Overcoming barriers to implementing positive organizational change is a huge challenge. Too many companies want to standardize operations and streamline business processes only to run aground when they try to implement changes. Why is that?
We ran across a thought-provoking article, “The Non-Technical Side of Reliability,” by Mike Aroney that’s definitely worth a read. Aroney provides some important insights into why so many well-intentioned organizations fail in their efforts at change and what to do about improving the odds.
Why have so few companies achieved stronger results? According to Aroney,
“The reason is simple – they often fail to fully address the non-technical element of such an initiative–the human factor. . . . Most organizations are very good at solving technical problems because they have good problem-solvers with sound technical skills . . . but ‘the technical problems are the easy problems. . .the soft stuff is the hard stuff.'”
In a series of upcoming posts, we explore some of the key points in Aroney’s article and offer some insights of our own on solving the challenge of “human factor” and the role of systems, good leadership, and effective corporate training methods in achieving good outcomes. Stay tuned!