Best not to bother says leading management guru

Assembled for a conference in Amsterdam last week were Energy sector experts from across Europe - specialists in Business Process.  In their corporate roles they seek after ‘operational excellence’.  They were looking forward to the opening keynote address – a dissertation on ‘Short Term versus Long Term Continuous Process Initiatives’.

And the starting point, said Prof Coulson-Thomas, was to recognize that trying to change corporate cultures can be colossal a waste of time.

The Professor’s message – his central theme for the start of their day – was that in their quest for better business processes and operational excellence, costly and disruptive initiatives should be abandoned and key work groups given better support.

“Too many corporate initiatives in areas such as culture change, corporate transformation and talent management are disruptive, confusing and doomed to disappoint.   While people struggle to make sense of them cheaper and more effective approaches are being overlooked.”

Coulson-Thomas, author of a forthcoming report on quicker ways of delivering results, claims “Cultures can be very resistant to change and the same culture may not be appropriate for all corporate activities.  Organisations need to build mutually beneficial relationships with people from a wide range of cultural, national and functional backgrounds in changing circumstances”.  The approaches he recommends can be quickly implemented in a variety of cultural contexts.

Costly multiyear corporate change and transformation programmes and initiatives need to be replaced by cheaper and more focused ways of quickly delivering multiple objectives, according to the professor:  “In competitive, dynamic and uncertain situations there simply isn’t time to waste on difficult, lengthy and disruptive general initiatives to make changes that may not be necessary.  Corporate leaders need to learn to work with the people, cultures, motivations and resources they have and use cost-effective ways of quickly achieving multiple benefits.”

Given the large literature on leadership Coulson-Thomas is not surprised at the emphasis put upon leading and the development of future leaders: “In some organisations just about everyone has been on leadership training when what is often required is ‘helping’ rather than ‘leading’.  People need to be helped to understand areas that are complex and to excel at difficult jobs. The focus should be on making it easier for work groups in front line roles to undertake demanding activities.”

According to Coulson-Thomas the quicker and more effective approaches he recommends can address particular problems facing the utilities: “Power generators struggle to recruit young engineers while their existing engineers are aging.  Where there are nuclear plants to run the consequences of failure can be disastrous.  Using performance support can capture and share the experience and insights of those nearing retirement in ways helpful to others. Early adopters have made significant savings in technical support costs, increased performance and reduced risks.”

Too often the Professor finds “People struggle to transform bureaucratic and costly organisations which could be quickly bypassed by providing those in front line roles with the 24/7 support they require to excel, compete and win, wherever they might be, including on the move.  Corporate leaders sometimes forget that their organisations need to remain relevant, up-to-date and competitive during a transformation journey.  Performance support ensures this happens.”

Coulson-Thomas sees no reason why strategies, policies and behaviour changes cannot be quickly implemented across a diverse, scattered, and international community: “Performance support can change behaviours. It can help average performers to adopt the superior approaches of ‘superstars’.  Most people do not rush to work eager to fail.  Once shown easier ways of undertaking stressful and complex activities they quickly adopt them.  Both individuals and organisations benefit”.

The professor also warned of the dangers of adopting approaches such as benchmarking: “Where your competitors are today can be the result of decisions they took one, two or three years ago. Trying to copy where they are currently can ensure that you always lag behind the best.  To become and remain competitive you need to look ahead and innovate.  Try to understand future aspirations, intentions and plans, and aim to implement more quickly than others.”

It is blindingly obvious that in the currently difficult economic times the growth and success of companies and organisations reflects their responsiveness to customer needs and there is less space for management 'displacement activities' or substitutes for focusing on the real objectives of being in business.  Whether the Professor's blunt speaking has made an impact on the audience will only be seen over time - and, for sure, every delegate has to return to a corporate world comprised of people with many different pressures and motivations.  For many it remains a challenge to 'see the wood for the trees' but perhaps that is why, in a naturally evolving commercial world, old big businesses die or are usurped by younger innovators.

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Notes:

Colin Coulson-Thomas was talking on the subject of “Short Term vs. Long Term Continuous Improvement Initiatives” to those responsible for them in leading European companies.  He was the opening speaker at a conference on Business Process and Operational Excellence for the Energy Markets at the Radisson Blu Hotel in central Amsterdam. Details of his forthcoming report on more cost effective approaches to talent management can be obtained via www.policypublications.com.

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas, author of Winning Companies; Winning People and a new report on talent management and creating high performance organisations is an international consultant who has helped over 100 boards to improve board and corporate performance. He is an experienced chairman of award winning companies and the process vision holder of complex transformation programmes. Reports covering his investigations are available from www.policypublications.com