by Rainer Strack, Jean-Michel Caye, Carsten von der Linden, Pieter Haen, and Filippo Abramo
A long-established and successful pharmaceutical-production site recently was facing new competitive challenges and cost pressures. The senior leadership was concerned about the level of responsibility and accountability among employees, how well they followed through on plans, and their ability to work cross-functionally rather than in isolated silos.
The senior leaders developed a blueprint for a new organization structure and recognized the need to make fundamental changes in the way things worked at the site. They chose to use what is commonly referred to as the ABC approach. The rationale underpinning this approach is that the behaviors (the Bs) you get are a result of the antecedents (the As) and consequences (the Cs). If you want different behaviors, you have to change the context. The ABC methodology enables leaders to pinpoint high-impact behaviors (positive and negative) and either reinforce or change the context that leads to these behaviors. The approach was implemented in the following four phases:
Identifying the Key Behavioral Issues. The process began with an analysis of key behavioral issues at the site, analysis of existing data (including employee surveys and the output of workshops and focus groups), and integration of this bottom-up insight with top-down insight from senior-leader interviews on the key behavioral challenges.
Understanding the Antecedents and Consequences. The team then conducted more in-depth analyses to identify the root causes of high-impact behaviors (both positive and negative) in a number of specific situations—for example, new-product introduction and the implementation of projects. Interviews and workshops with the employees involved helped uncover the antecedents and consequences that were driving both positive and negative behaviors.
Designing Solutions and Developing Action Plans. Once the root causes were better understood, the challenge was how best to change the antecedents and consequences in order to get the desired behaviors. Through brainstorming sessions, interviews, and cross-functional workshops with employees and managers in key operational areas, the team identified concrete changes to implement. For example, one antecedent was to prioritize initiatives and ensure that all team members understood their roles and management’s expectations. And a meaningful consequence was peer recognition of accomplishments and constructive feedback.
Implementing the Changes. In the last step, the team prepared the action plans and began implementation. This included tightly defining role accountabilities and decision rights as part of the organization design work and implementing changes in the tracking and review of progress on key metrics.
Overall, the process strengthened accountability, improved prioritization, and increased collaboration. It helped the site ensure that important organizational changes were accompanied by real change in the way people did things at the site. This was not just an exercise in moving boxes on an organization chart: it was a step change in the way the site operated.
Do you have a unique story, firsthand account of an important event, or reliable inside information? Please send your scoop to Basil Venitis at venitis@gmail.com for publication in http://themostsearched.blogspot.com
0 komentar:
Post a Comment