An Innovative Atmosphere
Development of the risk simulator progressed slowly at first.
The decision support team also works with other departments within the company, including claims, safety and risk control, and quality assurance. Those are its primary internal clients, and they support the needs of the field and other departments within ARAMARK.
Work on the risk simulator project continued during spare time, in a company atmosphere where innovation was encouraged. "Leadership here understands the value in innovation, so they make sure the employees have time to create those kinds of things," Toczek said.
Once the risk simulator was ready for testing, it went to what Toczek describes as "200 beta-testers we keep on hand to try things out.'' The product went out across the organization, up to regional vice presidents and down to front-line managers for feedback, Bowman said. The product was then tweaked and finally unveiled.
The risk simulator is available to all the lines of business, but not to every individual. Rollout continues, and preliminary feedback is positive, Pelcin said.
Pelcin praised Toczek's accomplishment: "It's that simple solution that you explain to someone and they say 'Why didn't we think of that five years ago?' When I slide the part-time employee ratio and they see that this affects your OSHA rate and how, they get it.
"Everyone understands how risk management plays into the greater organization and how their business directions are going to affect the larger mix. The fact it's visual really helps people understand.
"There are probably a million people in the world who could do the statistics, but to figure out a way to display it so simply and yet get all the points across, that's the beauty of this," Pelcin said.
-- By Lynn Rosen
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September 15, 2011 Copyright 2011© LRP Publications |
