Prepare for Jump to Hyperspace
As we enter our third year of the global pandemic, it’s easy to feel like we haven’t made much progress in the way of reclaiming normalcy. But in an unexpected plot twist, supply chains seem to have become the hottest topic of the moment, dominating conversation from board rooms to operating rooms and even the dinner table. In fact, “supply chain issues” has become such a common refrain for a wide assortment of inconveniences that I’ve begun telling friends it’s the reason I’m habitually late to social events.
For those of us working in supply chain, however, these past few months have felt like the proverbial ‘salt in the wound’ in an increasingly constrained environment. The desperation to act – to recover lost ground and improve supply chain resilience – is greater now than it has been since 2008, and with that desperation comes dangerous temptation: the temptation to enact swift and massive change. Change not only to tourniquet current blood loss, but to mitigate future risks – known and unknown – and to catalyze supply chain maturity growth at breakneck speeds. And, while it all may sound agreeable on paper, the one thing we in consulting know is that meaningful, sustainable growth comes only with great effort, occasionally at great cost, and cannot be accomplished in a manner I have lovingly dubbed the “jump to hyperspace,” no matter the temptation.
For the purposes of this discussion, I’m going to address the above phenomenon in two parts: People and Process. Buckle up.
Part One: Your People Are “Change”-d Out
Of the multitude of symptoms caused by COVID (the one you won’t find on the CDC website) is pandemic burnout. Think about it: many of us are still working from home, and despite thousands of New Years’ Resolutions to establish a real work/life balance, you know what they say about the best laid plans.
We’re working longer hours than before. Companies’ efforts to cut operating costs for the sake of margin improvements (further amplified by The Great Resignation) means that many organizations are under-staffed, and that the same workload once shared by 10 people is now shared by 5. Between the pressure to perform and fewer hours spent prioritizing a little R&R for yourself, work environments have begun to feel a little… tense.
Good news! The stress doesn’t stop there. As soon as you clock out for the evening, the crushing weight of a global pandemic comes rushing back, and you’re faced with new worries: The constant fear of not knowing what tomorrow will hold. The agonizing decision to send your kids back to school or continue the challenge of remote learning. The simple and extremely annoying task of deciding what to make for dinner that won’t require additional, risk-laden trips to the grocery store.
All these worries, all these choices contribute to an extremely common ‘malady’ known as decision fatigue. Decision fatigue can lead to difficulty making choices (or avoiding them altogether), a tendency toward increasingly risky decisions, and brain fog… not exactly optimal for undertaking large change at work. In our weakened state, people across the globe are fighting to simply carry on; and, while the echo chamber may be screaming about improved resilience and agility, don’t forget that any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Part Two: The Three Words No Client Likes to Hear
Change. Takes. Time.
There – I said it. Now that I’ve ripped that bandage off, let’s breathe, regroup, and dive into this statement.
In the consulting world, finding yourself face-to-face with yet another Gartner Maturity Model is hardly a surprise. Companies are willing to shell out big bucks to the firm that can propel them from a Stage 2 to a Stage 5, and that crazed ambition seems greater now than almost ever before. Here’s the thing, though: the sheer amount of resources – time, money, and effort, to name a few – required to attain Gartner Maturity Stage 4 and Stage 5 is massive and often unjustified. To put it into perspective, I work with an accomplished Supply Chain leader and ex-Gartner associate who will tell you in no uncertain terms that “fewer than 20% of Gartner’s client companies rank higher than a Stage 3 for Planning maturity.”
Quantifiable metrics aside, change is just downright hard. A 2005 Harvard Business Review article states that despite best efforts to generate excitement and motivation around change initiatives, two out of three will fail. As a result of this research, HBR developed a four-faceted approach to change management initiatives that they call the ‘DICE variables’ – Duration, Integrity, Commitment, and Effort. In short, these four variables refute the following misconceptions:
1. That the longer a project goes, the more likely it is to run out of steam.
2. That organizations should staff their ‘good,’ more expendable resources on projects, leaving their best people to uphold day-to-day business operations to ensure continuity.
3. That the most important vessel of public support for an initiative is an organization’s Executive Leadership.
4. That employees will be willing to embrace change for the promise of future returns.
Instead, HBR’s DICE variables posit that:
1. A successful project is one that is longer and more deliberate in duration, but that maintains frequent check-ins and whose progress is measured against significant Milestones.
2. Organizations must staff their best minds to change initiatives, leaving the remainder to close any gaps left in day-to-day operations in the absence of top performers.
3. While Executive Leadership support is important, Influential Leadership support is more so, and mid-management support for change is vital.
4. Employees are unlikely to embrace change that adds an undue burden to their workload; in other words, while the time requirement will increase in the beginning as change is rolled out, employers must maintain reasonable expectations of their employees’ time commitment.
“Lip service from a consulting firm that promises massive maturity growth in a 9 month engagement is just that – lip service.”
Considering the framework above, it’s no wonder that change isn’t instantaneous. Meaningful and lasting results take time to achieve, and any effort to avoid that time commitment is ultimately a disservice to your initiative and to your organization. Lip service from a consulting firm that promises massive maturity growth in a 9 month engagement is just that – lip service. Any firm, any partner worth their salt will be honest with you and help you set realistic expectations as you set your sights on distant horizons. And, as much as it hurts my heart to say so – I will reiterate that there is no “jump to hyperspace” when it comes to growth.
