Tag Archives: change

To change -> begin with…..

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How does change happen, who wants change, who doesn’t want change, these plus other questions need to be asked before change can start,

One of the major barriers to change is often seen as apathy but can fact be fear “its always been done that way” or quoting Talking Heads  “same as it ever was” .

As an example, put five monkeys in a cage, inside the cage hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.  Linked to the stairs is a pressure switch which on being activated will spray the whole cage with water.

Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs climbing towards the banana.  As soon as he touches the stairs, cold water is sprayed into the cage. All monkeys get wet but the water stops when the “offender” gets off the stairs.

As there is no trend or suspicion of cause,  another monkey will soon make an attempt with the same result. Pretty soon the monkeys will get sick of getting wet, and will stop others from attempting to climb the stairs.  Keeping this process in place for several days to “ingrain” the process.

Now turn off the water, remove a monkey and replace it with a fresh one.

The new monkey will see the banana and attempt to climb the stairs. To his surprise, all the other monkeys attack him. Every time he tries he is attacked, so very quickly learns to not even try.

Now, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. Even the previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.

Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.

Eventually every monkey will have been changed, there is now no knowledge of why newcomers are attacked when approaching the stairs as none of these monkeys have ever been sprayed, but it continues and sometimes with more vehemence than the originals!.

Why is this?

Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been done around here…

This is a survival instinct, people are the same.  It is a learned habit and as such needs to be unlearned, it cannot just be turned off (or explained away).

Before beginning down the path to change…   review your paradigms with all your stake-holders, as laid out in a workshop by Dr Nuri Robins :

1-   What paradigms do you want to protect?
2-   What paradigms do you want to reject?
3-   What paradigms have been challenged, unsuccessfully?
4-   What old paradigms get in the way of seeing the new ones?
5-   What paradigms are shifting or expanding at your company?
6-   What do you predict will become paradigms in the next three years?
7-  What is impossible to do now, but would radically change the way you do business if it were possible?
8-   What beliefs do you share with others in your small group about working at your company?
9-   What beliefs do you share with others in your small group about being a member of your industry?
10- What beliefs do you share with others in your small group about customer service in your industry?

This gives you a  “lay of the land”  allowing a meaningful plan of approach to be formulated .
Phase one down, now on to phase two (maybe the stairs are OK, or find another way).

Cheers and all the best for your change.

Mark


Why do Improvement Projects fail ?

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Am I right in my assumptions why Improvement Projects Fail?  (or don’t achieve what they set out to).

A review of your processes finds that an area for improvement is found – you look at all the tools and find you need (for argument’s sake)  six-sigma to be used. But you have heard others say it is all hype, looks good but won’t work.

After being in a number of industries, with a variety of improvement projects commissioned, I have found that most improvement projects really are bound to fail.

The reason – people. It may be because pressure was put on the project manager to meet unreasonable timelines, or the scope of the project only looked at the “opportunity” and not the big picture, maybe the manager/controller is not conversant with the process, or then again it may be because the staff did not want it to work (for whatever reason).

I believe that any improvement project must be wider in scope. If the improvement is to shorten Tact-time the high-level project should include the human aspect, not just the technical or process training but how the staff feel towards the improvement, are there mitigating circumstances why it was not improved by the staff previously.

Improvement involves change, change involves uncertainty. Most people do not like uncertainty, therefore change and so improvement does not always equate to “better” in the eyes of those doing the work.

Within people management is the following process to monitor performance:

  1. Corporate Strategy and Values
  2. Agree, Authorities and Accountabilities
  3. Design and review KPIs and behaviours
  4. Set targets
  5. Establish performance commitments
  6. Track performance /reporting
  7. Review performance (Feedback)
  8. Manage outcome

This is the same process used for any system, within any business, albeit using different names possibly. The task is really to ensure that the project is looked at from the next level up so all contingencies and opportunities (and risks) can be taken into account, specifically:

  • The Materials (The input)
  • The Process (What happens to it – and the area most often reviewed)
  • The Equipment (What is used to make it)
  • The Systems (What is used to control/monitor it)
  • The Location (Where it is made) AND
  • The People (Who pulls it all together – bottom to top)

It always ends up with the people. They can make it or break it, sometimes they have even fixed it before there is intervention! But if all points above or reviewed and realised, the total potential success is huge, failure is well, failure.

Basic questions that should always be asked for any change or opportunity:

  • Can we get rid of it
  • Can it be done simpler
  • Can it be done differently

Only once all the questions have been asked can the appropriate improvement be put in place.