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| Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet 216-272-4449
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Implementing standard procedures helps sustain the consistency and quality of work, usually boosting productivity. But the drive for conformity has a price. It increases bureaucracy which can inadvertently stifle the very creativity and initiative you ask your people to practice, potentially compromising innovation and improvement. The same conformity that delivers greater reliability, risk-proofing and safety can breed a fear of failure and a drift towards mediocrity.
Since leaders are expected to cultivate an environment of continuous improvement and productive change intended to improve results, while preserving a level of stability which ensures that quality work gets done, keep change efforts focused on targets where the benefits can be quantified and validated.
Investigate a novel technology that disrupts the conformity without increasing risk, and strengthens your competitive advantage. Accelerate your response time or time-to-market. Change the infrastructure, the rules or the flow of information to empower or quicken decision-making.
Challenging the status quo does not mean destroying what has worked; it means making it work better.
How does your organization identify continuous improvement opportunities?
How do you prioritize these opportunities?
