In Executing, the focus of the effort was putting the change in place -
- Installing and switching over to the new equipment with minimal disruption to production
- Cutting over to a new application with minimal impact to customer service
- Shifting to the new structure with different work groups with different job responsibilities as quickly and effectively as possible, etc.
In the early part of Sustaining Change, the emphasis has been on developing proficiency.
Make no mistake. Stabilizing and achieving proficiency at the new level for whatever change you’ve made is laudable. It’s been a lot of work. However, there is a risk at this point and the risk is that with all of the effort expended it is easy for the organization to plateau and slip back into complacency in its new current state. As a leader or manager who has brought everyone this far, your job is to avoid this pitfall. There are three messages you can deliver consistently to foster conditions for on-going innovation.
- Give permission - make sure that everyone understands that you want to see on-going innovation. Talk about the new horizon and everyone’s role in driving toward it.
- Challenge everything - processes, procedures, tools, methods, policies, organizational arrangements, etc. all exist to serve our purpose, not the other way around. Encourage everyone to challenge purposefully all aspects of the system for the sake of continuous improvement.
- Recognize risk taking as well as success - if you want on-going innovation you will need to recognize those who take risks and fail as well as rewarding those who succeed. You won’t get the latter without the former.
A short story illustrates the point