43 The Exceptional Presenter, A proven formula to OPEN UP! and own the room Written By Timothy J. Koegel www.theexceptionalpresenter.com As leaders and managers one of the most important things we do is to present ideas to our teams. These presentations may review existing procedures or introduce new ideas. The ability to effectively communicate information in a group setting is a skill some people think you either have or you don’t. Any opportunity to improve in public speaking and/or the dissemination of information should then be attractive to a manager as “another tool in the toolbox.” In today’s world a manager that can’t communicate effectively with their staff in a group setting may be considered a handicap to the organization. The book The Exceptional Presenter by Tim Koegel is written in an easy to read style and provides definitive action items that can be immediately used. The book will be useful to a wide range of individuals, from those wishing to simply become more effective at public speaking to those who are convinced that it will never be them “up there” in front of the group. The book stresses that every contact counts and highlights the cost of being average when you can be exceptional. The Open Up acronym used for an Exceptional Presenter is as follows: O = Organized P = Passionate E = Engaging N = Natural U = Understand Your Audience P = Practice Book Review by - Dave Mallon Page 44 - The Lama Review Included in the book are “Presentation Sheets” which are template forms for improvement goals, assessment forms, practice sheets, outlines and prep sheets. Honest and objective use of these sheets will help the vast majority of presenters improve their abilities, if they are used and practiced. Following the guidance and using even some of the tools provided in this book should allow anyone willing to devote the effort to improve their effectiveness at speaking in front of a group. The last point, Practice, is the most important in the book, and the one anyone can do. “Those who practice improve. Those who don’t, don’t.” – Timothy Koegel “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle Using VHP to turn your Cage & Rack Washer into a VHP Decontamination Chamber Olivier Van Houtte, Associate Product Manager, Life Sciences Washing Systems John Klostermyer, VHP Process Engineer, Life Sciences VHP 2012-11-09 Introduction Many laboratory animal research facilities require a room that is dedicated to decontamination of heat sensitive items, or items that cannot be sterilized in a steam autoclave. These decontamination rooms, or material air locks, are often designed to use Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide to decontaminate various types of equipment prior to being introduced into the facility or entering the controlled area. Not all facilities can dedicate valuable space for these types of enclosures. Most LAR facilities also require an automated washing system for cleaning and drying animal cages, racks, debris pans, drinking bottles and other articles used in the care of animals. Cage and rack washers typically have a chamber large enough to accommodate items that might otherwise be processed in a decontamination room. Many facilities are now considering the option of using the washer chamber as a decontamination chamber, thus eliminating the need to set up a room for this purpose. Using such a system brings many benefits which can go from rationalizing construction costs to increasing time efficiency. Cross contamination is a critical aspect in all Laboratory Animal Figure 1 : Fundación Centro Nacional de InvesƟgaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III in Madrid. Facility CNIC (Fundación Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III) is a Madrid-based, publicprivate research institute working in three main areas of activity: Scientific Research, Translational Medicine and Training. This laboratory animal research facility is specialized in Vascular Biology and Inflammation, Cardiovascular Development and repair and Epidemiology, Atherothrombosis and Imaging. Its animal colony is comprised of more than 30 000 rodents, including a number of pigs, zebra fish and rabbits. The state of the art facility is equipped with modern decontamination and cage processing systems, including fully automated cage, bottle and bedding management systems, STERIS Cage “Innovations” Marcel Dion, Director of Marketing, Life Sciences Steam Sterilization and Washing Systems Research settings and the application described below explains how the chosen approach can help reduce this risk while assuring animal’s longevity and health. This article discusses the successful integration of a VHP system with a Cage and Rack washer. It describes the setup and decontamination process and outlines the reasons why this option was adopted by the user. The operation of the system is explained in detail. A description of the hardware configuration, items being processed and decontamination cycles being used is provided, as well as a summary of the qualification tests performed and results obtained. Finally, the user discusses the benefits and limitations of this application. The Lama Review - Page 45 and Rack Washers, as well as STERIS VHP® Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Generators to decontaminate rooms and heat sensitive devices. and penetration of vapour may be restricted, two high volume compact fans may be hung on the arms supporting the spray bar. Once dry, the wash chamber can be loaded with the items to be decontaminated (see figure 3).The VHP generator is simply hooked-up to the washer with flexible hoses and an electrical interface cable (see figure 4). The electrical interface allows for communication between the washer