Implementing Systems That Work
It’s the System Stupid
A lot of people are wondering how we went from booming ‘06 & ‘07 to busting ‘08 and presumably ‘09. It seems so sudden. It seemed like just yesterday business was flowing like the chocolate river on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
So What’s the ‘09 Challenge
An old management mantra goes like this “the systems in place produce exactly the results that they were intended to produce.” What does that have to do with ‘09 or dealing with problems in your organization? The answer is in the systems stupid. Organizational upheaval, financial stress (or distress for many), inadequate communication, or even how to deal with your 15 year old, are all results of systems that are in place.
You’ve seen the 5 step approach to dealing with problems: identify, quantify, resolve, design, and implement. Now it is time for action. Once you have run your problems through the 5 step approach it is now time to implement the system you designed so it produces the results that you want.
So how do I do it?
Here is a simple approach that will get you started:
- Define the desired result. Don’t leave it nebulous. Say “This system is designed to ___________”. At the end of the day everyone wants and needs a target on the wall to aim for.
- Imagine how the system will work. Then draw a picture of it. Use your imagination to make a clear picture of how the system will work, who will be involved, even what will it feel like as the system works.
- Decide who will be responsible. This goes one of two ways. Either one person is responsible for the whole system and they get to choose supporting staff or each person involved has a clearly defined role that they work toward together. Either can work as long as the results are defined and accountabilities are clearly in place.
- Determine the timing and the schedule as well as other resources needed. Write benchmarks for how long things will take as well as a budget for the various components. Many “good” systems never work because they take to long or are under resourced.
- Decide what you should measure. If it is worth managing it is worth measuring. Decide the important metrics and stick with them.
- Determine the standards by which you conduct your systems. For example, if you are in the retail market, what will your salespeople say to customers walking through the door. You may not have a script but you need some guidelines if your organization is going to produce consistent results. Have you ever noticed at Starbucks the Barista always says “what can I get started for you?”. I don’t know if it is scripted but I have heard it over and over again.
- Document the systems. In the Emyth way of thinking, the system is not done until it is documented. Documenting the system make it chrystal clear what is required of the people involved and gives you something to measure success by.
- Test the system and then innovate it as needed. Make sure the system is accomplishing what you want. If it isn’t then innovate or reinvent the system. Many organizations stick with systems that produce poor results for too long. Stop settling and start innovating.
The ‘09 solution
Systems are essential. What’s this have to do with ‘09? For the past number of years an economic system has been in place that has easily allowed people and organizations to over leverage their businesses, their homes, their personal finances and more. As a result we are currently having a “system adjustment”. We aren’t just in a recession. We are seeing a worldwide system adjustment. The system we had produced lousy results (actually it produced great results but it wasn’t sustainable).
The good news is that growth occurs through challenge and pain. It may not be fun, but it can be rewarding to develop new systems that produce the results you need in your organization and in your life.
Systems are only one part of the equation. We’ll talk about the people side of the equation next week.
Keep moving forward,
Greg
p.s. If you need help getting the right systems in place. Contact us today.