Helping organizational leaders
get the results they expect
from their employees

..........	. Mansis Principals Robert H. (Bob) Kent, Ph.D.  (bobkent@mansis.com) .	. . . After receiving degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, an MBA and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, I was quickly confronted with the realization that you really don't learn how to manage people in University management programs. I learned a lot about what makes people tick, especially in an organization, but the application of that knowledge was left up to me. And in fact that's been my professional focus throughout my career -- developing practical ways to apply our knowledge about people in order to more effectively manage organizations. Along the way I've worked and learned a lot in a variety of organizations. I've taught in University management faculties, full-time and part time since 1972. This has helped me to keep current with management research and also to learn how to communicate this knowledge to students ranging from teenagers to seasoned executives. Leaving academia for opportunities to put my education into practice, I've held middle management and executive positions in three levels of government, as well as in the telecommunications and international food service industries. During that time and to the present I also served as a Local and National Director of several health care, professional, not-for-profit and social service organizations, ranging from the Children's Hospital of Winnipeg Research Foundation and the Canadian Association of Management Consultants to Scouts Canada and the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors. Throughout these years, my professional interest was always how to structure, simplify and standardize the process of managing people, so that it could be learned and used in all organizations. The academic field of Human Resource Management was beginning to grow exponentially and the knowledge available to practicing managers was starting to become disjointed, contradictory, overwhelming and drowning in detail. Repeatedly I witnessed management jumping on bandwagons, adopting superficial theories and other panaceas in desperate attempts to get control over productivity in their organizations. But my experience and training told me they were running in the wrong direction. The most important thing I've learned about improving the performance of an organization -- supported by academic research; even my own doctoral research -- is that you won't change or improve the functioning of any organization simply by improving or changing the players (which is the focus of almost all management training).  You must also change "the way things are done" or the culture's standard operating procedures.  People may come and go -- but the culture always remains.  Therefore to improve an organization's performance you have to change the way things are done -- i.e. change, implement and enforce systems and procedures -- the basic fundamentals of management -- and then teach the employees the new order. Fundamentals are the missing ingredient in most organizations, and for many businesses, the fundamentals are not only necessary but surprisingly sufficient for success. The fads of the day aren't necessary at all, if an organization could only gets its act together. The Mansis Performance Management System is one of these core fundamentals, and since 1978, my management training and consulting firm, The Mansis Development Corporation, has been helping thousands of managers learn and implement this simple, effective System (although some say its almost a philosophy of management).	. How We Work With Clients Are Mansis Services for You? Where We Can Help Mansis Philosophy A New Publication Download Demo Product / Services Texts / Videos The Mansis System . Latest News . Farm Management Program .
	. Bev J. Fox, CHRP  (bjfox@mansis.com)	.. . .For over 30 years I've worked in various business environments with the majority as the senior Human Resource executive for an international manufacturing firm employing over 2,000 employees. I've had the opportunity to develop and lead the HR function from its inception to a complex department covering all aspects of Human Resources. Following a brief retirement, I undertook a new and exciting venture of setting up my own business and I have drawn from that to enhance my overall management expertise. My broad experience, formal education in Human Resource Management from the University of Manitoba and my professional CHRP designation has given me a strong technical understanding and an ability to apply this knowledge in challenging environments. My main areas of expertise are: Performance Management, Payroll and Benefits, Policy Development, Recruitment, Health & Safety and Wage & Salary Administration. I've had the privilege of maintaining many years of positive relationships with governing bodies such as the Manitoba Labour Board, The Human Rights Commission and Workplace Safety & Health. In addition, I've been an active member of professional associations such as the Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba, The Canadian Payroll Association, and a Board member of WASO (Work and Social Opportunities) and MDI (the Management Development Institute). During my time at university, I had the privilege of having Bob Kent as one of my professors. His teachings enlightened me very early in my HR career.  His philosophies were exactly what I believed would match the direction of the firm in which I was employed at that time.  Managing people in a fair, consistent, dignified and systematic manner was exactly what we needed to support the company's future, and the company continues to work with Bob to this day. I'm still astounded that the concepts and techniques I learned from Bob over 15 years ago are still a vital part of my management skills today and because of that and our matching philosophies, I was thrilled to join Mansis.  My in-depth HR and management experience allows me to reinforce the "hands-on" Mansis approach and to broaden our scope to include support for new businesses.

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