A mission is a flame to be taken forward

Respecting or cultivating tradition does not mean to be carrying ashes. It means to continue taking the flame forward!

All organizations are created to solve a problem that a group of people could not solve by acting in an isolated manner.

However, changes in the environment, changes in command and financial pressures may cause this focus to be lost with the passage of time.

Clubs start living on the income coming from the rental of their facilities, or change course in trying to meet their current members' demands - and end up losing their soul.

Business associations end up losing their meaning entirely due to the evolution in their founders' businesses.

There are companies built to explore a mine that is gradually extinguished, or a technology that becomes obsolete.

When the mission ends or is abandoned, an almost obvious option is to rebuild the organization.

Rebuilding means to reunite what is left from the time of the entrepreneurs and presenting the crucial question: considering the current conditions, would it be wise for us to gather and create an organization like the one we have?

Is it worth to continue carrying these ashes, or do we have the strength to continue taking a flame forward?

Managing lists: Do not underestimate this art

Organized, productive and calm people can manage lists. You certainly know many representatives of this species, and maybe you even happen to be one of them. But, believe me, there are many people out there who would improve their performance and life quality if they mastered the art of managing lists.

Yes, there are methods and tools available, but they are not universal. Just like there are people who can be organized with half a dozen of yellow post-its sticking all around, others can't manage it even with the help of sophisticated priority, activation and control systems.

Let's propose just 3 important points on this theme:

1. Do not overlook this “science”. Recognize your problem and invest time to minimize its effects. There are many things happening out there.

2. A list is an inventory of future activities. This inventory, just like any other, has some basic attributes and qualities;

a. Not deteriorating;

b. Easily spotting what’s been stored;

c. Not occupying space with useless items;

d. Turnover.

3. The key to this is in the activation process, which occurs at the moment we pick a problem from the list and face it for its solution.

On the image a typical list is presented which almost everyone of us has - and how to manage it better.

In routine control, we all have a failure treatment process and operate a results dashboard. These are two very important tools, but with a limited problem-solving capacity.

* In failure treatment the basic question to be asked 5 times is “why”?

* In the Results Dashboard, if an anomaly is found, we use the simple Fact>Cause>Action resource; for small improvements the old 5w1h is applied.

Well, the tools above are simple and often can't achieve the proposed results. Do not try to take from them what they don't have to offer: it's more practical to recognize that we have a problem, which then goes on our list.

The list quickly grows, and our problem-solving capacity is no match to it. It's necessary, then, to have well-defined criteria to prioritize and - very importantly - not pass a lot of problems on to our subordinates at the same time. By acting thus we lose control of the situation: people start to set priorities based on other criteria and, what is worst - have extremely low productivity, going from one problem to the next.

Knowing how to manage a list keeps the failure treatment processes and results dashboard to become overwhelmed.

After a problem is identified, we need to support the people in charge so that they can find a solution for it, implement it and end its cycle, making sure it will not return.

Does work drive you mad?

We have probably all tried some magic fix at some point; a training course to learn new skills, a smart piece of software that will make everything better. The road to ruin is paved with such good intentions; pretty soon going back and working the same old process gets in the way of doing things differently. The cost of the initiative is lost and no benefits are realised and we default to engrained habits.

When the going gets difficult we batten down the hatches and do what we always did, but work harder at doing it. In most cases, doing what we always did got us in to difficulty in the first place and working harder never fixes the problem; at best it enables us to weather the storm until the problem arises again.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

Albert Einstein

The only real way to realise sustained improvements is to develop effective processes and good habits, and that involves identifying and managing what really matters. Setting and using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is an essential step; having KPIs is, however, of no value unless they are used to support and encourage those good habits. What adds value is not the act of measuring, but the adoption of an intelligent approach, one that uses the right measures to develop a continuous improvement culture and to eliminate wasted management effort.

A good kpi system does not cover walls with obscure charts, or simply present the same data as a flashy dashboard, but makes achieving excellent results easier and faster. Qualitin’s ICG approach does that; it drives ownership and accountability throughout an organisation, it empowers and obliges everyone to focus on what matters to customers and stakeholders and it saves significant management time; that is why I’m an enthusiastic Qualitin Partner.

