When we are attempting to bring about a change within our business, whether this is reducing lead times, improving product quality, or changing the culture towards continuous improvement it can sometimes be hard to know where people are on this journey.
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| Knowing where your team is on their journey helps plan for the next step. |
For those of us planning the changes it can be simple, we can see and understand the whole journey. We know all the pieces of the puzzle and how we expect them to fit together. Other people don't.
To become more effective at guiding people through the changes we need to take the time to find out where they are on the journey, in terms of understanding and enthusiasm. By doing this we can undertake the right kind of education and explain how the change will benefit them longer term (hopefully to provide a good enough reason to make the change).
If we keep going at our own pace (and neglecting the team's need for understanding and support) it can become very frustrating and ultimately lead to the change process falling over.
Do you know where your team is on your journey?
Giles Johnston
Author, Consultant and Chartered Engineer