How much did your company spend on the last improvement project? How long ago did it happen? What was the preceding improvement initiative before the last one? How much of it is still followed today, exactly as it was envisioned during implementation? Based on the outcome, can you say it was money well spent?
It seems quite often changes initiated with good intentions leave behind a bitter aftertaste once the improvement project winds down. What is left behind? Will it last as originally intended? Are there plans to sustain the new way of doing things?
What follows are some of the proposed guidelines for sustainability coordinators. You may ask what the difference is between sustainability coordinators and change agents. Change agents transform the organization. Sustainability coordinators preserve the transformation.
Why do we need sustainability coordinators? The main purpose of sustainability coordinators is to ensure the improvement project initiatives stay active and to provide a common, ongoing understanding of the importance of those initiatives to other stakeholders. The objectives of coordinators are to ensure a consistent implementation process; to promote enhancement of craft professionalism and training opportunities; to provide subject matter expertise on technical and process workflow aspects; and to deliver concise, factual and candid feedback and advise recommended measures in the report to the Steering Committee.
How would you approach the selection of candidates? Leverage the informal influencers/ leaders in your workforce. The team of coordinators should be limited in size to be manageable, but have enough resources to touch on business areas affected by the changes. One or two representatives should be selected from each discipline involved in the project. They will obtain feedback from their respective counterparts throughout your enterprise to present an aggregate view. This will also enable them to influence their counterparts. Candidates should not be nominated against their will. Their buy-in is crucial, and involuntary assignments will only undermine your efforts. Coordinators should come from the ground level to provide a true picture of the frontline reality. Selection of candidates should favor even distribution in business and production units. A disproportionately heavy representation from a single unit will strain resources and potentially create tension with other units. A consistency in key positions for coordinators is required; i.e., they should not be moved before sustainability is achieved.
Have you considered when the coordinators should be brought on board? "The sooner, the better" is the answer in order to capitalize on the effect of proposed initiatives. To what extent should coordinators be involved in the implementation of your project? The coordinators should participate in all project phases: analysis, conception and implementation. The intended positive effects would be their buy-in agreement on the need for the project initiative, shared targets, and participation in training and coaching, providing feedback during reviews. Additional thought should be given on teaching the coordinators to function as trainers for their peers in other units. This will be needed to share lessons learned with other employees and prepare them to sustain the improvement project. Coordinators should also participate in external audits, e.g., three and six months after the improvement project has finished, to assess achieved maturity levels of sustainability.
Why invest in this role? What could be affected by the sustainability coordinators? They will impact processes and tools through a reduction of complexity and increased standardization. They will also impact the organization itself: organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, and competencies and skills. Efforts of coordinators will also affect the behaviors and capabilities of workers through training and one-on-one coaching. The impact of the coordinators will also be seen in increased collaboration and teamwork. Concurrently, they should also bring sustainable changes in operational improvements, financial benefits and the business culture of your enterprise.
For more information, visit www.tacook.com or call (281) 362-2716.