Figure 2 : VHP 1000 ED positioned outside the loading side of and VHP generator the 5700 washer. control systems and prevents the user from Application accessing the washer CNIC recently acquired and installed a Basil c h a m b e r d u r i n g t h e 5700LSR Cage and Rack Washer to be used in cycle. Once connected, Figure 3 : Rabbit cages loaded conjunction with a VHP-1000EDS generator to clean t h e a p p r o p r i a t e into the 5700 washer prior to VHP decontaminaƟon. and sterilize large animal cages and heat sensitive decontamination cycle items that cannot be processed in a traditional can be selected on the steam sterilizer. The rack washer, which is installed VHP generator and set through a barrier wall, is located in the large animal to ready mode. The VHP cycle is initiated via the area. It is presently mainly used for cleaning and washer control panel. Once started it progresses decontamination of pig and rabbit cages, as well through its typical phases including dehumidification, as surgical and monitoring equipment. conditioning, decontamination and aeration The existing VHP generators have been used for (see table 1). If necessary, the washer can be several years, mainly to decontaminate animal programmed to run a drying cycle prior to the start of holding rooms and heat sensitive equipment. Since the VHP cycle to lower the humidity at the desirable the chamber in the Basil 5700LSR Cage washer is level (20% RH) and warm the load to eliminate designed for containment, it is ideally suited as an cold spots. The first part of the aeration phase is enclosure to decontaminate heat sensitive surgical controlled by the VHP generator (approximately 15 and monitoring equipment with VHP (see figure minutes). The second part of the aeration phase 2). The existing autoclaves are not large enough is handled by the washer air exhaust system, to accommodate all cages simultaneously. Thus allowing for the generator to be disconnected from sterilizing them in the cage washer chamber using the washer ports and the VHP was the best option. used for other needs Based on the success with the current room in the facility while the decontamination applications, CNIC is also washer eliminates the considering the option of sterilizing X-ray last remnants of VHP machine parts and magnetic resonance system from the chamber. components. These cycles are currently performed during the day but they Operation The chamber is designed not to retain standing could eventually be run water. A heated drying phase can be initiated to during the night should Figure 4 : VHP hose/electrical assure complete dryness following the wash cycle. the need for higher connecƟon on the 5700 washer. For loads of higher density where the movement productivity arise. Page 46 - The Lama Review Dehumidification Conditioning Decontamination Aeration Flow (c.m.h) 40 34 34 40 Time (mins) 25 6 27 15vhp+15 Basil Humidity AH (mg/l) 4.6 6.8 3.2 Injection Ratio (gm/min) Table 1 : Cycle parameters used on the VHP unit. These can be stored for future use. Depending on the application and model of washer STERIS’ VHP generators can be set to operate in closed loop or in a single pass configuration. In this case, the first option was chosen. Qualification tests and results Prior to adopting the regular use of the VHP ready 5700 washer, CNIC, with the help of STERIS, went through a rigorous cycle development and qualification program. This included the use of a combination of chemical indicators (STERIS PCC051) and biological indicators (STERIS NA300P) to evaluate the distribution of VHP within the chamber. Indicators were placed on various load items and in all corners of the washer chamber Figure 5 : Exposed chemical indicators (see figure 7 & placed throughout the load. The dot on the 8). All chemical leŌ is iniƟally purple and changes to red indicators turned then orange then yellow with increasing exposure to VHP. Light orange to yellow to yellow within indicates thorough exposure. Consistency minutes between indicators suggests an even expo- 1 5 of exposure, sure throughout the load. confirming that VHP (Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide) was evenly dispersed throughout the chamber (see figure 5). At the end of the cycle, biological indicators were incubated for a period of one week by CNIC’s personnel and results have shown that all 20 indicators were inactivated. A positive, unexposed test indicator was used as a control (see figure 6). It was also necessary to determine the amount of time required to exhaust VHP to a safe level after the decontamination phase (see figure 9). The results of this test show that H O concentration reached a maximum value of 800 ppm during the cycle described in table 1. After the 30 minute aeration phase performed by the VHP generator and the washer, the VHP concentration was reduced to 1ppm or below. For consistency, an initial humidity set point of 20% relative humidity (RH) and 4.6 mg/L @25 °C was selected in order to minimize the onset of condensation risk when injecting H O , which is more likely to happen in a smaller area like the washer chamber, as opposed to a larger space such as a decontamination room. The cycle was run twice. Almost identical results were obtained confirming consistency in the process. Following decontamination, items were removed from the unload side of the wash chamber, which is located in an area where a powerful HEPA filtered ventilation system maintains a clean environment. Benefits “We could not consider acquiring a large steam autoclave, a cage washer and a separate decontamination room. We simply did not have the space and couldn’t Figure 6 : Exposed biological indicators were placed into growth media and grown for a week at 55C. Only