Understanding the Motivation to Change

This section of our practical guide to continuous improvement explores the source of the motivation behind a company’s decision to embark on a transformative journey. The title of the section, “Understanding the Motivation to Change”, applies to any significant departure from the way you are currently doing business.

Why is it important to understand the motivation? In a nutshell, the path a company takes is dependent upon the reasons for the change. More importantly, if there is a shift in the underlying impetus for change, there is a risk of the project losing steam. In addition, the reason behind the change plays a role in determining how various groups buy into the new way of doing things.

The bottom line is that it takes an incredible amount of work to fundamentally alter an organization. The program leader must have a clear understanding about why the company will be investing its resources in doing something new if he or she wants to maximize the chance to build a successful business management system.

Prerequisites

A program leader must be assigned prior to attempting this section.

Section Background

This is an early section for one simple reason. Without a nudge of some sort, nobody would even be reading this document. Sometimes, though, people act without a clear understanding of why they are doing what they are doing. We find that people are more successful at making lasting changes if they spend a bit of time gaining insight into their organization’s motivation.

Section Details

Estimated Time for Section: 1 Day. Note that you may have some scheduling issues when trying to speak to several key leaders, but the overall time invested is generally just a few hours.

Difficulty: Low. There are no special skills required to complete this section, but it helps to have an understanding of people and to be able to ‘read between the lines’ of what people say. Presumably, the program leader has already been vetted and will have no trouble with this section.

Risk: Varies. Some people are sensitive about probing questions, especially before they get used to the scrutiny that Lean places on processes and problems. This can strain relationships, especially when there is an imbalance in power.

Materials Required

• No special materials are required for this section.