Like most weekends, I have spent this weekend reading. In my endless quest for information and inspiration I came across a very interesting article (Start Small, Think Big) by Terrence Seamon.
According to Seamon Start Small, Think Big (SSTB) applies to many areas of life. In addition to that, SSTB is organic. If you look at nature, everything starts small and grows larger over time.
However this doesn’t seem to apply for Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS). IWMS are introduced using a big-bang strategy far too often. As a result of this strategy many IWMS projects fail. Seamon mentions that the most exciting application of SSTB is the field of change management. This is also very interesting for IWMS. He describes the four pillars of SSTB.
1. START
“A lot of organizational change initiatives stumble because of late starts and false starts. Instead, just start. Start somewhere where you think the conditions are right for a promising beginning.” (Seamon)
Instead of implementing the entire IWMS at once, just start. Find the area where you can make quick wins. You can’t manage everything upfront. Learn as you go. Stay away from interfacing!
2. SMALL
“Remember the baby analogy. It’s OK to start small, even very small. The key thing is to get going. Small wins will help build momentum. And small is easier than big. Find out what the problems are on a small scale. It’ll cost less. And you’ll learn faster.” (Seamon)
Even the most complex problem can be cut into small pieces. Find the most urgent problem and cut it into small pieces. If you have a big space problem start there, if your maintenance costs are going through the roof, start there. Conditions are better when people experience severe problems.
3. THINK
“You’ll notice that the word “think” appeared in the START section above. Thinking is critical from start to finish. Gather data. And gather minds. Bring people together for think sessions.” (Seamon)
You need to think of every stage of the implementation process. Bear in mind that people don’t like change. There will be people that try to frustrate the project. They don’t want to change. They like the status quo. You need to deal with them and convince them to sponsor the project. Quick wins are extremely helpful to convince those individuals!
4. BIG
“As Stephen Covey has famously said, “Begin with the end in mind.” That’s thinking big. That’s looking at the seed and imagining the tree.” (Seamon)
Begin with the end in mind. Integrated Workplace Management Systems are well suited for this. Think about all disciplines that could work with an IWMS. Cost reductions, efficiency gains and decision-making possibilities. Everyone could benefit from it, but without internal sponsorship you are doomed.
So, if you want to make your IWMS implementation successful: Start Small, Think Big.
Implementation, IWMS