Podcast: Key Factors that Accelerate or Impede Organizational Advancement

What is the No. 1 factor that impedes or advances organizational change? It may not be what you think.

In this episode of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement, hosts Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer reflect on the more than 40 episodes of their podcast and discuss the characteristic each believes is the most important to a successful transformational effort—notwithstanding the importance of a holistic approach. 

They top off the discussion by reviewing research that shows what experts identify as the most important driver.

In this conversation, Dyer highlights leadership commitment.

“It's the root cause for why many lean initiatives eventually start to …  get reduced, and then eventually stop altogether,” he says. “The other thing is, what's so important about leadership commitment is it's got to be all the way up and down the chain of command.”

Saleh calls out leadership character.

“It requires someone to actually welcome change, welcome learning, have that level of humility and willingness to seek feedback and course correct, (be) willing to say … I'm not the smartest person in the room, and I need my team to help me,” Saleh says.

Research shows the No. 1 key driver is a different factor than those presented by Dyer or Saleh. The answer: employee participation.

The research comes courtesy of Saleh’s doctoral pursuits, and it points out why employee participation is so important.

“If the mindset is that all stakeholders ‘must win,’ employees are part of that ‘must win,’” Saleh says. “There's an underlying theme around the importance of organizational trust … and so to be able to unleash the potential of the front line is really what makes it successful.”

The hosts delve further into employee participation, including:

• Don’t equate requesting improvement ideas with participation.
• Recognize the importance of two-way communication to driving participation.
• Understand that everyone must feel they provide a valuable contribution to the success of the team.

Nevertheless, it’s important to tailor organizational change, Saleh says. “Theres no such thing as cookie cutter.”