Now that people are used to seeking change – correction, demanding it – we often find ourselves like the dog chasing and catching the car’s tailpipe. How do we manage big expectations and actually make something happen?
You’ve caught the car’s tailpipe. What now?
I draw your attention to an article by one of my favourite big-picture thinkers, Matt Ridley*. In this one he tackles making government IT better by stepping back from the ‘Big Software’ approach to building the right solution.
…the BBC wrote off £100 million last year after five years of failing to make its “digital media initiative” work.
…big projects in the past consisted of “writing most when you know least”.
Against all odds, it seems common sense stepped in.
…instead, Mr Maude and Mr Bracken are teaching the civil service to start small, fail fast, get feedback from users early, and evolve the thing as you go along.
How do we apply learning from this ‘Big IT’ small-steps prototype to our universe and everyday non-IT change projects?
One of the most useful tools of the solution focus approach comes when people want to see progress right away.
…life is constantly changing…it means the more we look for small changes, the more we will notice the changes…paying attention to small changes can set in motion more and more changes…the focus is on how to direct our attention to more positive changes that are already occurring – Insoo Kim Berg & Arnoud Huibers
We can view these small changes as a prototype for larger changes.
Prototype: a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied – Dictionary
A case example:
In a recent client project on improving the workplace, the change planning team had established what people wanted to see happening right away. Under near-crisis conditions, the change team had helped the larger team calm down enough to: a) listen to each other, b) think about what they wanted to be better. But, the demand for big change was still loud and clear. And, the list of changes was long.
Causes of problems may be extremely complex, their solutions do not necessarily need to be.’ – Steve de Shazer
The team then took some 40+ change ideas and shortlisted them to four. Of the four, several were identified as implementable within several weeks.
Of note, the team was new to leading change, but were very adept at producing quality programs. They knew how to make a deadline happen, but wondered how to make a significant people-change process happen.
The team was asked, ‘What do we need to do to make the small changes visible to the larger group and live up to our commitment them?’ Plus, ‘How do we implement them in a way where we are focused on prototype learning vs. carefully produced (and therefore time-consuming) signs of change?’
Having addressed these last questions with some small-steps prototype projects, the team immediately communicated the plans to the larger team and within a week set a date to evaluate progress and next steps.
How do you see the small-steps prototype change planning working for your larger change needs?