Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Suggest You - Learn Your PROTOCOLS
The Client: New Deal Playing Card Company “Making the best of the hand you are dealt.”Several months ago I took a phone call from an executive at The New Deal Playing Card Company. Her husband had just invented, patented and launched a unique line of ergonomically correct playing cards designed to fit the natural curvature of the hand. The woman had come across a magazine article about another client of mine whose new product was receiving some widespread media exposure. “Can you do the same for us?” she inquired. We did and to our delight the campaign was even more successful than the other campaign she had initially inquired about.We researched and implemented a multi-faceted campaign of publicity and media exposure that quickly spread the news about New Deal Playing Cards through the media market. We generated dozens of features in media outlets nationwide including: every local print and TV medium in their market; large general circulation magazines like Men’s Health, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day and Child, to name a few; National Public Radio; and several newspapers and TV news broadcasts.How Did We Do It? Diversified Publicity The key to a successful media campaign is something I call Diversified Publicity. That is, generating exposure in as many different media outlets in as many different ways to optimize the chances of publicity for the product or business. Here’s how we dealt a winning hand to the New Deal Playing Card Company:1) Media Notification We knew the client had a great product, but consumers simply didn’t know about it yet. This isn’t advertising, this is “media notification” of an interesting new product that their readers and viewers would be interested in. We let the media be our bullhorn to educate consumers about New Deal. We researched and contacted media outlets whose profiles matched New Deal’s product line and submitted effective feature pitches to appropriate editors, reporters and producers. But that was just the beginning.The key to generating the most media interest and placements is meticulous media interaction over an extended period of time: weekly/monthly follow-ups; prompt fulfillment of media requests (interviews, photos, samples); ongoing editorial calendar resea
Understanding Why Change Fails
Because we persistently encountered failed change programmes, or programmes which have failed to achieve their full potential, we started r
When people think of writing, they invariably think of story writing or creative writing. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (or resume) writing is an entirely different discipline to creative writing although the rules you learn through creative writing regarding grammar, spelling and punctuation are extremely important in CV writing, even if the creative aspect is not required.Since your CV is a shop window for you and is more often than not the first and only impression that you will give a recruiting employer, it is imperative that you ensure it is written to the highest standard you can manage.There are many websites out there offering free advice that can easily be applied to CV writing (or resume writing) so you don’t have to pay someone else to write it for you. This will allow you to submit it, confident in the knowledge that it is all your own work. Some believe there is something rather dishonest about having your CV written for you as it doesn’t provide an insight into your own written communication skills.Poor language or spelling will reflect badly on you. Rightly or wrongly, a prospective employer will take this as an indication of your general level of literacy. For this reason, you should look for some editing and checking advice to combine with language and punctuation advice.Don't rush your CV; take your time. Make sure you have addressed all of the points possible. Use the language and writing advice you find to ensure that your sentences are as efficient as possible. This means that you get the desired message across in the minimum number of words. Your resume needs to be short, or you risk not having it read at all.Check your spelling and punctuation more than once: there are few things that annoy reviewers more than bad spelling and badly applied punctuation. There is always a tendency and a temptation to use partial sentences and phrases in bullet points because 'they'll know what you mean'. Try to avoid this wherever possible and demonstrate, through your CV, your ability to be an effective written communicator. You will notice more and more job advertisements asking for excellent written and oral communicators: your CV can demonstrate this for you at the application stage if you t
Studies have shown that large numbers of organisations aim to introduce some form of structured change or improvement programme each year (in some studies this can be as high as 60-70% of all organisations), but few of these programmes will achieve changes that are sustainable. Many of the change programmes invested in by organisations across a wide range of sectors will actually end up costing more than they deliver in the way of improvements, although they may appear for a short time to have delivered some improvement or even provide a ‘sticking plaster’ temporary solution to a key organizational issue.
