tHE HANDS-ON APPROACH
Helping Our Clients Find Success
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About Us
How Did it Come About?
How Did it Come About?
How Did it Come About?
In 1983, searching for a way to illustrate his principles, William O. Lytle , reknowned author and Management Consultant developed what was then known as "The Flying Starship Factory". He later collaborated with Marvin R. Weisbord,author of Productive Workplaces, to bring the product into his firm, Block Petrella Weisbord. They created a
In 1983, searching for a way to illustrate his principles, William O. Lytle , reknowned author and Management Consultant developed what was then known as "The Flying Starship Factory". He later collaborated with Marvin R. Weisbord,author of Productive Workplaces, to bring the product into his firm, Block Petrella Weisbord. They created a method to demonstrate the benfits of transforming traditional work systems to high performance workplaces. It was essential that the resulting simulation be both compelling and adaptable to various time frames in order to capture the attention of workers at all levels.Stop trying to find the computer training and let The Flying Starship solve your puzzling needs.
Our Reputation
How Did it Come About?
How Did it Come About?
Thousands of people all over the world have benefitted from their Starship experience, Many of them having learned about it in graduate school programs which emphasize Business Management and Organization Development. These professors and students realize the value in following the leaders in these studies who have developed the actual le
Thousands of people all over the world have benefitted from their Starship experience, Many of them having learned about it in graduate school programs which emphasize Business Management and Organization Development. These professors and students realize the value in following the leaders in these studies who have developed the actual learnings that their classes are based upon. We renamed our product to The Flying Starship to make it fit the profiles of all kinds of workplaces. We have expanded to healthcare, mining, banking, insurance and all types of service organizations. Our reputation precedes us and those who have purchased our product continue to do so today as it is a powerful vehicle to prepare businesses for the changes in work environments.
Targeted Customization
How Did it Come About?
Targeted Customization
Another way in which The Flying Starship has changed is in the time it takes to obtain a valuable learning experience. We started out recommending 2 days, but now we have reduced it to about 4 hours, sometimes even 2 hours. we offer custom agenda for these workshops and provide our users with many varied worksheets to enhance the simulati
Another way in which The Flying Starship has changed is in the time it takes to obtain a valuable learning experience. We started out recommending 2 days, but now we have reduced it to about 4 hours, sometimes even 2 hours. we offer custom agenda for these workshops and provide our users with many varied worksheets to enhance the simulation. We even produce The Flying Starship with custom logos and procedures that help fit its applications such as Process Improvement, Team Building, Strategic Planning, Leadership and many others. For many years, Starship required Train the Trainer classes for certification, but we have redesigned the Leader's Guide so that all the preparation needed is included.-- no longer a need for expensive classes and time away from work
WHAT'S IN THE KIT?
WELCOME POSTER
When hung near the entrance to the site, the poster tends to immerse the participants into the simulation as employees of The Flying Starship Company.
PRE-PRINTED FLIP-CHARTS
The flip- charts are ready for use during the financial part of the program. They correspond with pages in the Employee Workbook.e
ROLE FOLDERS
There are 8 Role Folders which represent the 8 Functions: Materials Handlers, Cutters, Folders A, Folders B, Final Assemblers, Painters, Quality Inspectors and Customer. They hold the essentials for each participant.
ROLE BOOKLETS
The Role Booklets include instructions for the participant, Mission Statement for The Flying Starship Company,, materials for training and samples of the piece to be completed and name tags.
TENT CARDS
Tent cards are used to designate the tables assigned to each function during the first Production Run.
FLYING STARSHIP WORKBOOKS
The Workbooks were developed to bring up serious questions after each run and all the information necessary to complete the financials after each run in order to provide actual measurements of success.
MORE ITEMS IN KITS
PAPER BOX OR BOXES
Paper is supplied in sufficient quantity dependent on the size of the kit. Both red and white papers are included in 1 box for smaller kits and in 1 red and 1 white in kits for over 25 participants. These papers are a weight and size that are critical to the workshop in order to be fair to all functions.
TOOL BOX
There is only 1 tool box in each kit although the amount of supplies will vary according to the number of participants. The boxes include scissors, rulers, markers, pencils and white plastic templates to be used by the Painters.
