Goldilocks & New Ways of Working

 

‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ has delighted children & their parents for generations. And no wonder – it’s deeply satisfying story and its core metaphors continue to inform us. Recently, an old friend & I were reflecting on our adventures in the 'New Ways of Working' (NWoW) business, and Goldilocks came up again.

NWoW (Transformation) is a Fun Business

Good people, beautiful places & interesting problems to solve: ‘What’s the best way to help these people lock in this learning? Who are the champions? How do we deal with the blockers?’  Along with the jet lag & long days, you get to experience exotic cultures & the world’s great industries from the inside. It's something like playing chess on multiple chessboards. You start to see common shapes & recurring patterns. And so, teaching executive amounts to telling stories about the different chess boards I’ve experienced and the lessons learned thereby.

Business Transformation Has a 'Goldilocks' zone  

NWoW transformations have a ‘Just Right’ zone or ‘sweet spot’. The company should be neither too successful, nor too desperate.

Too Successful: We helped a fine financial services partner build a kick-ass ‘Protect the Core’ management system over several years. Continuous improvements in Customer Experience, Cost & Morale resulted in solid year-over-year growth.  ‘Bravo,” I said, “now let’s build on your foundation. Let’s innovation our way to new offerings and ignite new Growth.”

But there was little appetite for igniting new Growth.  The Innovator's Dilemma was in full bloom. “If we stay the course we’ll continue to have solid growth & prosperity and we’ll live nice lives. Why should we kill ourselves?”

Could I blame my friends & colleagues for resting on their oars? They had earned their success and were grateful & gracious. The Innovator’s Dilemma was in bloom, but my job is to keep pushing.  So, I talked about black swans, the dangers of complacency, and ‘how the mighty fall’. But I sensed we’d gone a far as we could go. People were happy & wanted to enjoy life. Nothing wrong with that.

Falling Apart:  Companies that are in imminent danger of collapse, and losing major customers through ineptness, malfeasance or bad luck, can scarcely breathe, let alone commit to new initiatives. Absorbing & applying New Ways of Working requires a cool head, steady leadership, and a long-term perspective. Business transformation requires experimentation and the strategic, financial, cultural, and physical space to play. Some call this a 'sandbox', which evokes the happy atmosphere & attitudes conducive to innovation. The best sandboxes are light-hearted, relaxed, somewhat goofy, and evoke a comedy club or children's playground.

I’ve learned to say No to ‘Death’s Door’ engagements.  It’s trench warfare & kills your quality of life.

What Does This Mean for Leaders?  

1) Do not wait until the building is burning. Business system innovation is hard enough in calm water, and almost impossible in a hurricane.

2) Keep trying stuff: Have a few innovation irons in the fire at all times. In this way, the team gets used to tinkering, experimentation and goofing around. 

3) The Light Touch: Aim for a droll and even somewhat goofy environment. "We're always trying stuff, some of it way out there" can be a helpful attitude.  Of course, be diligent & mindful of Cost and rigorous in your experiments.  Clearly define Purpose & Hypothesis and keep your experiments fast & inexpensive. Think carboard & duct tape in the analogue space, and quick & easy social media experiments in Digital space.

4) Your Transformation Team: Seek droll, off center, energetic, optimistic. results-oriented people.  Seek T-shaped individuals (profound knowledge in one area, and a range of interests & capabilities.)

Companies who are pretty good but know they can be better are ‘just right’ for business transformation.

Best wishes,

Pascal Dennis         E: pascal.dennis@leansystems.org