the unexposed control grew indicating at least a 6 log reducƟon in bioburden through VHP exposure. The Lama Review - Page 47 Figure 7 : Map showing posiƟon of the biological indicators placed in the chamber. says Mr. Morgado. “In our case though, the washer is not in operation all day due to the small amount of cages and parts to be washed and sterilized, so the system suits very well our current routine operations. Also, it was noted the VHP process cannot be fully efficient if the humidity level is too high in the chamber but this can be avoided by a good drying in between cleaning sequences’’. The costs associated with converting a room to act as a decontamination chamber can be considerable and may include the installation of air tight doors, isolation dampers, ventilation ducts, the application of suitable surface finishes, fans for distribution and ports for injection. By utilizing the washer as justify it with our current volume for this specific application” states Mr. Morgado, Facility Manager at CNIC. “The only way we could manage the barrier installation was to combine the washer and the VHP pass-through chamber. Space is really the number one reason why this approach was chosen over others” continues Mr. Morgado. “Since using the washer with VHP, no Figure 8 : Map showing posiƟon of biological indicators placed inside the load. nosocomial infections have been detected after surgery. On the other hand, working with pigs does not normally require using these stringent measures but it was decided by the a decontamination chamber, the costs of installing management to be proactive in this manner. A lot of a dedicated decontamination chamber can be invasive procedures and surgeries are performed spared. on a daily basis and everything needs to be sterile... A VHP equipped washer can add flexibility to a we don’t want to lose such valuable animals’’ states site’s operations by allowing technicians to quickly and safely decontaminate heat sensitive equipment Mr. Morgado. “The main drawback we see is that the productivity such as monitoring and imaging devices. The of the washer itself is reduced since it cannot washer/decon chamber can act as a pass through process wash and VHP cycles simultaneously” to decontaminate materials entering the barrier from the outside. Furthermore plastic carts can be utilized instead of more expensive stainless steel ones. Conclusion Figure 9 : Graph showing the concentraƟon of water vapor and VHP in the chamber throughout the course of the cycle. Note that with a 35% H2O2 soluƟon 65% of the soluƟon being vaporized is water thus the higher concentraƟon of water vapour. Page 48 - The Lama Review Overall, the process of merging the cage washer chamber with the decontamination chamber has proven to be highly efficient for CNIC. It has saved a significant amount of space in the facility, reduced the need for handling of material, and eliminated the cost associated to the procurement, installation and maintenance of a separate decontamination chamber. The Allied Trade Association (ATA) “Corporate Partners for Better Science” The Allied Trade Association (ATA) was formed in the late 1950’s by a small group of firms providing products and services to our industry. The ATA was chartered as a non-profit association in 1968. The initial role of the ATA was to act as a liaison between exhibitors at the AALAS annual meeting and National AALAS. Today, we do much more than that. The ATA has input in the site selection of National AALAS meetings and in the rules that govern the exhibit hall. The ATA has also expanded its business relationships to include LAMA in 1997, Vicon Business Media (ALN/Turnkey) in 2005 and we work with AALAS districts and branches across the country. The ATA has a vested interest in the success of all of these organizations as our member representatives populate many executive boards, committees and councils. Our relationship with LAMA is a partnership where Lab Animal Management meet Corporate Business. Many of the newest industry innovations, technologies and educational programs have been a result of networking between the facility manager and the ATA business partner. Collaboration and cooperation leads to better science. CNIC Facility Layout One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-hundred half-finished tasks. Malcolm S. Forbes A good percentage of our member representatives were, at one time or another, Lab Animal Facility Managers. So it should come as no surprise that a major emphasis on our part is to support the educational programs of LAMA. Again, this year ATA and its members are supporting the annual LAMA meeting through sponsorships and the “Corporate Partners” program. We understand that our financial support is necessary in order for these meetings to be successful and ATA members spend thousands of dollars annually in support of it. Not all companies doing business in the industry belong to the ATA. Currently there are 86 companies that make up the association. It is the “legacy” companies that belong to the ATA and we are the ones that support the LAMA mission and goals. Our member companies are the ones that provide both financial and human resources to the organizations that support the Lab Animal community. While this is just a business venture to some, ATA members have made a career of providing products and services that have enabled institutions to conduct research in the most professional and expert manner possible. The ATA supports the responsible and humane care of animals used in research and the professionals engaged in it. For a complete list of Allied Trade Association companies please visit us at http://www.go2ata.org/ata-membercompanies The Lama Review - Page 49 Strong Leaders are Strong