Our own research (originally based on 120 manufacturing companies but now tested on the NHS and Service Sector) shows that some 87% of organisations will fail to maintain the results of their change programme for more than 6-12 months after the improvements are implemented. This has been further supported by research undertaken by a range of organisations, including Henley Management College who are quoted as saying that ‘some 70% (or more) of businesses implementing change will fail to achieve sustainable results’, which they estimate costs the UK economy alone some $45bn per year.
So What Is Sustainable Change?
Well, we would define sustainable change as being change that affected not only the process (which can easily and quickly slip back to the ‘way things were done before’) but to behavioural change – which is where the organisation moves from one platform of performance to a higher level by implementing a planned change programme that is subscribed to and adopted by all stakeholders and which becomes irreversibly ingrained into the fabric of the organisation.
Sadly, whereas a process can be changed through a single ‘Ram Raid’ (Lean Event, Kaizen Breakthrough, Rapid Improvement Event etc), behaviours take much longer to change, indeed if they ever change, and often, after the excitement of an ‘end of Rapid Improvement Event celebration’ has subsided, management focus moves onto the next issue leading to gradual (or rapid) reversal of the benefits gained.
We call this desirable behavioural change ‘2nd Order Change’, where 1st Order Change is a change of process and 2nd Order Change is a change of behaviour. To put this into a familiar context, when the wearing of seatbelts was introduced (this being a 1st Order Change in the process), large numbers of people would continue to get into their vehicle and forget to follow the new process.
However, the Government continued to communicate about the change in the process (the need to wear seatbelts), the Police enforced it, the press reported it, people appeared in court because of it, cars were designed to support it (my own bleeps if I don’t fit my seatbelt), learners drivers had it drummed into them – and now the majority of people get into their car and do not even think about it as they fit their seatbelt. In fact, not fitting the seatbelt feels ‘wrong’, like wearing the wrong pair of shoes – and this shows that we have reached 2nd Order or Sustainable Change.
Most of the work to make change sustainable occurs AFTER the process has been changed and after the elation of improvement has been achieved. Often this is also the time that senior management support and focus moves on (or the consultants leave) and the team and managers are left without the support to enable them to debug the new process they have created. As the team encounters problems, or they forget to do things (like fitting a seatbelt), and because there is no reminder process (such as on-going communication, management support or even further improvement activity) the behaviours of the team revert to those that they displayed in the way things were done before.
Understanding Why Change Fails
Because we persistently encountered failed change programmes, or programmes which have failed to achieve their full potential, we started r
Have you ever considered starting a business of you own, but didn’t know what to look for? With so many different opportunities to choose from, the task of selecting just the right one can seem overwhelming. The truth is, there is no perfect business for everyone, but based on your personal skills, interests and background, there is a business that may be perfect for you.Perhaps you have already started a business and are seeking a forum to share your opportunity with others. Maybe you need to find some cost-effective business building tools to take you to the next level but don’t know exactly what to look for. If this sounds appealing to you, then Home Biz Review might be the answer that you’ve been searching for.Professionalism, support, tools and a means to share ideas with others is what Home Biz Review is all about. Here people can find information about some top performing companies in a comprehensive site which caters to people with varied interests and skill levels. It is a cooperative marketing site where business owners can share their opportunity at no cost to others who may be tailor-fit for what they have to offer. Home Biz Review is designed to offer the small home based business entrepreneur and the people who are interested in becoming successful in an endeavor of their own together in a professional environment.
So What Is Sustainable Change?
Well, we would define sustainable change as being change that affected not only the process (which can easily and quickly slip back to the ‘way things were done before’) but to behavioural change – which is where the organisation moves from one platform of performance to a higher level by implementing a planned change programme that is subscribed to and adopted by all stakeholders and which becomes irreversibly ingrained into the fabric of the organisation.
Sadly, whereas a process can be changed through a single ‘Ram Raid’ (Lean Event, Kaizen Breakthrough, Rapid Improvement Event etc), behaviours take much longer to change, indeed if they ever change, and often, after the excitement of an ‘end of Rapid Improvement Event celebration’ has subsided, management focus moves onto the next issue leading to gradual (or rapid) reversal of the benefits gained.