The real value of practising what you preach

Sometimes you need to ‘practise what you preach’ in order to fully understand the benefits of your product.

Everybody 'knows' what the benefits of their products are. For instance, I could tell you how simple, practical and effective our KPI management System is and why it is more powerful than alternatives on the market. But that does not necessarily mean you fully understand its true value. This is something that certainly applied to me and why I now understand the importance of practicing what you preach.

At Experian UK, I was the system administrator for 600 system users across our business units. It was my duty to support all the KPI Managers with the system; explaining how to use it and why.

The trouble was though, I was only supporting the process and not part of the process. I was on the outside and therefore not embracing what ICG was really about.

Clearly I always liked the product. So much so that I even ended up joining Qualitin! But it was the day of our Partners event where I understood ICG's value. This is the day where I knew I would be required to present my KPIs, results and proposed actions.

Having all your data on display for everyone to see meant there was no hiding away. Everybody could clearly see what my targets were for the month and what I had actually achieved. Everybody could see my red KPIs (unfortunately there were a few that day I recall) and so I explained what I intended to do about improving the situation for next month.

It was at that moment though where it all made sense. Firstly having my data on display had provided me with the necessary self-discipline to be appropriately prepared for the meeting. I did not want to be shown up after all. Secondly, everybody was less interested in the fact a couple of my KPIs were red. The focus was far more on my analysis of the situation and what I intended to do about improving it.

Therefore now when I describe ICG to someone I would no longer just use the words ‘simple, effective and practical’. These just describe ICG as just a tool and certainly do not provide ICG justice. Instead the words ‘ritual’, ‘forward-thinking’ and ‘self-discipline’ are a better match because these words describe what ICG does, not what it is.

Now, and only now I can now honestly say I understand the true value of my product.

Maslow's pyramid

This is an excellent case to illustrate a fact I had problems to understand: the accuracy of the information that brings us knowledge is much less important than the emotion it fixates in our brain, and which begins to influence our decisions.

I've learned from Falconi the importance of philosopher Maslow's work, which in the last century brought an important human focus to Deming's statistical theories. It played with the brain's right side, rounding the edges of the TQC's logical-mathematical approach.

Of Maslow's lessons I have permanent memories regarding human motivation:

1 - Our natural state is that of dissatisfaction (or neutrality); we have satisfaction impulses. Motivation is the product of the frequency and range of these peaks.

2 - These satisfaction peaks happen when we solve problems related to the 5 layers of basic necessity, characterized by Maslow as:

a. Physiological - such as hunger, sleep...

b. Security - maintaining job, patrimony...

c. Social - being accepted by family, friends...

d. Self-esteem – being free, independent, recognized

e. Self-actualization – achieving your own potential, working on what is your vocation, self-development.

3 - There is a hierarchy: the most basic needs must have been satisfied so that the superior layers may become important. If we are thirsty, as long as we don’t have anything to drink we'll have few social concerns, for instance;

4 - Later, I read in another book by the same author that above self-actualization there is donation, donating what we have for the benefit of others (a Maecenas is a good example).

Because it is a hierarchy, with more or less basic needs, almost every author refers to as a pyramid and represents it as such.

It is a very good representation, but Maslow' books don't have any images.

We can go into further detail as there are other more advanced needs said author presents and discuses.

To me these 5 suffice, added of a sixth layer representing many needs. They've helped me a lot in understanding and explaining routine motivational problems. If we hold a meeting to discuss Maslow, everybody will quote his pyramid and the five basic necessities. What others have for extra content is of very little importance for the (meaningful and representative) 80%... 

Written by: Claus Süffert

The big stones

I learned it while reading Stephen Covey – the 7 habits of highly effective people – the huge meaning of IMPORTANT, NOT URGENT.

He classified our tasks (and thoughts) into four quarters, according to importance and urgency.

The world makes us do what is urgent. Only discipline and a clear vision of priorities can make us productive in those things that are not urgent – even while they are very important.

To stop smoking, losing weight, scheduling check-ups - are examples of very important things which can always be left to be done later. And then we don't do them at all.

The concept is made very clear through a story told by Covey.

