This is an opportunity to review and enhance your proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing. You will find that being aware of cultural and workplace influences will help keep them from creating barriers to communication. Practical information on selecting the right words, and combining them effectively to get your message across, will improve your verbal and written communication. Specific advice on email, videoconferencing, proposals, and selling your ideas will further improve your communication skills.

After completion of this course, you should understand the definition of collaboration, what it takes to work collaboratively with your colleagues and the advantages of collaboration. Obstacles to collaboration will be explored, and how to develop strategies to improve a collaborative work environment. As well, you will know the six steps to make collaboration work, and the difference between collaboration, cooperation and teamwork.

This course will teach you the foundations of Lean through the Toyota precepts and the five critical improvement concepts (value, waste, variation, complexity, and continuous improvement). Then, you will learn about tools to perform continuous improvement in your organization, including 5S, 5W-2H, PDSA, DMAIC, Kaizen, Genchi Genbutsu, and Lean data mapping methods.