RE: the bridge to transition

["John McConnell" <wysowl@msn.com.au>]

Steve Prevette wrote:

A deputy to one of the company VP's has asked me:

The bridge that drives one Co. to transition and use SPC [and other Deming
and Systems Thinking ideas] vs. others who don't pursue it is still a bit of
a mystery to me----Is it like addictions-you have to hit rock bottom before
you start improving--have to admit your failure/ mistakes--or have the right
personalities in place or luck or all of these---??

I have provided some of my ideas to him, but I thought I would throw open
the discussion.
***************
In 20 years of consulting I have had only about 10 client organizations that
created a sustainable transformation.  Many others started the journey and
made a lot of money from their efforts, but most faltered when it came to
profound change by management.

The great bulk of all these organizations came from two groupings:
1. Burning platform outfits.  These needed to make some changes fast, or go
out of business.
2. Organizations led by someone looking for new and better ways to do
things.  I call these people the "lookers".  They knew that something was
not right about the way they managed and ran things.  They were finding that
"something" elusive, but they were actively looking for it.

Only 2 of the 10 client outfits that successfully transformed themselves
were "burning platform" organizations.  However, both of these were led by
people who fit the definition of "lookers".

So, my experience is that impending disaster is not an effective trigger for
transformation.  Far from it; such companies tend to lurch around looking
for a silver bullet.  Some get lucky.  Some don't.  The evidence suggests
that the companies that undergo a successful and sustainable transformation
are those lucky enough to be led by lookers.

One of my most successful clients was the Australian Wool Testing Authority.
They had been world leaders in their business for over 50 years.  This was
no burning platform.  One of their senior managers, Mr. Murray Mansfield,
was a looker and he led the transformation.  During the next 10 years the
business held prices steady whilst simultaneously improving their products
and services to the wool industry, paying for increased costs of technology,
people, machines and materials with their quality improvements.

We are looking for the lookers.  We are looking for the next Murray
Mansfield.

Deming was right.  It's about leadership. (I would add, curious, learning
and aggressive leadership.)

Cheerio!

John McConnell

PS.  My sample is completely inadequate, but all bar one of the 10 lookers I
have found were, in Myers-Briggs terms, NT types, and most or all of these
were NTP types.  Does anyone else have any data?