Implement continual improvement systems and processes

The last reflection journal that is required for this module! Hooray!

A left-brain, logical mind and a very private person, I don't really put much emotion into my journal. No wonder one of the trainers for the LPM said that I write very differently. On checking my CVAT profile, he understands and actually like the way I write the journal - true to my profile.

Change is a constant in my life - personal and work. I can write a book on my life.

This journal will not be a slide by slide, gesture by gesture account of the lessons in class. I will not reflect on what the trainer gesture, what she wear, what the other coursemate wear or eat. The journal will be my personal reflection, the change that is incurring within me, ME...not anyone else!

For organisations to improve, continual improvement has to be implemented Isn't this also applicable to a person? If we don't improvve/change, we will be left behind; the world is moving forward!

Though I like Kotter's 8 step model, this is good for organisation, for personal use, I believe reflection is better. A leader should practice reflection regularly: reflection-on-action and reflection-in-action.

The challenges that a leader and the management will face in implementing continual improvement process will be:
Resistance by employees, beacause they fear losing their job and the status symbol they have attached to what they have been doing (in a way they are the 'subject matter expert')
There may be upheaval in work processes and work stations. Anything that is unknown instil fear.

Most of the challenges a leader face basically stemmed from fear and lost of control. To allay these, as a leader, I will have to regularly communicate and update team members on the process. Besides giving them the update, I will elicit feedback from the team members. Some may have better suggestions on improving the work, process or system. I will acknowledge and show appreciation for their feedback.

Meetings or informal group discussions will be held regularly to facilitate easier phasing in of the change. Definitely we will like to end the meeting on an agreement.

I am an advocate for learning organisation and lifelong learning. As a leader, to help in easing the pains of the implementation of improvement/change, I will rope in the training department to contextualise training for new jobs. To encourage the team members in relearning, awards or certifications will be given to employees who attend training and complete each module.

 

 

 

The management will have to foster a conducive environment for the employees' training and development to deal with the change. All communication channels should be open to the team members. Any change/update should be disseminated as early as possible.

 

In one of my past working place, a French International Bank, the CEO is very supportive of the employees' learning. He hired a French tutor to teach interested employees who want to learn French language. It was conducted after work in the office. It is paid for the company. This was a double win strategy. Some companies who do not have training departments sent their employees to CET for training. I feel that they are genuinely doing it for the employees' sake.  Because the training fees can be claimed from the government , and usually after the training they bond the employees for at least a year. URGH!

 

I feel that before the message of the change is good for the organisation, a leader should always put herself/himself in the member's perspective, ask: WIIFM. What's In It For Me! Then she/he will know how to facilitate and help the member deal with the change.



 



Implement changes to work practices

Peter Senge said: "Change is learning and learning is change." In life, nothing is constant except for change. If we don't change, we will be at a standstill; still wearing loincloth, communicating with signs and don't know how the rest of the world live.



The second saying by Peter Senge indicated that people don't resist change, they resist change being forced on them.

At the workplace, to implement change, planning and preparation has to be carefully considered.
There should be an action plan and communication plan.  All staff must be informed of the change.

I can still remember many years back when I was retrenched, due to company restructuring. First there were rumours that the company is downsizing; but when we asked the CEO about it, he flatly denied. Then a week later, he called me into his office, telling me that I am retrenched. The shock and anguish still haunt me today.

As a CEO, he should have displayed better leadership qualites. What he had displayed is mere power: "I have the power to fire you, you just take it."

If I were in his position, I would be more forthcoming with information.  Restructuring was already in the pipeline. Rumours was already flying around. Employee's morale were already at the lowest.
A meeting would have to be set, getting all the heads of departments to attend. During the meeting, the decision by the head office to restructure should be announced. Get suggestions from all the division heads on how best to inform the employees of the decision. And enlist help from other companies of the same industry to accept employees that will be retrenched. Most important of all, an Action Plan and Communication Plan have to be discussed and formalised after the meeting.

Directions will be given to all the Divisional Heads: let the staff know of the decision. Give them emotional support via listening to their fears, giving suggestions and helping them in assessing their present skills gap. Sometimes, there may be an employee who will volunteer to be retrenched, this can be conveyed to the Board or CEO.

Once the list of retrenched employees is out, the Divisional Head of the affected employees will talk to them. Reassure them that they will get support from the management. Let them know that they will be allowed to leave any time to go for interview and if they need a testimonial, the management will be most willing to give them.

The morale for those employees who are not retrenched will be low. The Divisional Heads will organise informal chats with them. Let them air their concerns. Show them the Action Plan: the direction that the company is going and how the existing staff will fit in. There will be changes in job scope, this has to be clearly conveyed to the employees. During this interim period, confusion, anxiety and mistrust runs high. As leaders, we will have to be patient, empathetic and helpful even more. than ever.

If we can lead the team over this crisis, I believe that the team will be more collaborative, having a shared vision and more resilient than ever.

Module 6 - Implement Change

Learning Organization

Peter Senge said in his book, 'The Fifth Discipline':

- What fundamentally will distinguish learning organizations from traditional authoritarian "controlling organizations" will be the mastery of certain basic disciplines.  That is why the "disciplines of the learning organization" are vital. -

And his 5 disciplines are:

I believe that for an organization to learn, that means that individuals will need to learn.  And we are lucky that the Government is encouraging and funding a Lifelong Learning environment in Singapore.

2 years ago, I left a company because the CEO keep giving excuses for not allowing me to take up a course which I strongly felt would enhance my work.  The CEO may have felt that there is no need for me to attend the course, because of cost, time or lack of staff.  I personally feel that he is short-sighted.  If he had let me take the course, I would have felt appreciated and stayed with the company longer.  The company would have benefited.  The company would be able to claim the cost paid for the course from Government funding.

Learning my lesson from the last job, I decided that I will work for company that encourages employees to upgrade.  Only in a learning organization will I grow and develop.

The first discipline for me to embrace will be the Personal Mastery. I must be able to clarify what is most important so as to achieve it. Holding my personal vision and focus on it to achieve my goal.

The second discipline will be Mental Modeling.  I am a reflective person, however only on occasion do I put down my reflective thoughts.  So will need to be more diligent in putting my reflections on paper:; vis a vis reflection in action and reflection on action..

The third discipline will be shared visioning. This is aligning my vision to the organization's vision, making it a common vision, thus shared. My objective will thus be aligned to the organization's objective.

The fourth discipline will be Team Learning. A team consists of different people coming together, thus the dynamic can be great.  As the saying goes, the whole is bigger than the sum total.  Learning together means shared knowledge and experience.

The fifth discipline is also the most important, Systems Thinking. Taking a step back and try to look from a bird's eye view will help me to be more objective and sort of looking at the big picture. 

I may be too optimistic, thinking that I will be able to find a company that will practice these 5 disciplines. Most companies are willing to encourage their employees learn, however they are also bonding them to the jobs. It is also difficult to align personal vision to that of the organization.

Final note, for a Learning Organization to overcome 7 learning disabilities that are commonly found in most companies, the 'weapons' to use are the 5 Disciplines. I believe overcoming these disabilities personally, the 5 Disciplines should be learnt and applied.
   

 5 Disciplines 

1. Personal Mastery
2. Shared Vision
3. Mental Modeling
4. Team Learning
5. Systems Thinking

  

 

7 Learning Disabilities

I am my Position The enemy is out there The illusion of taking charge The fixation on events The parable of the boiled frog The delusion of learning from experience The myth of the management team