At Changing the Focus we work to create high performance models within traditional organizational structures to improve conventional returns on ROI and ROA. With our holistic approach to training and coaching we work to change the way management and staff think, plan, and communicate their goals and expectations. We deliver programs that are the genesis of change and continue to reinforce learning; assuring lessons learned become habits gained. In today’s organizational mindset two distinct business models exist. The Traditional ModelThe model that has dominated most modern business has been based on a set of principles and practices formally codified by Frederick Taylor in 1903. Taylor’s model is known as "scientific management". The principles of scientific management were very useful over a century ago when this country was moving from a rural society in which people were self employed, produced their own food, made their own clothes, and educated themselves, to an urban society based on mass production and interdependence. With these changes in the structure of society and the way in which work was organized, it was necessary to create bureaucratic organizations to manage and control masses of untrained people. Taylor believed that work could best be accomplished by breaking it down into simple and repetitive tasks for workers and that management's job was to control the means and speed of production. Some major features of job design that came out of the industrial revolution are the following: - Simple, narrowly defined jobs and scope of work.
- Divide labor to keep different functions separate.
- Define the one best way to do a job.
- Uniform and strictly enforced policies.
- Management's role to control the means and speed of work.
While this paradigm was useful in moving us to an industrial society, it does not fit with today’s complex and changing nature of the economy, market place, technologies and people. The traditional model is seriously flawed in two primary ways. First, traditional organizations are structured around functions, e.g. engineering, manufacturing, and sales, etc. in a manufacturing company, or around customer service, accounting, billing, etc. in a service company. The problem the traditional structure creates is that work and attitudes becomes fragmented in such a way that people do not see or feel responsibility for a "whole process". They over identify with their own jobs and fail to understand or care about the overall good of the company or customers they serve. This system leads to poor communication, lack of a sense of ownership, delays in decision-making, redundancies of effort and general inefficiency. I call this: “moving at the speed of don’t screw up”. This becomes most apparent when one department’s piece of a project or work is completed and "thrown over the wall" to the next department in line. Without strong inter-departmental communications this project or the concerns originally driving it can soon be forgotten. Possibly an urgent decision that directly impacts a customer is delayed for a couple of days because it needs someone else's signature, or, when the project is only inspected after it has been completed. We don’t need to look far to find organizations that are paragons of inefficiency and bureaucracy. In these traditional environments it can take months and in some cases years for approval to put an urgently needed process in place. The frustration and sense of “why bother” in some organizations is palpable. If we want people making high quality and fast paced decisions at the front line we need to build in a level of confidence and safety that is currently missing.A second flaw with traditional models is the assumption that it is management’s job to be in control of the work of employees. The clear delineation sets management up to establish goals, make decisions, measure progress, evaluate performance, etc. mostly in a vacuum. Managers are the thinkers and planners, and employees are the doers. This model fails to allow organizations to tap the tremendous intelligence and creativity of their people. In the traditional model power exists only at the top. People on the "front lines" and therefore closest to the core process have less authority to make decisions, solve problems or significantly contribute to the mission or goals of the organization. Most people do routine, repetitive and somewhat unchallenging jobs without much sense that what they do can really make a difference in the overall direction or success of the business. This type structure results in organizations that are bureaucratic, rigid, unconcerned about quality, lacking innovation, unresponsive to customer needs and generally unsatisfying places of employment. Unfortunately, in spite of such limitations, the traditional paradigm continues to dominate the practices of most businesses throughout this country today. The High Performance Paradigm In recent years an exciting new paradigm known as “high performance work systems” is changing the way we think about people and how organizations work. A high performance organization can be defined as one in which each person is a contributing partner to the businesses success. High performance work systems require deep respect and a fundamental trust in the organizations people. In this new model people are not viewed as extensions of machines, objects to be manipulated or costs to be controlled, but rather as thinking and feeling human beings who bring enormous energy, creativity and talent to their work. Most people want jobs that are meaningful. They want clear achievable goals that give them some level of autonomy to make decisions and understand their work contributes to the company in significant ways. These highly effective organizations are moving beyond attempting to control people to trusting and empowering them with the resources, information, tools, skills and support to manage their work processes and create products and services of unprecedented quality. Of course, lots of companies espouse a philosophy that values people and yet they have not experienced the kinds of performance described at the start of this article. That is because they are not designed to do so. Only a holistic and systemic design of the organization, in which all aspects of the organization are aligned behind that philosophy, will realize the true value of their people. High performance organizations allow and encourage people to understand the overall business. They are committed to getting positive results and are organized into self-contained, multi-functional and customer-focused business units or teams that take full responsibility for making decisions, solving problems and continuously improving the quality of their work. Everyone involved with a particular core process are members of the same team and are empowered with full authority for the success of a whole product, service or major segment of work. With this change of focus roles and responsibilities are much broader and more meaningful in scope than in a traditional organization. The team is responsible for setting goals, coordinating and scheduling their work, interfacing with the customer, The role of management changes from that of controlling workers and solving day-to-day problems to being facilitators and coaches. They define outcomes, manage boundaries, interface with other departments and, in general, insure that the team has the resources, training, information and support they need to carry out the job. Managers and superiors begin to realize that success is defined organizationally and not individually. Perhaps this movement could be summarized by these four basic principles:
1. People are the organizations greatest asset and need to be trusted and empowered.
2. Work must be designed so that people are encouraged to do "whole and meaningful" tasks that integrate all work aspects into a singular, inclusive and total system.
3. Workers evolve to cross-functional teams and become the natural work units of high performance companies. By broadening their scope they are responsible for managing all of the tasks and processes to accomplish business goals.
4. The role of management must change from controlling workers to providing resources and training as well as managing the environment so teams of workers can be most effective. Management must be seen as the conduit to the success of workers.
The four principals listed above encompass the mission of Changing the Focus, LLC. Our goal is to deliver consulting, workshops and coaching products that will enhance communications, productivity, and creativity and at the same time reduce turnover and absenteeism. These four focuses will drive the organization forward, creating a cycle for success that is repeatable month after month and year after year. John Chappelear is an author, speaker, executive coach, and trainer. John’s company Changing the Focus, LLC delivers positive, powerful, and balanced individuals, and more productive, creative, and profitable organizations. He is internationally recognized as a life balance, leadership, and communications expert. His book The Daily Six won the USA Book News 2005 award for best self help book. John lives with his family in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
For more information on how John can help you and your organization, or to sign up for our free newsletter, please send John an e-mail. |
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