The official quarantine is beginning to relax…
and the world hopes for a smooth restart of the economy. Some sectors are predicting that the world will return to what it was, while others predict that the world will change. Both perspectives are based in how organizations and companies responded to the required “stay at home” orders. Many attempted and implemented a “Work at Home” response, to the quarantine in order to maintain a semblance of production and service, From this group, many report that they felt as if they lost management control, were held hostage and “limped along” because their people took advantage of the situation. A few learned that their workforce was able to step up to the challenge and their services continued with little or no interruption. People are only part of the performance success equation and it will benefit any company to realize the complete picture.
The Hidden Benefit of “Work at Home”
The “New Normal” will, in all probability, include more situations like the “virus of 2020”! Companies and organizations that are “Work at Home” capable, would be best served to have “Remote” processing plans as a part of their “Disaster Response and Recovery plan. Other companies and organizations may find that “Work at Home” may be a “low cost” alternative that reduces “fixed costs” and attracts better staff. Whatever the rationale behind continuing the “Remote” processing strategy, it will no longer be a nice thing to do but a necessity in the “New Normal”.
The Performance Success Equation
To make “Work at Home” function seamlessly it needs to be developed based upon, what the Continuous Improvement Institute (Cii) promotes as the “5 Rights” as the Success equation. Before we look at the detail, let us review the individual elements of the “5 Rights”. In theory and practice, it is that success is found at the intersection of:
The “Right” people…doing…
The “Right” activities…with…
The “Right” tools…for…
The “Right” reasons…at…
The “Right” time!
It looks like this:
Although this diagram is an extreme representation of this concept, it is apparent that when success is defined like this and if any of the elements are lacking or shifted, success becomes extremely difficult. Defining each element of the 5 Rights must be comprehensive and includes not only “What to do” or “what is required and expected”, it also must include “what not to do.” This directly plays into the “Cii Triune Training” concept of Mindset/Toolset/Behavior Set. This will be presented in a future installment of this series.
The Hidden Requirements of the 5 Rights
Each “Right” contains numerous internal components and expectations. This requires extensive documentation and refinement to ensure that each contributes appropriately to the performance success equation. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive Business Process Management (BPM) effort (noted in prior article). Clear documentation, communication and measurement of element expected contribution to performance success is critical any process and especially to the “Work at Home” situation. We will look at each element briefly to further clarify its importance.
#1 Right People
Although it may seem a bit harsh, there are people who can work at home and there are others that cannot. The reason for and against range from situational, to physical, to sociological, to psychological. Some can be accommodated, and others cannot. Choosing the proper individuals is critical to ensuring that Remote performance is not compromised. There are more required components in this element, which include experience, capability, authority, etc. This important thing to remember is it is not as simple as assigning an individual to “work at Home.”
#2 Right Tools
This is another obvious consideration; however, many companies and organizations open the doors to future threats and failure by not ensuring the needed levels of security and unknowingly open the doors to hacking. Many companies and organizations also depend on the individual to provide computers and peripheral equipment, which may conflict with other personal interests with that individual.
#3 Right Reasons
This is the most often neglected performance success element. Communication of expectations and urgency is critical to ensure individual engagement. Brief, virtual meetings can help ensure success. This must include goal setting, and status reporting. “Work at Home” may be isolate, but it is not independent. It is important to connect each individual and the importance of their contribution, regularly, to the success equation, in order ensure success.
#4 Right Time
Last, but often the most important element is timing. An unbalanced or unrealistic “sense of urgency” on individuals may cause process imbalances and uneven work queues that negatively impact overall performance. This quietly adds to the cost of processing performance and reduces the viability of “Remote” processing. This is addressed through the measures developed and monitored in an effective and comprehensive BPM system.
#5 The “RIGHT” Conclusion
It is important to consider the 5 Rights and their contribution to performance success in every process, be it “Remote” or “on-site.” The 5 Right activity can be completed informally in developing processing systems, but it is embedded in the unspoken deliverables of BPM. If “Work at Home” is going to be included in ongoing company or organizational plans, the 5 Rights and/or BPM should be the toolset used to ensure that the process performance is staged for success.
I’d love to help and hear them! Share below in the comments or you can find out more by visiting The Continuous Improvement Institute.