Have you ever noticed that sometimes those that are most involved in something are often the least informed?
Here’s a case in point. I recently took a flight at a major U.S. airport. When we got to the airport, we checked the monitors and determined our gate. Not long after that, we just happened to check the monitor again. It showed that we were at a different gate. So, we dutifully gathered up our belongings and went to the new gate.
Once there, we overheard staff talking about the need to perform maintenance on a plane and an expected 15 minute delay. After about 45 minutes, we noticed that the flight crew had mysteriously disappeared. We checked the monitor and our gate had changed again. We headed to our third gate at the other end of the terminal.
While we were sitting at the gate, we overhead a gate agent ask another agent if she was going to be working the late night flight. Soon, we noticed that neither gate attendant was there. An overhead announcement notified us that our gate had been changed a fourth time. So, everyone in the gate area rushed to the new gate.
Four gates, in two and half hours, and only one actual airport notification. Imagine how irritated I would have been if I had missed my flight because the airline made these changes, but forgot to tell the passengers.
This often is the case in process improvement projects. The team develops a very good plan about what needs to be changed and how to implement those changes. They forget, however, to notify those individuals or groups that will be directly affected by these changes. It’s no wonder that many process improvement projects fail, because of lack of involvement or acceptance. Most people naturally do not like change, especially when it is change they are unaware of before it occurs.
Just as we were moving multiple times within the airport, people can be seen moving in apparently random fashion trying to keep up with new processes. A good communication plan and involvement of key individuals is crucial to any successful PI project. The more people know, the more they want to help. The less they know, the more resistant they are.
If you’re feeling resistance to your PI project, have you re-evaluated the way you are communicating the changes? A little communication goes a long way in obtaining buy in and support.
How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.
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