We call this desirable behavioural change ‘2nd Order Change’, where 1st Order Change is a change of process and 2nd Order Change is a change of behaviour. To put this into a familiar context, when the wearing of seatbelts was introduced (this being a 1st Order Change in the process), large numbers of people would continue to get into their vehicle and forget to follow the new process.
However, the Government continued to communicate about the change in the process (the need to wear seatbelts), the Police enforced it, the press reported it, people appeared in court because of it, cars were designed to support it (my own bleeps if I don’t fit my seatbelt), learners drivers had it drummed into them – and now the majority of people get into their car and do not even think about it as they fit their seatbelt. In fact, not fitting the seatbelt feels ‘wrong’, like wearing the wrong pair of shoes – and this shows that we have reached 2nd Order or Sustainable Change.
Most of the work to make change sustainable occurs AFTER the process has been changed and after the elation of improvement has been achieved. Often this is also the time that senior management support and focus moves on (or the consultants leave) and the team and managers are left without the support to enable them to debug the new process they have created. As the team encounters problems, or they forget to do things (like fitting a seatbelt), and because there is no reminder process (such as on-going communication, management support or even further improvement activity) the behaviours of the team revert to those that they displayed in the way things were done before.
Understanding Why Change Fails
Because we persistently encountered failed change programmes, or programmes which have failed to achieve their full potential, we started r
Customer Relationship Management Systems is a tactical and strategic tool. If used correctly, this tool can forecast trends and help a company with the top and bottom lines. Today, many businesses do not look the same as they may have many years ago. They have definitely left their core competency to move onto something more profitable. The internet and information technology have made that possible.General Motors and eBay are two companies who have reduced focus from their original purpose to reflect financing. They have both learned that keeping the customer in debt through interest bearing finance for longer periods of time is more beneficial to the business. Another example is from the best seller Good to Great. This book lists Kimberly Clark as a successful company that thrived in a dying industry. This company moved from being a supplier of coated paper to consumer goods like Huggies and Kleenex.How did these companies transform to this kind of success? I believe it was from a keen insight into customer relationship management. Even at its primitive form, before current software availability, the astute business leaders recognized the trend in the market place. It wasn’t hard for the visionaries at places like GM, eBay and Kimberly-Clark to see the potential for huge profits. Like many explorers and adventurers, each of the CEOs and other leaders received harsh criticism and ne’er do wells from peers and medial alike. Many engrained in tradition expressed disappointment. The leaders were left with dreams, plans, execution and the true possibilities displayed in sales history, demographics, profiles, and shifts in buying trends.This CRM uses sales force automation to expedite sales and assist the sales force, customer service and support to align sales with suppliers, and marketing management and analysis to find the market. These interact to align the business with customers’ needs and meeting them more promptly at the point of sale.With evolving technology and high tech consumers, we can expect many more companies to leave their original core competencies to ones that earn them more money with fewer costs. Much business is growing on-line. Without the proper risk of visionaries, and data used properly
Sadly, whereas a process can be changed through a single ‘Ram Raid’ (Lean Event, Kaizen Breakthrough, Rapid Improvement Event etc), behaviours take much longer to change, indeed if they ever change, and often, after the excitement of an ‘end of Rapid Improvement Event celebration’ has subsided, management focus moves onto the next issue leading to gradual (or rapid) reversal of the benefits gained.
We call this desirable behavioural change ‘2nd Order Change’, where 1st Order Change is a change of process and 2nd Order Change is a change of behaviour. To put this into a familiar context, when the wearing of seatbelts was introduced (this being a 1st Order Change in the process), large numbers of people would continue to get into their vehicle and forget to follow the new process.
However, the Government continued to communicate about the change in the process (the need to wear seatbelts), the Police enforced it, the press reported it, people appeared in court because of it, cars were designed to support it (my own bleeps if I don’t fit my seatbelt), learners drivers had it drummed into them – and now the majority of people get into their car and do not even think about it as they fit their seatbelt. In fact, not fitting the seatbelt feels ‘wrong’, like wearing the wrong pair of shoes – and this shows that we have reached 2nd Order or Sustainable Change.
