At Change Leadership Resources, our approach to performance improvement combines best practices from the world of Lean Six Sigma, Human Performance Technology, and Change Management. We can help your organization with all aspects of capacity building and performance improvement – from analyzing performance problems, to designing, implementing and evaluating improvement interventions, such as:
Developing Individual Talent
Change Leadership Resources specializes in providing small to mid-size organizations with the proven processes, tools and support that the big consulting firms use with their clients, but at a fraction of their costs.
1. Project Definition (Define)
As Charles Kettering, the legendary head of research for General Motors observed, “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” Experience has shown that investing time up-front to define the problem and get all stakeholders and team members aligned on the goal, the business case and the scope of the project pays big dividends downstream. The output of this step is typically a Project Charter document and one or more high-level process maps.
2. Performance Analysis (Measure)
Performance analysis is the process of identifying the existing performance, the desired performance and the difference (gap) between them. During this phase, the baseline current performance is described in behavioral terms, quantified and documented. Measureable goals for the desired performance goals are established. Value Stream Maps and descriptive statistics are typically employed in this phase.
Benchmarking
It is frequently worthwhile to look both within and outside of your organization in order to help establish realistic, achievable goals for our programs. Internal benchmarking studies have the additional benefit of improved internal relationships and communications.
3. Root Cause Analysis (Analyze)
Root cause analysis is the process of identifying specific factors that contribute to the difference between the desired state and the current state. Root cause analysis provides the critical link between identified performance gaps and their appropriate interventions. Potential root causes are examined at all levels of an organization.
Level 1 (Organization) - The strategy, goals, organizational structure and measures at the organization level
Level 2 (Process) - The design, implementation and management of internal processes
Level 3 (Job/Performer) - The behavior of individuals and groups
In addition to surveys, interviews, observation, and group problem-solving techniques, statistical tools and processes are typically employed in this phase to find correlations and to establish cause-and-effect relationships between factors and outcomes.
4. Intervention Design & Implementation (Improve)
Organizations today are complex systems. Experience has shown that performance problems are rarely the result of a single factor. Consequently, improvement plans typically require a combination of different interventions.
Click here read an example of a typical Human Performance Technology challenge
How an intervention is selected, developed and implemented is based on its cost-effectiveness and the anticipated benefit to the organization.
Click on the links to go directly to detailed descriptions of the various types of interventions available.
Developing Individual Talent
Team Performance /Process Improvement
Organizational Development & Change Management
Change Management
One of the significant ways that Change Leadership Resources is different from other process improvement consulting firms is our emphasis on addressing the “human” impact of change. Regardless of the nature of the challenge or the selected interventions, an analysis of the anticipated resistance and an influence strategy will be developed and implemented.
Pilot Implementation
For all interventions, a pilot implementation is developed and evaluated to ensure its effectiveness, and what modifications, if any, are necessary prior to full-scale deployment. The pilot implementation also provides inputs to a cultural change management plan – A key to success that is frequently overlooked!
5. Operationalize (Control)
Conceptually identical to the Control phases of a six sigma project, the goal is to make the improvement gains permanent – to make them part of the normal way of doing business going forward.
Evaluation
Everyone, especially those paying the bills, will want to know, “Did this project achieve its goal? At what cost? Can you prove it?” Consequently, the evaluation step is critical and applies to all performance improvement projects and all potential interventions. The well-established Kirkpatrick Five-Level Evaluation Model from the training and development world is used as a framework for evaluation. Level I and II are built into earlier phases of the project. Level III - V are developed separately, based on the interventions created in an earlier phase.
Level III - Behavior
At level III the key question is, “Do the employees perform their jobs at the desired performance level and/or behave differently as a result of the intervention?” Surveys, observation, interviews, and measures may be employed at this level.
Level IV – Results
At level IV the key question is, “Has the intervention had the desired impact on organizational performance?” As in the control phase of a six sigma project, Statistical Process Control (SPC) is typically used to monitor the ongoing performance of your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)..
Level V – Return on Investment (ROI)
A Cost - Benefit Analysis of the intervention based on “actual” costs and benefits is used to determine the Return on Investment
Control Plan
Studies by McKinsey, GE and others all show that roughly two-thirds of change initiatives fail to achieve their intended outcomes[1]. Typically the failure is due to the lack of a comprehensive strategy to “lock in” the gains achieved by the interventions. As in a traditional six sigma project, statistical process control (SPC) plans are put in place, and reaction plans are created for the process owners if process exhibits variation that cannot be attributed to random chance (i.e., out-of-control). While traditional SPC is necessary, it is not sufficient by itself. A comprehensive plan to modify the existing organization systems and structures is essential as well. These systems and structures include things like incentive and reward systems, training, development and staffing practices, IT systems, and resource allocation systems. These systems are vital to the continuing operation any organization, but they are designed to support the current way of doing business. If they are not changed to reflect the desired future state, they will always push your organization back to the current state – that’s what they are designed to do!
Finally, the control plan includes a process for transferring ownership of the new processes from the project team to the folks who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of your organization.
[1] Kotter, John P., Leading Change – Why Transformation Efforts Fail, Harvard Business Review, January 2007.
|