Bainbridge Island, WA June 18-21 REGISTER
Part user conference, part professional development, part retreat….it’s hard to compare the Six Boxes Summer Institute to any other event you’ve been to.
The week is more like a “gathering of the clan”, the clan being professionals from diverse industries who are passionate about performance improvement and incorporating the Six Boxes Approach. We keep it small enough for you to interact and learn from everyone present; broad enough to cover many of the topics that impact your work; and deep enough to immerse you in applications to use immediately back on the job. Held in the forest on beautiful Bainbridge Island in the Pacific Northwest, the institute combines workshops on the Six Boxes Approach with how-to sessions for specific applications, case studies and advice from other users, training on new tools, hands-on practice and coaching, and plenty of time for conversation with interesting and talented colleagues.
Whether your interest is as broad as strategic planning or as focused as peer coaching; whether you’re a people manager or a performance professional; whether you come for one day or all four, the Six Boxes Summer Institute will send you home with new ideas, new capabilities, and a list of new friends.
"An excellent mix of seasoned and 'just learning' practitioners sharing ideas and learning together. Well worth the week." A 2011 Participant
You'll find below:
- Program descriptions for each day
- Information regarding logistics, lodging and costs
- A detailed daily agenda
- How to register
- A PDF version of this page
Program description
This year for the first time we will offer parallel tracks on Tuesday and Wednesday of the institute. The workshop portion of the Six Boxes Practitioner Program will be available on those days for a small group. Please note that Monday's Introduction to Performance Thinking is a prerequisite to any of the programs if you have not previously attended one of our workshops.
Monday June 18, 2012 (open to all)
Introduction to Performance Thinking
Carl Binder
Our basic “performance literacy” workshop for those new to the Six Boxes® Approach, this is the foundation for all our other programs. Participants explore our two core models and performance improvement logic through interaction and dialog, focusing on implications for their area of interest and work. If you have never attended, the workshop is a prerequisite for the rest of the week. If you have attended this workshop and would like a refresher, you may attend for a significantly discounted rate. Please contact us for information on how to register.
Option 1: Tuesday & Wednesday June 19-20, 2012
Six Boxes® Practitioner Program
Bill Blunt & Carl Binder
This is our foundational program for performance professionals who undertake performance improvement projects. The 2-day workshop focuses on stepping through a simple logic for analyzing and improving performance, planning an application project of your choice. We follow with 4 small group-coaching sessions scheduled over the following 3-6 months to help you apply this approach and avoid beginners’ mistakes.
Option 2: Tuesday June 19, 2012
Six Boxes® Performance Coaching
Cynthia Riha
Managers and leaders are often charged with developing their teams, but seldom have time to create and implement formal development plans. Whether documented or informal, regular 1:1 performance coaching can accelerate development and boost on-the-job performance. This workshop shows you how to structure conversations on the fly using the Six Boxes Approach to collaboratively improve the performance with your team members. We’ll provide tools to help you get started and lots of hands-on practice.
Option 2: Wednesday June 20, 2012
Integrating The Six Boxes Approach with Top Down Organizational Change
Donnie Staff
When a business unit needs a substantial top-down overhaul – whether preparing for rapid growth, after a reorganization, or when it’s out of control – organizational structure and operations must change to support the new goals. Donnie Staff will share tools and methods for re-positioning an organization for success with new strategies and products. The Six Boxes Approach is embedded in his methodology to align roles and responsibilities, and to support day-to-day performance management.
How to Document Human Performance in Processes
Carl Binder
Processes are among the most important places to “find” work outputs in organizations. This session will provide examples and practice for documenting elements of the Performance Chain in processes to support process implementation and stabilization, to serve as a starting-place for performance improvement projects, or to define a context for coaching to improve individual or team performance.
Improving Implementation Planning and Feedback with the Six Boxes Approach
Carl Binder with Joe Vrazo
Planning and improving the implementation of programs, processes, policies, strategies or systems offer big opportunities for improvement but big challenges to get it right. This session presents guidelines and examples using the Six Boxes Model to plan implementation and identify opportunities for future improvement using feedback from prior implementations. The session will include a report of related doctoral research conducted by our colleague, Joe Vrazo.
