63. Optimising The Organisation part 2
The challenge moves from designing a new structure for the factory to the much tougher assignment of implementing it!
We continue the story of how Jenny Clarke and Mark McKergow helped Chris McCann and his team develop an new structure at the Freescale Semiconductor fab (factory) in Scotland. Last time we saw how they developed ideas for how the organisation could work better under a new (and slimmed down) structure using a Solution Focused approach. This time the challenge is potentially even greater; how to implement the new structure in this 24/7 hi-tech manufacturing environment.
This case is one of fourteen publishing in our book Solutions Focus Working: 80 real-life lessons for successful organisational change. The book has just been made available on Kindle and so can be obtained anywhere in the world at the touch of a button. Here are the links for the book on Amazon UK, Amazon USA and Amazon Australia. The price is also very reasonable indeed - £7.95 or USD9.95 for the whole book.
Last time we saw how Chris, Jenny and Mark ran two workshops to gather data and produce ideas for a new structure using questions about benefits of the new structure (for all stakeholders), a Future Perfect activity (what difference a new structure would make), developing this from different perspectives, and affirms and small actions. Move on a couple of months, and the team are back together again for the next phase…
Optimising the Organisation: Restructuring at Freescale Semiconductor part 2
Consultants: Jenny Clarke and Mark McKergow
Organisation: Freescale Semiconductor
Reorganising a complex manufacturing operation is a complicated business fraught with difficulties. In this case, Chris McCann and his colleagues at Freescale Semiconductor used Solutions Focus ideas to tap into the organisation’s know-how and creativity to keep the process simple and effective. Having developed proposals for a new structure, the team wanted to move towards implementation… now read on.
The team wanted to present the proposals to the people involved in the prtevious workshops, with the aims of
Testing out the proposals with those who would be implementing them;
Adjusting the proposed structure to improve it;
Gathering support and momentum for the changes to come.
Chris McCann invited Mark and Jenny to run follow up workshops two months later. The workshops were structured into three sections:
Presenting the new structure
Working with the proposals
Looking forward to implementing the structure
Once the new structure had been presented and questions of clarification answered, the participants were asked to imagine themselves working in the new organisation and, with colleagues in similar positions, to consider these questions:
• Take a few moments to think about the impact of the new arrangements:
– How things will work well on a typical day
– What will help you carry out your role better
– How will you get the support you need and give support to colleagues
– What advantages can you see?
– What questions are there?
Then, working in mixed groups, they discussed the questions raised. How could things be made to work? What should happen in times of crisis or emergency? And so on. Issues were raised and options considered, all in a positive and constructive atmosphere.
To consolidate this work, the participants were asked to draw up the new structure for themselves, in a way which made the benefits of reorganisation clear. This both allowed the OOT team to be clear about the conclusions reached, and helped them to clarify the benefits and to think about how they could start to communicate them to colleagues outside the workshop.
Chris McCann: “Not everyone would have come into the room agreeing that our proposal was the way to go. Presenting the new structure to the whole cross-sectional group meant that all could understand why it was being proposed this way, and all were able to accept the reasoning for it. The discussion in the first workshop showed a variety of viewpoints which everyone had heard, and so everyone was aware of the various views.”
Looking forward to implementing the structure
Next, the group started to address the process of implementation with a Hot Topics process:
In implementing the new structure, what are the things we must get right?
Having listed these, they turned to looking for counters about change in the East Kilbride plant. In groups, the participants considered their experience:
• Each think back to a time when a change was implemented in the factory (preferably successfully!)
• What helped it to go well then?
Chris sat the front of the room in the role of a consultant who was about to tackle the change process. He asked the group questions about what they would advise him to do and which steps should be taken next, based on previous experience. The group provided answers for him, based on their thinking about past successful changes.
Chris says:
“This was a really useful part of the process for me. We had successfully ratified our ideas for a new structure, and this then formed the first steps towards a plan for implementation.”
Changing roles changes conversations
The setup for this activity seemed important – Mark and Jenny put Chris at the front in the role of someone who knew nothing and asked the group to share their advice. The ‘role’ part of this seems important – if Chris had simply asked for advice as himself, the group would have had to try to work out what he already knew, rather than just saying what they want to say.
Having collected ideas big and small from these positive experiences in the past, the group started to look forwards:
• How can we apply these previous good practices to the present change?
• What small steps would you like to see happening next?
– For Chris and the team
– For you as part of this group
In this way, the small steps were something that everyone was considering for themselves as part of the process. Spreading good words about the forthcoming changes was a key part of the desired result for the team, and Mark and Jenny built on this with the final process of the day:
• What are you going to tell people
– About this meeting?
– About the new organisation?
– About what’s going to happen next
The day finished with a lively ‘cocktail party’ exercise where people mingled and practised saying what they were going to say to each other and colleagues back at their workplace (and also heard their colleagues’ ideas and views).
Practice and improve your stories
This kind of exercise, where people quickly try out saying the things they want to say, can work in a very interesting way. We have noticed that people change, adapt and improve their words – particularly if they are encouraged to. Seeing someone’s reaction to your words in a fun and encouraging environment can be an excellent process for all concerned.
Chris McCann: “The second workshop was useful for checking in and ratifying the work to date, and keeping the people involved in the process. We were able to turn an important corner in the overall process – from testing our ideas to see how they were received to generating an implementation plan.”
Following these second workshops, Chris and his team revised and presented their proposals to the management team. These were accepted, and the new role of Lead Technician was put into place. Chris used SF ideas to implement the new role with those selected to carry it out – perhaps that’s another story…
Chris McCann: “Looking back from here, my overall summary is that the change would not have been successful without the inclusion of the Solutions Focus processes. They were the key to unlocking the door, so that we could tap into the best experiences of the people and talents we had on the site. It’s a technical environment and we use problem solving approaches every day. The SF approach gave us something different from the conventional approaches.”
The Freescale case is one of fourteen set out in the book Solutions Focus Working: 80 real-life lessons for successful organisational change, now available worldwide on Kindle for the first time. We were delighted that Stephen MR Covey endorsed the book:
“Filled with the wisdom of profound simplicity… I highly recommend this insightful and practical book.” Stephen MR Covey. author of The Speed Of Trust
Here again are the links for the Kindle book on Amazon UK, Amazon USA and Amazon Australia. The price is also very reasonable indeed - £7.95 or USD9.95 for the whole book.
Dates and Mates
If you’re a coach, consultant or in-house change leader and would love to learn how to do this kind of effective, energising and engaging work, here’s your chance! I will be leading the first Solutions Focus Business Professional course for a while, starting Sunday 27 October 2024. It’s a 16 week certificate course offered with the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, the home of online SF training since Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg were doing it in the 2000’s. It’s a great combination of readings, reflections, online discussions, pairs exercises, coaching practice and a project. Most of the work can be done ‘asychronously’, to fit in with your own life. And I’m with you every step of the way. This will be the only SFBP course this year. Yes, it’s an investment but everyone who does it says it’s totally transformational for their work. Places are limited. Click here for more.