Communicators By Jim Clemmer “The man who can think but does not know how to express what he thinks is at the same level as he who cannot think.” — Pericles, leader of Athens around 450 B.C. It was the dead of winter in the middle of a very cold snap. As we approached departure time, judging by all the activity outside the plane, we weren’t likely to leave on time. In a few minutes the captain announced, “You can see a lot of activity on our left wing. This is a maintenance crew trying to replace a defective fuel pump. We find it’s best to fix a problem like that on the ground before we’re in the air. The good news is that there is another fuel pump available here at the airport. The bad news is that it will delay our departure by about 30 minutes.” Within 10 minutes the captain was making another announcement, “Folks, you can see the little truck on the right coming in with our fuel pump. Unfortunately, this is work that can only be done with gloves off. Working with jet fuel on your fingers in this freezing weather is extremely difficult and taking longer than expected.” We started to feel sorry for those “hearty heroes” working in such tough conditions to get us underway! The captain continued to give us updates on progress every 10 - 15 minutes. When he announced the problem was fixed and we were finally ready to go some 90 minutes late, a cheer went up from the passengers. I am sure there wasn’t a single complaint among the passengers on that plane. That’s because the captain treated us like adult customers and not “the cattle in the back” who don’t really need to know what’s going on. Communication is one of the key marks of a leader. Like motivation, it’s also a word that’s overused and misunderstood. For example, what are often called “communication problems” in many teams are really process, system, or structure problems. People don’t communicate because the way they are organized doesn’t let them do it effectively. The strength of our communications spring, in part, from our personal values. The captain communicated with us from a values set that said we’re important enough and responsible enough to be told what’s going on, even if the news is bad. If my values are superiority over others, I won’t bother communicating Page 50 - The Lama Review with “the peons.” If I am arrogant, I may call my loud, one-way horn blowing “communication.” If I have disdain for others, the only thing my tone of voice may arouse is resentment, hostility, or defensiveness. If I see customers, suppliers, or organization members in other departments as interruptions or adversaries rather than people, I’ll brush them off with minimum effort. If I am suspicious and distrustful, I will parcel out information on a “need to know basis.” If I think all the EQ (emotional intelligence) research is hogwash, I won’t bother to develop my verbal communication skills. With few exceptions, highly effective leaders have very strong verbal (and often written) communication skills. They connect with people. Since leadership deals with emotions, energy, and spirit, verbal communication skills have a huge role to play in mobilizing and energizing. No matter how “right” a vision, deeply held principles, or purpose may be, they won’t mobilize others if they can’t be effectively communicated. That means moving beyond dry logic, sterile printed statements, or speeches read with all the passion of a bored old professor giving his same old lecture to a group of bored young students. Highly effective leaders transfer their energy and passion to the people they’re trying to mobilize with words that paint exciting pictures, ring true, fire the imagination, or touch the spirit. Like the leader, their words are charged with energy. Jim Clemmer’s practical leadership & personal growth books, workshops, and team retreats have helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide improve personal, team, and organizational performance. Jim’s web site, JimClemmer.com, has over 300 articles and dozens of video clips covering a broad range of topics on change, organization improvement, self-leadership, and leading others. Sign-up to receive Jim’s popular monthly newsletter, and follow his leadership blog. Jim’s international bestsellers include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders, Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, The Leader’s Digest and Moose on the Table. His latest book is Growing @ the Speed of Change. Membership Application Name Courtesy Title Ms. Mr. Dr. None Academic Degree Professional Designation/Certification Title Organizational Contact Primary Alternate Company Address1 Address 2 City, State, Zipcode Organization Phone Number Organization Fax Number Individual Phone Number Individual Fax Number Email Website Membership Type $100 Individual Member (Domestic) $120 Individual Member (International) $250 Institutional Member Institutional Members may add up to three additional individuals at no additional charge, after that there is a $50 charge per individual, please attach separate membership forms with contact information for each individual. LAMA Foundation Friend: $ (The LAMA Foundation provides scholarship funding for managers pursuing professional managerial education and training) Payment Information Checks must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to the LAMA. Please remit to: Check Card Number LAMA 7500 Flying Cloud Drive, Suite 900 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Cardholder Billing Address LAMA TIN#: 52-1828124 Credit Card Type: American Express Master Card Visa Expiration Date Card Code City, State, Zip Phone: 952.253.6235 Fax: 952.835.4774 Email: membership@lama-online.org Website: www.lama-online.org The Lama Review - Page 51