HOW SPEED WILL PREJUDICE YOUR CHANGE AND INNOVATION PROJECTS & PROGRAMMES

THE SYMPTOMS

If the speed we execute our change and innovation projects were a race, half a century ago it would have been a marathon, 20 years ago the 1500m, a decade ago the 400m and today it's a 100m sprint.

Out-pacing the competition, iterating on a proposition and grabbing market share are a few of the reasons why the speed we execute change and innovation projects has increased so much.

Where high speed of execution can harm a project is by not giving people the time they need to make sense of more of the opportunities and risks around them. Today, as we race through unfamiliar territory in our innovation vehicles principally built for speed, we can only imagine what we have missed and what we will miss, and the consequences of doing so.

For the past few years, I have studied the impact that high speed of execution of change and innovation projects can have on the people involved and project outcomes.

What’s clear is the direct relationship between speed and levels of anxiety people experience, and the strength of connection people have with a change or innovation project.

Where speed of project execution is low (Diagram 1), participants may feel anxious due to a lack of project momentum that may restrict their progress toward meaningful milestones. Although significant, this represents low levels of anxiety and high strength of connection compared to projects where speed of project execution is high.

Diagram 1.

Where speed of project execution is high, the picture becomes bleak, illustrated by a steep rise in anxiety (Diagram 1). This rise is triggered by the challenges of coping with the demands of today’s complex, unpredictable and more volatile working environments. At speed, people respond to these demands as best they can, acutely aware that these responses mask what they could contribute, given the right set of circumstances.

A high level of anxiety will affect enthusiasm, concentration and overall quality of contribution. People will disconnect from the nucleus of project activity. Projects will underperform.

AN ANTIDOTE

The popularity of a high speed of project execution is in part a response to the rapid pace of change. Reversing this trend is not feasible.

So, we must find ways to help people work with it. To succeed, we must strike at the heart of the problem and help people overcome common anxieties associated with change and innovation.

One method that continues to show much promise is an ‘advocacy framework’.

Here, advocacy represents the combined strength of connection people have with a change or innovation project and with each other. With most projects of this type, connections are weak, unstable, and easily undermined when exposed to today’s demanding business environments.

When people experience high levels of anxiety, their strength of connection with a project and with each other will deteriorate. Conversely, where people demonstrate low strength of connection with a project and with each other, levels of anxiety will increase.

An advocacy framework offers a straightforward approach to establishing project advocacy, increasing strength of connection and reducing levels of anxiety associated with a project.

Diagram 2.

An advocacy framework (Diagram 2 above) works by capturing and then anchoring the attention of people involved in a project with a few exceptionally strong connections to a project.

These strong connections are powered by universal support for a handful of project aspirations believed to be a potent source of inspiration, insight and ideas for helping people define a path toward a successful project outcome.

Diagram 3 below, is based on advocacy framework pilot data and compared with the Diagram 1, shows a reduction in levels of project anxiety and an increase in strength of connection to a project.

Diagram 3.

The value of an advocacy framework extends beyond addressing anxieties related to today’s high speed of project execution. In fact, an advocacy framework can help people connect with and make sense of any complex, ambiguous, unpredictable or volatile project environment.

Constructing your own simple advocacy framework is quite straightforward. Why not give it a go?

When you do, identify and pursue project aspirations that (i) matter on multiple levels to people involved in a project, and (ii) are believed to possess the potential to inspire, inform and guide people toward a successful project outcome.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to help. Drop me a note to [email protected]

Ps. if you prefer an ‘offline’ version of this post, you can download a PDF version below.