A speaker talking about TIME USE puts a bucket on the table, with big stones next to it, and asks the audience how many stones fit inside the bucket.

After hearing some guesses, he puts the stones inside the bucket and everybody sees that 22 stones fit in the bucket.

He asks if it is possible to put one more and the audience answers that it's not. He picks up a box of gravel, that was under the table, hidden from the audience, and fills the bucket with gravel up to the top. 

And then asks the audience: Can I put something else inside? Now, everybody says yes;

The speaker fills the bucket with sand and asks again, and then fills the bucket with water, asks again if it is possible to put something else inside it. Everybody agrees that it is not possible.

And then comes the main question: which lesson do you take from this experience, considering that we're talking about TIME USE?

Many participants say things like “you can always add something”.

The correct, impactful answer is... if we hadn't put the big stones first, they would not fit inside the bucket.

In conclusion, if we really want to fill part of our time with what is important, not urgent, it's necessary to place it first in our planning.

Before we add the gravel and sand that fill up all our available moments... 

Written by: Claus Süffert
Action Plan, KPI Management, Strategy Execution

Using KPI’s to Coach for Performance Improvement

Several years ago, I led a culture change in a manufacturing organisation. We removed a top down, high dominance structure and replaced it with customer focussed cells. During the reorganisation, we moved relatively inexperienced people into new leadership roles. Why did we do this? Because the company had realised that a top down, “tell them what to do” culture wouldn’t provide the speed of change needed to complete successfully. They needed empowered, autonomous teams with the potential to deliver results. 

So how do you manage empowered, autonomous teams, given that they must be autonomous and not managed? 

 How do you ensure that they understand the company goals and all their actions are geared to achieving them? The answer is to use the overall company goals and objectives to define team goals and objectives. 

A system of performance measurement (KPI’s) and regular review meetings can then be used to deliver the goals, but allow the leaders autonomy with their teams. 

If managers hold regular KPI review meetings, they clearly define what they expect from their teams and action plans can be developed to meet the company goals. Thus, the company has systems to manage the delivery of company goals. 

The impact on individual employees is that their goals and objectives are very clearly defined. They and their peers can clearly see who is delivering against expectations and who is not. 

For managers, performance coaching then becomes more objective. High performers are easily distinguished and can be rewarded accordingly and poor performers can be identified and then managed objectively, with performance reviews focussing on results and how to achieve them. This avoids personal criticism, which makes the review easier for the employee. They become more receptive and less threatened by the discussion. Focussing on achieving objectives and the steps they must take enables the poorer performers to achieve more than they would without this focussed coaching. If the poor performer is repeatedly unable to meet goals, then the management of their exit from the organisation is easier for both the manager and the employee. 

Using KPI’s with regular, action based reviews, gives teams and their leaders a clear view of what is expected from them and gives the responsibility and autonomy for the delivery of results to the team. With clear direction, the teams are then empowered to deliver high performance against company goals.

Written by Jane Burns - Manufacturing Coach

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: THE FEW VITAL ONES

As soon as we learned the importance of measuring results in the early nineties, we fell into a trap from which few were able to escape: we started to measure in excess.

Information technology, which allowed us to have increasingly detailed and up-to-date data, contributed a lot to this tendency.

In a hospital, in an IT area, in a restaurant chain and in many other organizations we'd find books with monthly updated figures, and we learnt to challenge people to present that which made a difference on a single A4 page.

The trick is to consistently measure that which is important and is (or may become) a problem.

In a factory, only single indicator: machine yield, caused an almost unbelievable revolution. In a dispatching area, the focus was on counting the number of cargo units alone that wouldn’t be dispatched within 48 hours. In a steel mill, it went for the number of batches that went back to oven during one month.

It is necessary to know the process and its local characteristics to find such precious measures.

At times we need to have a mirror-indicator to avoid an adverse side-effect a KPI could generate. Recently, concerning a technical service provider, they have been better controlled while measuring their schedule fulfillment when they arrive at a client's house (window), re-occurrence of calls (problem not solved) and, finally, productivity: number of weekly calls.

People are free to measure what they want, but if we focus on fewer vital indicators - well, there is no easier and more effective way of getting into a quality journey...

Written by Claus Jorge Süffert