Intervention

If you have evidence (assessed as valid) that

Then what will you recommend?

What will you accept as evidence that things have improved? What metric will you use?

1. Defining

There is disagreement about goals, no shared understanding, or conflicting objectives.

What is the evidence that a gap exists? Refer back to the origins of the goals – review the documents.  Then, consider the direction again.

Refer to evidence that gap exists, then, compare with updated information after review has occurred.

2. Informing

People are uninformed, and the consequence is poor performance; people don't get the information they need.

What is the evidence that a gap exists? What mechanisms, processes, or tools are in place to provide good information?  Various possibilities may exist.

Refer to evidence that gap exists, then, consider the changes made to improve information transfer.  Compare using same measure as originally used.

3. Documenting

Documentation (job aids, manuals, help screens, and so on) is lacking, inadequate, inaccurate, or hard to access.

Determine what is missing (or poor) and where, as well as who is responsible for it.  Devise a plan for creating or improving access to the documents.

Based upon the standard or criteria showing a gap exists, compare after the plan is put into place.

4. Rewarding

The wrong behaviors are celebrated; desired performance is overlooked; there are few incentives for people to do better, to do more, or to do things differently.

Bring these facts to light to the sponsor of the IPT work. Determine how best to correct the reward systems based upon culture, politics, finances, and processes.

Consider the same performance measures and metrics after reward changes are made.  Also, consider how these changes may affect other departments, either negatively or positively

5. Measuring

Measures of good performance are lacking or inappropriate.

Why are they not in place?  Is this difficult or inaccurate to measure?  Discuss the types of measures and metrics that are or could be available and determine the ROI of using them.

Compare afterward using the same standards as originally used.

6. Enforcing

There are no direct or individualized consequences for poor performance.

Simply making individual performance visible to a team may invoke enough peer pressure to improve it.  Are standards for performance clear and visible? If not, fix this.  Is compensation performance based in any way? This may be effective. Similarly, positive consequences of excellent (and visible) performance should be visibly compensated either financially or by some means that is appropriate in the culture.

Consider the same measures that were used originally, specifically performance related.  Also consider morale, ie with surveys targeting areas of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

7. (Re)organizing

The way jobs and tasks are structured adds costs, reduces morale, or interferes with service.

Consider why the restructuring was done to begin with.  Was it fully carried out according to the original plan (if there was one)?  Are the original purposes of the change being fulfilled?  Determine what the weaknesses are that resulted from the change and determine corrective action.

Re-issue the same surveys and assessment tools after changes are implemented. Also consider if other side effects may have been introduced in this change process.

8. Standardizing

Lack of standardization is adding unnecessary costs.

Create appropriate standards or leverage them from the industry.

Re-evaluate costs after standards are in place.  Look for shifted-but-not-eliminated costs.

9. (Re)designing

Equipment, materials, tools, or work space add time, add costs, increase errors, or reduce morale.

Consider the ROI on doing upgrades.  Determine when the break-even point would be.

Use same measures.  Consider other benefits that would come along with the upgrades that may not be part of the picture now and give them a value.

10. Reframing

People are stuck, keep applying the same solution with no results, or resist change.

Show “best practices” from the industry or applicable variations.  Evaluate how the processes or tasks could be changed to improve things and then show the value of the change.

Use same measures.  Consider other benefits that would come along with the changes.

11. Counseling

People are preoccupied with themselves, their future, or their family; people's behavior interferes with others' work or calls into question their effectiveness.

Develop activities and programs that bring a focus to the team or organization to enhance the sense of belonging and purpose.

Re-apply same measures after the change.

12. Developing

People's skills are out-of-date; there is little opportunity to develop people for the future.

Implement or purchase appropriate training, after demonstrating ROI.

Compare their skill levels before and after.  Then compare output, costs, waste, etc. before and after.

13. Aligning

What people say is not what they do; what people do is not what the organization wants; how people get the work done is not in keeping with the organization's values or public image.

 Bring these observations to upper management attention in a constructive manner.

Compare initial results with the outcomes after intervention is implemented.