Have you ever worked several weeks or months putting together a large project that would affect your entire company, then felt the overwhelming disappointment when it failed?
Often the most intricate plans go awry and a lot of effort is spent on something that is not useful for the organization.
There are many expressions to describe starting something, including, “the longest trip begins with a single step,” or, “the entire ocean is affected by a single pebble.” In chaos theory, the term “butterfly effect” was coined by Edward Lorenz to describe a small effect in one area that ends up having significant impact in other, seemingly unrelated, areas.
This is often described in weather prediction as a butterfly flapping its wings in South America, leading to a tornado occurring in China.
This concept can be applied to process improvement initiatives. Many companies go into process improvement with a “big bang” approach, dedicating a lot of resources to initially roll out a Continuous Improvement (CI) plan across the company. Unfortunately, this type of approach often fails because the underlying support that is necessary to maintain the initiative hasn’t been developed.
I worked for a company that actually did not have a continuous improvement program, but instead identified one individual who had training in Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Through small but steady efforts, he completed a project that provided success in multiple areas of this global company. Often, it’s not the big broad strokes that are required, but much more the small strategic steps, building one upon the other.
By building support and successes one step at a time, a company can nurture a CI program that becomes truly a part of the company’s culture.
What first step can you take to help your company on its journey to CI?
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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