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Dorian Awards Spotlight: Rolling Top 5 Leadership Award 

/ Dorian Awards

Each year we celebrate outstanding problem solving efforts by hosting the Dorian Awards. Problem Solvers and leaders from around the globe are nominated to receive a Dorian Award in one or more categories. This article describes the Rolling Top 5 Leadership Award.  

For context, a Rolling Top 5 leader has been trained to adeptly navigate complex problem-solving scenarios using Shainin concepts and structured methodologies. They are skilled in selecting impactful projects based on the Pareto principle, effectively sponsoring these initiatives, and fostering a strong problem-solving culture within their organization. Additionally, they focus on identifying and nurturing the traits of excellent problem solvers in their teams, ensuring a continuous cycle of improvement and leadership development, key qualities recognized by the Dorian Award. 

Honoring their efforts and success each year is simply one way to share our appreciation for developing the problem solvers of tomorrow. This year we conducted an interview with our President & CEO Craig Hysong to talk a bit about the awards. 

Let's talk about the Dorian Awards and the Rolling Top 5 Leadership award

Q: What is the meaning of the Rolling Top Five Leadership Award and what makes a winning RT5 leader?

A: The Rolling Top Five Leadership Award is given to individuals that excel as a sponsor. They have regular reviews with the project teams, they ask the right questions. They remove roadblocks when the teams have roadblocks and, in general, have a portfolio of projects that are high impact and have been executed in a timely fashion. 

The reason we call it “Rolling Top Five” is that a sponsor at one time is sponsoring a maximum of five projects. Once you get beyond that, your bandwidth deteriorates and you’re not able to really be an effective sponsor. And so, we limit it to five. Certainly, you can sponsor less than five, but no more. 

Q: How do the Dorian Awards reflect the legacy of Dorian Shainin?

A: The Dorian Awards embody the teaching and methodologies that Dorian pioneered, and they are a way to recognize the best of the best projects and problem solvers from any given year. And it provides a chance for us to celebrate their achievements.

Q: What are the benefits of receiving a Dorian award?

A:  The benefit of receiving a Dorian award is the recognition of continuous improvement inside an organization. It is a catalyst for people to want to solve big problems as quickly and as efficiently as they possibly can. And with the award, it’s an extra layer of recognition and I think that it motivates people inside organizations to want to do the best they can do in terms of problem solving and making an impact inside their organization. 

Q: How are the Dorian Awards presented?

A: The Dorian Awards are presented inside our customer’s organization where we gather a group of leaders and problem solvers and have recognition and a little celebration for the winners. 

Q: How can someone submit a nomination for a Dorian Award?

A: The submission for the nomination for a Dorian Award is very straightforward. You go to the Shainin website, shainin.com, look at the upper portion of the page, click on Resources, and then Scroll down to Dorian Awards, which then will open you up to the different awards and applications.

Q: What else would you like to add about Dorian Awards?

A: From my personal experience in presenting the Dorian Awards at different customers of Shainin, what I see is the award acts as a real morale booster. You’ve got leadership, you’ve got the problem solving teams together, and they’re celebrating the accomplishments. They’re laughing about the journey and just generally feeling good about what they’ve accomplished/. And they’re highly motivated to continue to solve more problems and further improve their organization. 

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Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

TRANSAXIONAL® BUSINESS
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Business processes deliver critical functions. But sometimes processes break, and the root cause is not clear. TransaXional® Business Projects focus on what must go right in a process for it to deliver the desired result every time.  The  TransaXional® Business Project of the Year Award recognizes projects that focus on process-based problems. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • The impact of the problem on the company and the team. 
  • The use of the DETAIL™ project format.
  • Creative & effective use of the Shainin TransaXional® tools.
  • The timeline of resolution from initial discovery through project closure.
  • Explanation of how to leverage and implement project results.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

RESILIENT ENGINEERING®
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

The goal in a new product or process development is a trouble-free launch. Resilient Engineering® focuses on the critical factors that must go right in the product design and manufacturing process. The Resilient Engineering® Project of the Year Award recognizes projects that focus on what must go right to ensure a successful launch. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:  

  • Critical factor identification in the design phase.
  • Prioritization of the high-risk functions to focus on.
  • Development of function models linking the high-risk functions to critical input features, properties, and parameters.
  • Potential or perceived impact for the customer, the company, and the production line.
  • Effective use of the Shainin Resilient Engineering® tools to identify, prioritize, design, test, and control the critical factors.
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John Abrahamian

Executive VP - Problem Solving

John Abrahamian is a highly respected problem solver as well as an expert in the field of Lean manufacturing, with a career spanning over three decades. Throughout his career, John has become renowned for his innovative approach to problem-solving and his unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. 
  
After receiving his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1985, John began his career as a design and development engineer at Pratt & Whitney. It was during this time that his interest in problem-solving first emerged. By 1994, John had become a Continuous Improvement Manager at the company. During his tenure, John led Pratt & Whitney’s efforts in Lean manufacturing and Value Engineering. 
  
In 1990, John began pursuing his MBA in Operations Management, where he was first introduced to the concept of Lean manufacturing, and this influenced the direction of his career. In 1996, he was encouraged by his Pratt & Whitney team to take Shainin Red X training, building on his Lean manufacturing efforts. This training proved to be a turning point in John’s career, igniting his passion for problem-solving and setting him on a path to becoming one of the industry’s most respected experts. 
  
In 1998, John joined Shainin, where he has spent the last 25 years pursuing his passion for problem-solving. During his time here, John has developed innovative approaches to problem-solving, having received a US Patent for a problem-solving method. He also integrated function analysis into Shainin methods, seeding what would ultimately become Resilient Engineering.  
  
Despite his busy schedule, John still finds time to pursue his hobbies, which include golfing, stand-up paddleboarding, and skeet shooting. He especially enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with family, including his three grandsons. 
  
Having the opportunity to work in a wide variety of industries, experiencing different cultures and meeting new and interesting people gives John the kind of job satisfaction that makes him grateful to be in this field of work. He truly enjoys creating meaningful relationships with his customers and inspiring ordinary engineers to become extraordinary problem solvers. 

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Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

This category of awards is for project teams who have demonstrated outstanding application of Shainin methodologies in solving complex problems within their company.

To be considered for this award, the submission must meet the following criteria:

  • Speed and efficiency of the problem solved
  • Technical difficulty and complexity of the problem solved
  • Project impact and leverage across the organization
  • Creative use of Shainin technologies
  • Clarity of the project documentation