CLIPBOARDS
There are either 1 or 2 clipboards in the kits dependent on the size. Larger groups have the role of Assistant Supervisor. The clipboards include the role of the participant, a name tag, and
Summary of the Organization sheets to help them as they move around the site.
KIT SIZING
THE FLYING STARSHIP is stocked in sizes o f 15, 20, 25 and 30 participants. The lowest number of participants to make the simulation viable is 12. The highest for 1 kit is 35 participants, although many more people may be trained at the same time with multiple teams . It is best to be in the same place to offer a spirit of competition between teams, but this may be achieved by one of the facilitators reporting from each group.
THE ROLE OF THE CUSTOMER
It is very critical to have a member of the training team play the role of the customer. As in all operations, the customer is the person who emphasizes their exact needs and is the final arbiter of quality of the items produced
CUSTOMIZATION
Although The Flying Starship has optimized the sizes of the kits, a kit of any number may be requested at no extra charge. Remember to count the customer so you do not run short of materials. Also, some pieces of the kits may be customized at no extra charge for volume orders. The company logo will be added, along with any name chosen for the project. All shipping charges are exactly as billed by the shippers, and specific carriers may be requested and receipts will be available.
There are no extra charges for any language requested.
Baseball hats with The Flying Starship logo are available at extra charge for larger groups, and may also have the logo of your company.
WITHIN THE SIMULATION
How It Works
Hired as employees in the imaginary Flying Starship Company, workers are plunged into the action of creating a paper origami Starship in a traditional assembly line setting. After the initial Production Run, the socio-technical and economic results are analyzed and the findings are hard to believe. Folders turn on Cutters, Painters are frustrated, and everyone blames the caliber of the tools. Employees realize the quality of their products, the expenditures of the work process and their own job satisfaction. Workers are astonished to learn that no individual can affect the overall results.
A major learning is that no one can compensate for poor planning in the workplace. This sets the stage for a descussion of alternative frameworks, new concepts, and methodologies for system-wide redesign or improvements. Design teams with a mix of production and staff functions form to create a new system. The givens all remain the same--tools, materials, quality specs and customer requirements.
However, each team will design and manage its own work--perhaps implementing changes in job content, sequence, policies, training, layout and division of labor. They test their design in a second Production Run. In this period, we witness startling outcomes: the number of units sold increasing, the rejects declining, employees earn more, and quality makes quantum leaps. As anxiety turns to deep involvement, the company crackles with energy and excitement.
GLOBAL STARSHIP
THE FLYING STARSHIP SIMULATION
- ENGLISH
- LATIN AMERICAN SPANISH
- EUROPEAN SPANISH
- SOUTH AMERICAN SPANISH
- EUROPEAN FRENCH
- CANADIAN FRENCH
- CHINESE (MANDARIN)
- JAPANESE
- GERMAN
- AUSTRIAN GERMAN
- DUTCH
- ITALIAN
- PORTUGUESE
DIAGNOSING YOUR ORGANIZATION--OUR ROOTS
A SIX-BOX LEARNING EXERCISE BY MARVIN R. WEISBORD
In 1976, one of the partners in our original firm, Block Petrella Weisbord, developed a brief version of his introductory tool for managers, supervisors, and administrators wishing to improve their understanding of organizational behavior and, most especially, their own.
The figure kinown as the "Six-Box Model" is one way to cut the complexity down to manageable size. The user can locate, most, if not all, major organizational problems in one or more of the six boxes. They are labeled as follows:
- PURPOSES
- STRUCTURE
- RELATIONSHIPS
- REWARDS
- LEADERSHIP
- HELPFUL MECHANISMS
For decades this little booklet has been used in organizations around the world, but especially in colleges and universities where this information is taught to undergraduates and MBA candidates who then bring it with them into their workplaces.
THE BOOKLET IS AVAILABLE AT THE BOOK STORE RATE OF $9.00 PER COPY.
PLEASE EMAIL US AT cindy@flyingstarship.com.
ASK FOR A FREE DESK COPY. DISSEMINATING THE INFORMATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE.