Faster, SMARTer, Better Goals
Cynthia Riha
We know that the quality of our goals directly affects our likelihood of achieving them. We've integrated Glenn Hughes' SMART as Hell methodology with the Six Boxes Approach to give you a quick way to optimize your current goals, a new way to develop them going forward, and show you how to tease them out of the Performance Chain to ensure they’re focused on what matters. Bring your existing goals and be ready to rethink how you set them going forward.
Thursday June 21, 2012 (open to all)
How to Build Culture Change into Performance Improvement
Carl Binder
We’ve been trying for years to integrate Don Tosti’s model of cultural values and practices into Six Boxes® Performance Thinking. We think we’ve finally done it, and will show you how to drive culture through performance in a job role, in a department, or in a process. Learn how to tweak the Performance Chain based on values, and to build culture into management, leadership and performance consulting.
Strengthening Lean Implementation and Practice with Performance Thinking
Gordon Anderson
Many organizations, recognizing the need to continuously improve, have implemented Lean process improvement. Many struggle to sustain Lean practices and gains, often seeing initial improvement but disappointing longer term impact. Gordon Anderson of Box One Solutions will share how he uses the Six Boxes Approach to stabilize processes, implement problem-solving practices that stick, and enable managers to coach teams for multi-tier accountability.
Performance Thinking Across the Organization – From Concept to Reality
Bill Blunt, Amgen
Bob Reticker & Lisa Jasper, Insperity
LaToya Gilbert, Amerigroup Corp.
Six Boxes Performance Thinking can be used to drive a consistent approach for managing and improving performance across multiple levels and functions in an organization. Representatives of three companies who’ve taken on the challenge to spread performance thinking across their organizations will share their experience. You’ll learn practical tips, strategies and tactics, as well as potential obstacles, to consistent and coherent organization-wide performance improvement using the Six Boxes Approach.
In Addition....
Every day will include optional time enjoying the environment with a structured program (a guided nature walk, touring the sustainable facilities, an edible exploration of the kitchen gardens, etc.). In the evenings we will have guest speakers who bring wisdom and perspectives to topics important to your profession. These are organized around the fireplace for relaxed interaction and dialog. Irada Sadykhova (Director, Skype Integration at Microsoft) has agreed to return for an encore evening this year to share her thought-provoking insights on current topics of interest to her and to us. This is always a highlight for attendees.
"Best 'users conference' I have ever attended. Right size, good mix of people, great environment. I'll be back next year!" A 2011 Participant
Logistics & Costs
Location
Islandwood Educational Center
IslandWood.org
Bainbridge Island, WA
(a 35-minute ferry from downtown Seattle)
Accommodations & Meals
A full day at the institute starts about 8:00 am and ends after the evening program, about 9:00 pm. We include lunch, snacks, dinner and beverages for all participants. Lodging is provided in simple but lovely rooms, and a full breakfast is included for residential guests.
Program Costs
Early registration discount until May 18
We have provided pricing so that you may attend 1, 2, 3 or all 4 days. If you choose to attend the Six Boxes Practitioner Program, you would choose the 2-day Practitioner Program and then add the additional days (this is explained in the registration process). Program registration includes lunch, dinner, beverages and materials each day.
General Program
Single Day
$500 ($595 after May 18)
3-Day Package
Mon/Tue/Wed or Tue/Wed/Thur
$1350 ($1550 after May 18)
4-Day Package
Monday through Thursday
$1650 ($1850 after May 18)
Six Boxes Practitioner Program
Six Boxes Practitioner Program - 2 day workshop only
Tuesday & Wednesday plus post-workshop coaching
$2200
Six Boxes Practitioner Program - 3 day package
The 2-day workshop plus either Monday or Thursday, plus post-workshop coaching
$2600
Six Boxes Practitioner Program - 4 day package
All 4 days plus post-workshop coaching
$2950
Lodging
Single room $150/day
Shared double room $100/day per person
(a full breakfast is included with lodging)
"I stay at hotels far too often and prefer something a bit different. IslandWood met this criteria perfectly. Food was healthy and delicious. Staff was friendly and welcoming. I was able to get outside to run, walk, and enjoy nature."
a 2011 participant
Ready to register?
Detailed Agenda
Registration
Registration is now open. The deadline for the early registration discount, whether you are planning to attend for one day or all four, is May 18, 2011. Please note that we have a limited number of single rooms available so we recommend registering early.
Download a PDF of the program and details.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please call 206-384-0493 or email us .