Most of the work to make change sustainable occurs AFTER the process has been changed and after the elation of improvement has been achieved. Often this is also the time that senior management support and focus moves on (or the consultants leave) and the team and managers are left without the support to enable them to debug the new process they have created. As the team encounters problems, or they forget to do things (like fitting a seatbelt), and because there is no reminder process (such as on-going communication, management support or even further improvement activity) the behaviours of the team revert to those that they displayed in the way things were done before.
Understanding Why Change Fails
Because we persistently encountered failed change programmes, or programmes which have failed to achieve their full potential, we started r
The last fifty years have seen tremendous prosperity in the United States. This prosperity has not only been experienced by the baby boomers who were born after World War II, but also by the generations that have followed. If there has been so much prosperity, why have so many people lost jobs in various industries since the 1960s? First the steel industry followed by manufacturing was hit as jobs began to move from the historically industrial regions to lower cost regions and then to outside the U.S. Following the break-up of the Bell Systems on January 1, 1984, telecommunications changed forever and continues to change. While some jobs were created, many jobs were lost forever. The build-up of the internet and the dotcom revolution was followed by the dotcom bust and again many jobs were lost. More recently, the airline industry has been hit hard with bankruptcies, jobs losses and reduced pay and benefits for the remaining employees. Is any industry immune to massive jobs losses, bankruptcies, loss of benefits and reduced pay for employees who remain? In simple terms the answer is “no”.The farmers became the factory workers who morphed into the white and blue collar workers who in turn became the information workers. While there are plenty of products you and I need every day: cars, shirts, food, gasoline, computers, light bulbs, desks – the list is literally endless – most are made, assembled or processed outside of the U.S. They are sold here. We buy them here with our hard earned dollars but someone else, who generally makes much less than you or I and who either has no benefits or has their benefits provided by their government does all the work to make the products we enjoy every day. Think about it. Am I saying “buy American”? No. Am I saying that employment and economies are global and very much in the midst of flux right now? Yes!So, what can you do?- Whatever field you are in, stay on top of the latest technology. If your employer does not pay for it, do it on your own.- Develop a professional network. Not just in your current field and not just in your local area. Be active with your network.- Build you own business. If you work for someone else, development you own business in whatever field
However, the Government continued to communicate about the change in the process (the need to wear seatbelts), the Police enforced it, the press reported it, people appeared in court because of it, cars were designed to support it (my own bleeps if I don’t fit my seatbelt), learners drivers had it drummed into them – and now the majority of people get into their car and do not even think about it as they fit their seatbelt. In fact, not fitting the seatbelt feels ‘wrong’, like wearing the wrong pair of shoes – and this shows that we have reached 2nd Order or Sustainable Change.
Most of the work to make change sustainable occurs AFTER the process has been changed and after the elation of improvement has been achieved. Often this is also the time that senior management support and focus moves on (or the consultants leave) and the team and managers are left without the support to enable them to debug the new process they have created. As the team encounters problems, or they forget to do things (like fitting a seatbelt), and because there is no reminder process (such as on-going communication, management support or even further improvement activity) the behaviours of the team revert to those that they displayed in the way things were done before.
