STAFFORD, Va. -- On April 27, Mark Lefcowitz, CEO, MCL & Associates, Inc. (MCL), will make a presentation in Pittsburgh, PA entitled, “Return on Investment (ROI): Whose Are We Talking About? What to Do About It?” The purpose of the presentation is to present a conflict-analysis approach to fostering cooperative behavior on projects.
Mr. Lefcowitz, a leader in the Business Process Improvement (BPR) field specializing in Process Improvement, Organization Transformation, Operations Research, and Business and Data Analysis. He has over 40 years of professional experience in both the private and public sectors. He is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, a certified Project Management Professional, and a certified Lean Master. He is an expert in facilitated processes, and a former President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR).
Mr. Lefcowitz will discuss how the traditional definition of Return of Investment (ROI) is misleading from an operational and project management view. Presented as a forward looking, it is actually backward looking.
It mirrors the human impulse for inductive reasoning, as opposed to deductive reasoning. His thesis is that our own calculation of Cost-Benefit is often incorrect, clouded by our inability to distinguish between our “wants” and our “needs”.
Wants are symptom specific, emotional, and often tied to immediate gratification, lying below the surface, not discussed or not clearly communicated, and are based on perception and often not quantifiable. Needs are solution specific, rational, based on situational problem-solving and tied to a long-term solution, above the surface, based on a specific situation and problem, and supported by facts that often quantifiable in terms of implications and outcome.
Wants are often tactical, in the moment calculations; needs are often strategic, further ranging calculations. We tend to confuse wants and needs because we do not have the tools readily at-hand that force us to distinguish one from the other, helping us to resist the pressures of perceived time constraints, and the seduction of immediate gratification. Most people, most of the time tend to think – and to respond to events – in a tactical problem-solving mode, rather than a strategic, problem-solving mode.
Mr. Lefcowitz will present a set of tools, based upon conflict analysis theory that can aid us in thinking about problem solving in a strategic mode.
About MCL:
MCL & Associates, Inc. (MCL) is a veteran-owned small business, specializing in analysis, support and training for Process Improvement, Six Sigma, Change Management, for a variety of public sector and private sector customers since 2001.
For more information, please visit www.mcl-associates.com, or contact Cheryl Maxwell-Lefcowitz, 540-374-1551, or info@mcl-associates.com .
Contact
Cheryl Maxwell-Lefcowitz
