Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Habits and Skills

An essay on Montaigne has stayed with me, written by RichardSennett in the Guardian Weekly of 2012 March 9.  One passage in particular helps us recognize when we have gone too far.  “Habits…steady a skill, but the rule of unchanging habit is a tyranny; good habits are those ‘designs” left free to produce different ‘outcomes’.”

This is a clear guideline for managing change.  We all know that everything cannot change at once; it is too expensive in time, money and human ingenuity.  Broken processes are obvious targets for change.  But if things are going well, how do we keep the status quo from deteriorating into stodginess?

Turn to Montaigne.  Are our processes designed in a way that allows different outcomes, depending on the situation, the opportunities and the participants?  What a challenge! 

Analyzing existing processes could be done on an incremental basis.  Consult with staff and colleagues, either in a group setting or through individual discussions (not necessarily formal).  Ask about situations in which the process seems to get in the way of good customer service or efficient inter-departmental cooperation.  Spend some time thinking about the process and how it might be adjusted to capitalize on current skills while taking advantage of creative approaches in delivering outcomes.  Propose your ideas on process change as a straw-horse, encouraging discussion and ideas from everyone involved.  With this fresh base for action, change can be accomplished with a minimum of disruption while enabling staff and colleagues to approach their work with new enthusiasm.

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