Tweet

Improvement Planning for Taking Charge of Change

Guest post by: Jim Clemmer

Article Overview: Effective learning and capability development doesn't happen just because we want it to. For example, empowering without enabling isn't just foolish it's unethical. It's like putting a complete novice at the controls of a clunky old airplane and "empowering" him or her to land in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm.

Improvement Planning for Taking Charge of Change

"He who is not prepared today, will be less so tomorrow." - Ovid, Roman poet Effective learning and capability development doesn't happen just because we want it to. For example, empowering without enabling isn't just foolish it's unethical. It's like putting a complete novice at the controls of a clunky old airplane and "empowering" him or her to land in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm. If our organization's systems don't work well, if our skill levels aren't strong, if processes are out of control, if measurements are giving incomplete or false feedback, if communication channels are crossed, or if reward and recognition practices are unaligned, the clearest focus, strongest context, and best of intentions will be wasted.

What's needed is disciplined, rigorous improvement planning. Few things are more strategic than organizational capabilities. Competitors can match or trump capital investments, marketing campaigns, or new products and services. But few competitors have the foresight, discipline, and skill to build a strong and constantly improving organization. By building a highly capable organization - one that's continually learning, growing, and developing - we develop an unmatched competitive advantage. We will be able to move quickly to minimize the threats and capitalize on the opportunities change throws at us. We'll be in a position to start creating that change.

Continually improving our capabilities calls for coordination and planning. Of course, the goal of planning isn't plans, but action. However, before acting, we need to ensure we're acting on the right things. We need to find the leverage points that will give us the biggest payoffs. We must coordinate improvement activities so everyone's not heading off in all directions at once. We need to ensure everybody sees and acts according to the bigger organizational picture. In other words, we need an improvement plan.

Tailoring Our Improvement Process

"They know enough who know how to learn." - Henry Brooks Adams, 19th century American historian

A dim-witted man went to a lazy tailor for a new suit. The first day he wore it, a friend pointed out that right sleeve was far too short. So he went back to the lazy tailor. The tailor said, "Oh, it doesn't need alteration. Just raise your right shoulder, and then pull and hold the sleeve with that hand." The dim-witted man did as he was instructed although it caused him to hunch over and walk with a lurch. As he left the tailor shop, he met another friend.

"How do you like my new suit?" he asked. "Very nice," the friend replied. "But, you know, I think you're left pant leg is awfully short." So the dim-witted man headed back to the tailor shop. "Oh, that's because when you lean over to hold up your right sleeve, you pull up your left pant leg. What you need to do is bend your left leg just enough for your pant cuff to reach the top of your shoe." As the man hobbled down the street toward his office he passed in front of two diners at a sidewalk cafe. "Look at that poor man," one diner said to her companion. "I wonder what happened to him?" "I don't know," was the reply. "But isn't it amazing how well his suit fits."

We need to beware of pat formulas or off-the-shelf improvement packages. Improvement tools, techniques, and approaches must be customized to fit our unique personal, team, and organizational circumstances. That's why trendy programs like quality circles, excellence, customer service, quality improvement, teams, empowerment, reengineering and the like have failed or fallen short in so many organizations. They're often sold as a one-size fits all, step-by-step process that we can drop right into our organization. When that doesn't work, some managers or consultants try to alter the organization to fit the program rather than the other way around.

Related Articles
  Change Management Can Lead to Rigidity and Resistance to Change
  Improvement Planning Infrastructure and Process
  Improvement Planning Pathways and Pitfalls (Part Two)
  Change Checkpoints and Improvement Milestones
  Taking Charge of Your Life
  Change Management - Some Basic Tactics For Managers
  The Prayer of Change
  Performance Indicators - Key to success
  DO YOU KNOW HOW TO CREATE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS?
  Defeat Procrastination and Make More Cash!
  How Inspirational Quotes inspire Self-Improvement?
  What Are some of the Self improvement Products Available Nowadays?
  Poor Credit But Still Need Business Finance? Are You a Homeowner? Consider a Charge Deal
  Charge back for storage
  Change the Trust Equation
  How to Avoid Business Failure
  Resolve to Follow the 5 Stages of Planning for a Prosperous 2010
  The Five Main Drivers For Improvement Within Any Organization
  "How" Power Sales Tip
  Is Taking Online Surveys A Legitimate Way To Earn Extra Income?

Article Tags: leadership
Referred by: http://www.searchengineworkshops.com



Related Forum Posts
Re: New Video - Should I Get A Job Or Start A Business? - Hi Evan, I was curious to know what you'd suggest and I think you gave excellent advice. Taking a year out to try and start your own business is a great idea. Taking a year out after college is a well established option so I guess it doesn't prejudice your chances of getting a job should you wish to do so later on; it probably improves your chances if you've been getting valuable experience of managing a business and of course, if all goes well, you won't need to find out. Definitely a video for my website. Thanks! David
Seminar attendance - I read through most of these posts and the first thought that popped into my head Andy already posted. Charge a fee to register, that will be refundable at the end of the seminar. This will ensure they show up and STAY for it.
Offer Credit instead - I'm not sure if ChrisH was referring to this but i'll state it more expicitly .. Charge upfront and offer a refund of double the value back in "Credit" towards your Product or Service you have for sale at the end of the event.
HRPreneur - Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and I recently started my own Human Capital (HR) consulting firm called HRPreneur Inc. HRP focuses on making human capital a strategic differentiator for SME's. Below is a summary about HRP; Who We Are: HRP is a Human Capital consulting firm with 30 years of experience that becomes an extension of your company by providing a full array of services to help you create a highly engaged workforce focused on achieving strategic results in order to build a long lasting great company! Mission: HRP provides small and medium sized businesses a Strategic HR Business Partner to increase employee engagement, resulting in cost savings, increased productivity and results at an affordable rate! Vision: To inspire and warrant SME's reach their full competency! Cost Effectiveness: We provide over 30 years of experience at a fraction of the cost at a strategic executive HR business level You will save between 50% to 60% in costs per year on salary, bonus, benefits, training, office space alone We will provide you additional cost efficiencies through our services Services: • Strategic Human Resources Planning • Organizational Redesign • Change Management • Organizational Culture Development • Employee Engagement Programs • Leadership Assessment and Development • Compensation Design • Talent Acquisition • Assimilation and On-Boarding • Performance Management • Talent Management & Succession Planning • Human Resources Due Diligence • Human Resources Audit • Full Service HR Outsourcing
Re: How do you make the most of your day? - Planning, To Do lists, and deadlines all help me. Also being self critical of my own time management helps me raise the bar. I still check email too often though.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Tips for the Novice Traveler

How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself

You Have A Website What Now

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.