Why do we hear so many conflicting stories about how good or bad a particular improvement philosophy actually is? Whether it is Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen, Manufacturing Excellence… success is driven not only by the philosophy and tools you choose, but also by how you implement them. It is important to embrace the right approach for the pressing issues of the business—and even more important to implement the changes well.
There are many tough choices during implementation that have to be taken, and the twin factors of engagement and involvement are critical. Overplay it and decision-making is slow and cumbersome; underplay it and you don’t have the necessary buy-in to ensure lasting organizational improvements.
Based on years of working with clients to ensure the success of training and human capital improvement programs, we have identified five principles that serve as important catalysts for change.
1. Acknowledge the journey and set your target
We need to know where we are heading in order to get on the right road. If we don’t set the targets, we could be going on forever just attempting to get started. Identifying and agreeing on a timeframe and the right Key Performance Indicators is essential.
| Self-Assessment Questions | Qualifying Questions |
|---|---|
| Does a timeframe to achieve your ambition exist? | If yes, how long have you got? |
| Do KPIs exist for the improvement areas you are targeting? | If yes, what are they? |
| Is the relative importance of your KPIs clear and distinct? | If yes, which are the most important and why? |
| Do all the stakeholders agree the KPIs are achievable? | If yes, to what extent are they all agreed? |
2. Understand the skills gaps and prioritize your needs
To do things differently, to make new things happen, quite often requires the application of different or new skills. People may already have these skills but have just not yet tapped into them. Understanding what skills are required, what skills you’ve got, and deducing from this the skills gap you have, is essential to deploying people effectively to instigate improvements.
There are different levels of seniority, capabilities and emotions which require the development of different capability development needs—one size does not fit all. Having common ways of working involves everyone understanding the roles each of us plays. We have to develop technical knowledge and expertise and ensure that how we work together is effective and efficient. Quite often the training carried out can be standard, but the coaching support provided is unique.
| Self-Assessment Questions | Qualifying Questions |
|---|---|
| Do you know what skills you currently have? | If yes, what are they? |
| Do you know what new skills you need? | If yes, what are they? |
| Do you know what it will take to close the skills gap? | If yes, which are the most important and why? |
| Is everyone agreed on how this skills gap should be closed? | If yes, to what extent are they all agreed? |
3. Integrate the solutions and make your processes deliver value
To do things differently, to make new things happen, quite often requires focusing on those processes that add the most value and integrating the thinking around the solution to remove both variation and waste. Processes need to be well-defined with clear steps and defined responsibilities. These processes can then be executed to the agreed standards and managed for accountability and continued improvement.
| Self-Assessment Questions | Qualifying Questions |
|---|---|
| Do you know which process adds most value to your KPIs? | If yes, which is it and why? |
| Are your new or improved processes clearly defined and understood? | If yes, what evidence do you have? |
| Are your new or improved processes well executed? | If yes, how do you know they are being used effectively? |
| Are your new or improved processes well managed? | If yes, how do you know they are managed effectively? |
4. Align expectations and lead by example
An integrated end-to-end process view is essential for any transformational improvement program. Aligning expectations and measures throughout the organization promotes transformation. The aim of making every day our very best day can then mean everyone gets involved—supporting one another to get things done.
| Self-Assessment Questions | Qualifying Questions |
|---|---|
| Do senior personnel know what is expected of people – in terms of behavior, attitudes, skills and knowledge? | If yes, how do they define changes in each? |
| Are business leaders readily able to engage and interact with people to provide them with feedback? | If yes, how do they do it? |
| Do business leaders role model for their people to follow? | If yes, how effective is this role modelling? |
| Is everyone agreed on how business leaders should engage with their people moving forward? | If yes, to what extent are they all agreed? |
5. Coach for exceptionally high performance
The external environment is unforgiving. There are new players entering the market. New regulations to comply with and constant technological advances that exceed most people’s imaginations. The mantra of continuous improvement has been with us for years, however getting the final ounces of improvement requires dedication and focus. Ensuring that there is an independent eye, a critical challenging observer, is essential to ongoing development.
| Self-Assessment Questions | Qualifying Questions |
|---|---|
| Are the mechanisms in place to observe the key behaviors that underpin the successes required? | If yes, what mechanisms are there and how do you know they are there? |
| Do people have the opportunity to reflect on what has been observed before going into action? | If yes, how does this opportunity to reflect manifest itself? |
| Are people given appropriate coaching – internally and externally? Is it timely, pinpointed and relevant? | If yes, how timely, pinpointed and relevant are the coaching opportunities? |
| Are action plans established to act on coaching advice? | If yes, how well are these followed through? What evidence of ongoing improvement is sought? |
The five catalysts outlined above need to be at the heart of any transformational improvement plan. While it is important to start off on the right foot, at any point during the implementation of an initiative, consider taking a step back and reviewing these key principles and take the actions needed to support your investment in change.
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About Kepner-Tregoe
Founded in 1958, and based on ground-breaking research regarding how people think, solve problems and make decisions, Kepner-Tregoe provides a unique combination of training and consulting services to improve quality and effectiveness while reducing overall costs. The KT methodology is used at every level of client organizations: to implement strategy, achieve continuous improvement, increase customer satisfaction, and drive effective issue resolution throughout the organization.
