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Launching some continuous improvement initiative has become the norm for organizations throughout the world today. The aim is often to reinvent themselves as Superior competitors, Fine-tuned to customer needs and Robust to adverse changes in business conditions.
Depending on which sector of the world of business one looks at, these efforts have been given different names such as TQM (Total Quality Management), Six Sigma, Establishment & Adherence to Process Standards (ISO) Breakthrough Management, Lean Transformation, Reengineering, Operational Excellence, etc.
Yet, at the heart of each of these programs remains the ultimate goal of achieving breakthrough by fundamentally changing the way business is executed.
In spite of each of the improvement methodologies offering a clear and consistent roadmap to implementation - DMAIC for Six Sigma, DMADV for Design for Six Sigma, 7 Wastes of Lean, etc., different companies have experienced varying degrees of success in implementing such programs. In many cases, the benefits, in terms of employee morale and culture, customer satisfaction and the bottom line have turned elusive. The question is Why is there this variation in levels of success amongst adopters of these programs?
The answer lies in the fact that most methodologies offer steps that are necessary to achieve success; they are neither sufficient nor exhaustive. Let us explore some of the potential issues that need to be addressed during a change process that can make the difference between a successful and a not-so-successful deployment.
However, sustaining the quality and level of activities is a different ball game.
For the abstraction that is called business, it requires more than organizational structure, incentives and job descriptions to have a multitude of people work in a concerted manner towards a common objective - it requires a shared vision. It is one, in which everybody has a role to play, everybody clearly understands his or her role, and everyone knows "what is in it for me?" Having a shared vision and communicating it well are essential in galvanizing a workforce to come together and stay together, during the process of change
In many cases, gains are realized only after a series of project segments (like a step function). It is important in such cases to make sure that cost accounting doesn't disincentivise the very activities that culminate into a breakthrough.
7. Leaders Wanted
More often than not, management is incentivised to minimize risk and preserve the status quo. Change on the other hand requires creation of a new state of business, which naturally requires leadership. A paralyzed decision making process (often the biggest impediment to change) is a symptom of having too many managers and not enough leaders3. Great leaders transform cultures and stimulate breakthroughs. It is vital to have a good number of them on one's side as champions of the renewal process.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Very few people outside GE know that the real success factors behind GE's Six Sigma Program is its earlier two programs called
Work-Out: Jack Welch's first program during early 1980s to empower each and every GE employee, and CAP (Change Acceleration Process): Introduced at GE during the mid-nineties to deal
with and accelerate change.
Those who have been with GE would agree and understand the importance of dealing with people's mindsets and other 'soft issues'..." Source: Six Sigma & Change Management Compiled by: Kumaraguru
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