By Chally Kacelnik
Did you implement an idea that went nowhere? Has your improvement slid backwards? Here are three factors to consider in sustaining improvement.
Engagement: people are the ones who have to implement the idea and keep it going. Consider whether the people undertaking the doing have been engaged and consulted on the change, and whether they’ve had the opportunity to properly understand it. If they haven’t they won’t champion it and won’t have the capacity to keep it going. People are suspicious of change and unsettled by it, and that’s the narrative that will last in people’s minds if you don’t deliberately set the narrative you want.
Measurement: if you can’t point to the impact of the change, you can’t tell how effective it is or have a good basis for recalibration. Have well-designed measures for which you can gather data and which are linked to organisational goals. Be sure to regularly track and evaluate your measurements.
Iteration: if everything doesn’t go gangbusters all at once, people sometimes take this as a sign of failure. Normalise iterative change rather than a dichotomy of big success or big failure. You’ll be able to build momentum for sustainable long term change rather than exhausting bursts.
The bright shiny change will fall apart if you don’t get implementation right. Think it through, set the stage, and follow it up.
At LKS Quaero, we support organisations with sustaining continuous improvement. For more information, visit us at lksquaero.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
