How can we take the time and spend the money to redesign our organization during times like these? In bad times, when cutting back is mandatory, it is far preferable to do surgical cutting in a way that restores function and vitality. It requires planning as compared to knee-jerk across-the-board cutting, but it is truly a "pay me now" or "pay me later" proposition.
We have dozens / hundreds of very bright, capable people. Why do we need you? Truth telling is rarely rewarded inside an organization. If you want to deal with reality, it helps to have outside, objective input.
Why do most major organizational change efforts fail? Change is disruptive. In the midst of a disruptive change, what began as a compelling business case for change can become the good old days.
What would improve the chances of a successful change? Effective communication of the business case for change, a design for the desired future state that is embraced by the organization, and durable sponsorship of the change that allows the organization to persevere.
Isn't this just another flavor-of-the-month? Any improvement effort that is not accompanied by a successful implementation with demonstrable benefits will potentially cultivate cynicism in an organization. We design with implementation in mind and engage the organization in change management from the outset.
What is the weakest link for an aspiring high-performance organization? You are the weakest link - just kidding! Performance management, i.e. successfully increasing the frequency of desired behaviors and decreasing the frequency of undesirable behaviors, is a capability that is often missing or gravely misunderstood. Also, performance management is not just for front-line employees. In a successful redesign implementation, the performance of senior leaders and middle management is key.
How do you measure performance? The critical first step is understanding measures that matter as opposed to what is conveniently available to measure. Most measures that matter, e.g. customer satisfaction, involve judgment more than counting and are, therefore, easy to fault. Willing, sincere participation in performance measurement requires the clear establishment of a learning climate, not a punitive one.
Why don't you just tell us the answer? We are always flattered to hear this question, but, all humility aside, we generally do not have a clue. We use a structured methodology that often appears to lead toward a predetermined outcome. We believe this happens because, when all the relevant data is considered, the answer sometimes becomes logically obvious.
Why would I choose your firm over a large, name-brand firm? a) You would prefer to be accountable for achieving results rather than just making a safe choice of firms. b) You would rather not unleash a herd of arrogant 22-year-olds to alienate your organization.