MAP and QF (questioning fundamentals)
by Miki SaxonLooking for a good way to make your company more innovative? Or to move it from where it is to where you want it to be?
A good place to start is by encouraging your people to question the fundamentals (QF) of the company. This is one of the best ways to overcome the “…but we’ve always done it that way.” school of thought. QF can also help overcome “not invented here” syndrome. Both are major stumbling blocks to innovation, productivity and a host of other positives moves.
Start by identifying your company’s fundamentals, not so much the official ones (although they can also be problematic) as the unwritten/unspoken ones your employees deal with every day. It’s easy to find them, just ask—but ask knowing that you may not like the answers. (One client found that, contrary to its stated policy, their people believed that quality wasn’t as important as shoving the product out the door.)
Depending on your current culture the identification process can be anything from a public brainstorming session with a whiteboard to some kind of “suggestion box” that is truly anonymous. You may be very surprised at some of the perceptions that turn up.
Once you have a start on a list of fundamentals you want to open them up to debate—the more passionate the better—using a combination of technology (forum, wiki, etc.) and in person discussions. The object being to decide whether to modify/jettison/keep each one, as well as what to add.
Unless your MAP dictates a company that functions in Dilbertland it’s an ongoing, proactive management task to encourage employees to question/rethink/revamp the company’s fundamentals.
Even when it’s deeply embedded in your culture you can’t assume they’ll do so, since new people coming from other cultures will need assurance that QF is indeed part of your company’s DNA.
December 27th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
[…] One practice that does help is a constant reassessment that allows no sacred cows, whether they are part of the company or your/your managers’ individual MAP. […]