Steady gradual incermental improvement

The Secret behind Corporate & Personal Change

 

Whether we are talking personal or business transformation we can highlight the keys to successful change.

 

There are two strategies that work for me. Firstly, there's the 'Big Bang' when we focus on the really "Big Idea".

 

Strategy 1: The 'Big Idea', Big Bang' or 'Big Change'

 

That's what I'd call a total transformation - whether it is personal or corporate change. The really Big Change happens because the 'Big Idea' unites people and meets all their needs in one huge commitment to take action.

 

Everyone is on board - there are no dissenters and the change has to happen. There is enough energy in the system or people to bring about that change. Usually the change is mandatory, and if it does not happen the organisation may cease to function.

 

So the big Idea or 'Big Change' happens when there is enough pressure pushing for that change, and any barriers crumble.

 

In corporate terms this can be when an organisation merges with another business or when the whole structure is right sized and re-engineered - failing to do so would result in significant loss to the business.

 

In personal change, it's when the individual decides that they just cannot bear the pain associated with not changing and they commit to create a new life for themselves. This may be beating an addiction, losing weight or taking control of one's future and career and finances. But it is a major change and takes some time.

 

The Big Change works but the conditions which have to be satisfied to make the change stick imply a pretty enormous undertaking.

 

Strategy 2: Relentless Improvement Step by Step

 

The second strategy that works effectively all the time is the one I favour. There is no hullabaloo, no coffee mugs or tee shirts with empowering banner headlines proclaiming such phrases as "In Teamwork we trust", "Leadership is our creed"……"The Customer is King" ….etc.

 

No, this approach to change focuses upon small steps but with a substantial momentum so that change becomes the culture of the business, or the core behaviour of the individual.

 

Knowing that each day we are committing to improving, reducing waste, winning new accounts, (however small), reducing cycle time, containing costs, investing in improvements that engender results, is powerful. It confirms a thus a positive ROI relating 'cause' to 'effect' and creates a habitual set of behaviours that lead to significant results.

 

This is also true for personal change. By altering just one or two aspects of our behaviour we can change our own personal outcome. Simply by focusing on making small new choices, we can significantly shift our personal performance.

 

Committing to a daily 10 minute powerwalk, or 15 minutes of stretching and yoga everyday on waking, will significantly shift our energy levels and our mood, for the better.

 

Delaying the drinking of caffeine until the early afternoon will relieve our stress levels. Banishing the daily bagel and choosing fruit each morning is a change that could have a major impact on our overall health.

 

Walking up stairs in the office, rather than taking the elevator, and choosing a new route to our workstation may provide more variety and enlarge our social network. It's the little changes, or changes in our micro behaviour, that impacts our macro behaviour.

 

Psychological Contracting with Self

 

It takes a great deal of commitment, time and energy to run 5 miles every morning. To take a ten minute powerwalk or yoga takes a lot less commitment, time etc. And once you are out walking or stretching you'll find you want to do more.

 

In this instance, what are the chances of people committing to the powerwalk? There is a greater likelihood that we would commit to the small but steady and daily commitment to exercise than the larger goal of the 5 mile daily run.

 

It's the same in a corporate setting. People are more able to commit to continuous small improvements than the Big Bang. It's all about making commitments and promises. I take it most staff can look to improve their performance by 1-3% over time and keep up the momentum. This is true personally or for business.

 

Personal and Corporate Kaizen

 

I was amazed about the statistical results I was about to hear when I visited a Toyota Plant in Japan. This was part of a trip organised to witness Best Practice in Quality Improvement within ten companies.

 

We were to hear of the results of Quality through continuous and relentless improvement.

 

The Japanese had built the idea of' relentless improvement' into the culture of Toyota worldwide. The Quality professional toyed with our delegates requesting information he knew we would not possess. He asked specifically how our metrics for continuous improvement in European plants compared to the Japanese. Obviously, we did not know the answer which gave him the opportunity to 'grandstand' with some outstanding data.

 

The Japanese manager then told us that the average Toyota employee generates 187 ideas for improvement each year, of which 97% are implemented. Amazing figures and how embarrassing for our delegation knowing we probably don't even record such data in the average business!

 

Metrics for Improvement

 

That means each year that the 60,000 employees in Toyota (at that time) would implement a total of 10,883,400 ideas. At the time Ford employed about three times that number.

 

I don't know what the Ford situation was, but the implications were immense - if Ford or GM or any other big automotive builder was not capturing just as many ideas and implementing them, then everyday at close of business they may be lagging behind Toyota in the race for product and service quality.

 

So, a continual drive for incremental change really pays off.

It works for personal change also. Running intensively 10 miles a day for Paula Radcliffe is fine and will prove her a winner, however, the average adult seeking mental and physical fitness will only gain injury free results by focusing on small and steady progress, rather than outlandish distances putting the body under undue strain and pressure.

 

Crash diets don't work. A steady and progressive switching of foods leads to gradual weight loss coupled with gentle exercise - creating new habitual behaviours. Get rich quick schemes don't work.

 

Whether in corporate or personal change steady progress in new ventures enables you to differentiate between what works and what does not.

 

Philip Atkinson ©2008