Understanding Why Change Fails
Because we persistently encountered failed change programmes, or programmes which have failed to achieve their full potential, we started r
Where would a T-shirt printing business be if it didn’t have any customers? Nowhere, is the answer. Without selling your products, you won’t be getting anywhere too soon. So where can you focus your marketing to increase sales?Following the boom of user generated content, MySpace has developed in to a hot spot of niche business activity. A brief search will provide dozens of T-shirt trading businesses, all seeking to gain the attention of a growing audience.You can look at this in two ways. Either it’s a saturated market and already exploited, or it’s offering something rewarding and exists for a reason.EBay, on the other hand, does just that. By creating a store on the world’s number one auction site, you can plunge yourself straight in to a market where you KNOW that customers are visiting with the mind to part with their hard earned cash. Be prepared to face competition – and eBay charges. There is a cost to advertise your products and a commission to eBay when each T-shirt is sold.You can alternatively build your own commerce store. This provides full creative license to present your product as you wish, but it also involves a greater depth of involvement on the site maintenance side.Sell to friends. Hey, if they’re your friends, they better like you enough to get your aspiring enterprise off the ground!Not every sales transaction has to be initiated by the customer. If you’re absolutely certain that your T-shirt design is a success story waiting to happen, don’t dwell on it. Approach a proper retail outlet and pitch the idea of selling them your product. In most cases, this will lead to rejection – although not necessarily down to lack of quality. Try to find an outlet which specialises in the field that your T-shirt is catered to. Maybe you could even design a shirt with a company in mind?Don’t rule out the wonderfully profitable business of acting as a provider to T-shirt requests. It’s the one area when you can really inflate your prices and make maximum gain. The explosion of Stag and Hen nights and weekends has created a huge demand for customised and personalised T-shirts.Protecting Your T-shirt Design So you’ve perfected your latest T-shirt through painstaking
Understanding Why Change Fails
Because we persistently encountered failed change programmes, or programmes which have failed to achieve their full potential, we started researching the reasons why change does not become sustainable to see if we could find ‘patterns’. This research has been undertaken through research workshops as well as through on-site and online assessment activities, as well as reviewing available research data from similar studies undertaken by various management colleges, universities and independent research organisations – and from this has created a model of why change does not become sustainable.
We have used the mnemonic PROTOCOLS* to describe the various category reasons why change fails and the various elements of this model are summarized below:
P Plans – failing to plan or manage the plan effectively
R Reactions – inappropriate responses from staff at any level
O Ownership – problems with people taking responsibility for the new system
T Training – insufficient, inappropriate or misaligned training
O Operation (of the change) – problems with the way change is delivered
C Communication – failing to communicate effectively
O On-Boarding – failing to induct new people effectively into the changed system
L Leadership – problems with providing direction or vision, or inconsistent leadership
S Systems – misalignment in the organisation’s supporting infrastructure
Having developed this model and tested the results in Manufacturing, we latterly repeated our research in the NHS and are in the process of testing it further in the Service and wider Public Sector (including Local Authorities).
In the following sections we will briefly examine each of the elements of PROTOCOLS in more details and offer suggestions for organisations to avoid the pitfalls that befall too many.
Plans – failing to plan or manage the plan effectively
This is a broad category and includes organisations who look at change in isolation of the impact the change will have on other parts of the organisation, or the time or budget commitments they might need to make.
In addition, failing to allocate sufficient resource to manage the plan effectively is also a reason for failure as is a failure to manage the plan effectively and to drive it forward (although this latter point overlaps with the Leadership element).
Some of the comments made by people describing problems they had with their change programme that fall into the ‘Plans’ element of PROTOCOLS includes:
“There were conflicting plans, none of which were integrated”
“There was no clear plan”
“There was a real lack of understanding about the impact this would have elsewhere”
“We spent so long preparing the plan for change that the organisation lost heart”
“There was no focus in the plan”
Reactions – inappropriate responses exhibited by staff any levels
Individuals who feel that change is optional will try to revert to the old way of doing things as it is comfortable and familiar. This feeling of change being ‘optional’ happens more frequently than it should, sometimes inadvertently because managers are not sure about what will happen during the change and will create a ‘get out’ to enable them to revert to a known system even though it is
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.suggestyou.com/article/13942/suggestyou-Learn-Your-PROTOCOLS.html">Learn Your PROTOCOLS</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.suggestyou.com/article/13942/suggestyou-Learn-Your-PROTOCOLS.html]Learn Your PROTOCOLS[/url]
Related Articles:
Guideline Market Research - 85% Consumers Prefer Small Screen For Movies
Shelf Company / Shelf Companies Explained
Milton's Passion For Selling Suits
Bookmark it:
|