Way back in in April 2019, in the days when expressions like social distancing and long Covid were not part of normal conversation, my colleague, James Dwan, wrote an inspirational article entitled “How to become a Transformation Maestro with Agile”
In Catalyst, we had already started work to develop a ‘new’ course to sit alongside our traditional Lean Six Sigma Black Belt programme which has been popular for many years. Working with a small group of our clients, we developed a modular training programme which we christened the ‘Business Black Belt’. We wanted it to be as rigorous as the ‘traditional’ Black Belt but reflecting the essence of James’s article. It is now a recognised qualification for Business Change Leaders and Practitioners who want to know how to Run the Business AND Transform the Business by applying an extensive range of tools and techniques that have come from very different backgrounds, but which blend together brilliantly.
So, what are the keys to successfully running and transforming organisations in these turbulent times?
Many years ago, I did a post graduate qualification in management covering a wide range of subjects which at the time were new to me. That management training proved to be the most useful and practical for my career, arguably outweighing my earlier engineering and scientific oriented education which preceded it, although that discipline and mathematical rigour has always been a brilliant foundation.
I remember studying the effect of a rapidly changing external environment on different kinds of organisations and reading ‘The Management of Innovation’ by Burns and Stalker who argued that organic rather than mechanistic organisational structures would enhance the ability of organisations to adapt quickly to changes in the environment.
This concept is even more evident now as we see the need to change happening at a much faster rate for a multitude of reasons caused by rapid changes in the external environment – technology, society, environmental as well as economic.
When we designed the Business Black Belt training programme, we wanted to equip managers in today’s world with a broad range of skills which they will find invaluable to know how to TRANSFORM businesses at speed BUT also … RUN current operations effectively and efficiently.
Feedback from delegates has been universally positive …
I had the pleasure to do my Business Black Belt with Catalyst. It’s an amazing program highly recommended. If you whether wondering what to do Lean Six Sigma or Agile? The Business Black Belt by Catalyst gives the opportunity to do both. You will have the chance to learn about RPA, Data analysis insights and decisions, Agile thinking and design, VSM, Change management. What makes this program a success story is that the trainers are experts with tremendous experience in the field. Thank you Catalyst for the BBB program!
Yosra Kurk, Ericsson
Really interesting to see Catalyst pioneering a new wave of blackbelt. Are organisations ready for these rock stars? I’m not sure but I am sure the new cohort is going to keep pushing. Great energy and personal touches throughout make them such a credible provider.
Gareth Scott, G4S
This is an operations-focussed toolset. You don’t need a degree in Applied Maths, Engineering or Science to understand the content. It’s Lean Six Sigma essentials mixed with Agile thinking. It’s not dry, it’s exciting. It’s fast to learn and fast to apply. It makes sense. You can relate to it.
Sophie Breslin, Athensis
Just completed my Business Black Belt programme with the team which was a superb wide ranging course. There are several subjects covered to a detailed level including Business agility, Change Management , Value stream mapping as well as the essential Data Driven insights ( bulk of the Black Belt Process Management ). The breadth of this course makes it so useful , understanding the process properly then tools to lead change effectively amongst many items covered. The pacing has been great and dealt with really well by Moore and the wider team via team video sessions. I will also add the support materials sent to us were invaluable. Overall an excellent learning experience which I will take into my operational process workplace.
Rob Harley, Barclays
So, whatever background you have, whether you are coming from the world of Agile or Lean or Managing Change or IT – take a look at the Business Black Belt, there are a number of different entry points depending on your training to date. It could have the same effect on your career as that management training programme did on mine. It opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about things.
Take a look at the Business Black Belt here
and for more details
and James’s article from April 2019
