DailyHRTips.com » company change

Do you know your organization’s “Execution Quotient”?

Ben Nash — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:34:29 +0000

“Execution Quotient” or “xQ” for short – measures the gap between an organization’s goals and how well it achieves them. It’s like measuring the organization’s IQ for achieving results. Why do so many organizations find it difficult to execute their strategies and achieve results? Harris Polling surveyed 2.5 million workers to ask about this and they found the following shocking results:

22% of workers understand their organization’s goals

10% of workers said their teams have clear, measurable, deadline driven work goals

17% of workers said their teams try and solve problems creatively

15% of workers said their teams have trusting “win-win” environments

15% of workers said their teams have resources and freedom to do the job

So what can organizations do to become better at executing their plans and get results? The answer: get serious and apply the following eight steps:

Create a sense of urgency in the organization about the need to change

Form a powerful guiding coalition to guide the change

Create a vision for the organization

Communicate the vision to everyone who needs to know it

Empower employees to act on the vision

Plan for and create short-term wins and celebrate them

Consolidate improvements and produce more change

Institutionalize new approaches in the organization’s culture

Some organizations have the determination and grit to go through this process by themselves but many need the help of an external coach to guide them. This is like having a personal trainer at the gym or a golf coach to improve your swing. So if your organization is not getting the results it desires take a look at your organization’s “xQ”—it just might be the wake-up call you need to set the change process in motion!

Tip #67: 3 Tips for Sustaining Change

Ben Nash — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:27:26 +0000

We have talked a lot about change on this blog – we have provided many tips to help Human Resources and Organizational Development professionals move their organizations forward. But what happens when you implement a change strategy and it loses steam over time? Here are some tips for sustaining your change initiatives:

As a manager in charge of a change initiative make sure to set short term wins and celebrate them with the team when they are achieved. Recognizing and rewarding employees when they are making progress toward the larger goal will encourage them to follow through to the end.

Take the time to track and monitor the change process to ensure the right people and the right processes are in place and are making steady progress towards achieving the desired outcomes.

Continuously check in with the key players to ensure they are on-board and that they are moving the change initiative forward. All parts of the change plan need to work together in order for the change to be successful.

Tip #58: 3 Tips for Increasing the Urgency for Change

Ben Nash — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:38:26 +0000

There are many factors necessary for change within an organization, not least of which is the consensual feeling from all key players involved that change needs to happen NOW! Without a sense of urgency for change even managers and employees committed change are not going to dedicate the effort necessary to enact it. So how do you increase the urgency for change in an organization? Here are three tips:

Do your homework and gather all necessary data. It will be hard to make any case for change if you cannot effectively show that change is necessary. And don’t solely rely on “gut feelings” and qualitative observations; numbers don’t lie (unless you are a tremendously talented statistician) so get the cold, hard facts to prove your point.

Bring together the necessary players involved and present the case for change using the data you have collected. Explain why change is necessary and what the end vision is; give people a goal to work towards.

Identify and assign tasks to managers and employees for implementing change. Make sure to follow up with them on their assignments and encourage them to meet progress goals. It is important that everyone involved in the change knows what their role in order to for efficient team work to take place and meet the change goals.