How to Sustain Performance Improvement After Initial Success

People, Process, Technology: The Trifecta for Sustaining Change

Have you ever wondered why some organizations take a few steps forward and then seemingly stumble? Organizations even fall or take a step back when it comes to programs that have been executed to gain performance improvement. There is a large body of material that discusses, shares experiences and even some bloggers/writers propose inventive and interesting remedies to prevent these pitfalls. In this article, I will summarize our own experience and insight in a manner that hopefully provides some food for thought if you are about to embark on or are already in a sea of change in a performance improvement program.

All too often, after initial success, gains made seem too plateau or in the worst case even regress. At Reveal, we use a tried and tested approach to manage transformation during delivery of a program and then support the client post-delivery to help sustain the gains made and then focus on the delivery of ongoing performance improvement. This approach is focused on continuous improvement, growth, and development and knowledge sharing across our client base. We call this the sustainment triad. As it is core to our oVo® methodology, the focus remains on the three pillars that we regard as critical to align and integrate:

• People
• Process
• Technology (SAP)

We have found that if an organization is to sustain performance, then alignment and ownership are key factors. We have worked hard to understand the core tenants of the work by Patrick Lencioni ~ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and have found that the tenants apply equally to people, process and technology, the three pillars of our oVo® methodology.

While most organizations readily set goals and objectives at an organizational level, it is those organizations that align their goals with KPIs that are not conflicting and also then have actionable indicators that align at an individual level that have the best chance of sustainment success. An interesting read is articles by Andrew White, a member of the Gartner Blog Network, who discusses a concept coined “Organizational IQ” where he argues that when smart people join the organizational IQ grows and most importantly when people who are conflicted leave the organizational IQ also grows. Both bodies of work and our own experiences in the field have convinced Reveal that alignment and ownership are key at the team and individual levels.

How Can Organizations Sustain Its Improved Performance

How does an organization sustain its improved performance? Reveal deploys a structured and methodical governance model, not only for the delivery of the transformation program but afterward into a sustain phase. A governance model that fully aligns across the supply chain and the individuals in the supply chain. We then stay close to the client post-transformation offering ongoing support in setting targets and goals to deliver continuous improvement, growth and development and knowledge sharing.

To see how your organization measures up, take our free supply chain self-assessment to determine how well your utilizing your SAP system to meet and exceeds your organizations business goals. Not only will it provide you your level of maturity of use of SAP but some top tips you can take back to your desk and start working on. To learn more about sustainability, keep reading from the beginning of this series.