A Guide for Breakthrough Performance

To understand why our approach works you should understand our view of executing strategic initiatives.

Organizations are complex. The dimensions of strategy, process, and people are interdependent. A change in one dimension often requires a change in another. Solving problems without addressing this complexity may not create the desired business.

The way organizations are structured is not consistent with the way organizations create value. Everyone sees the organization from their perspective, either in their silo or from their position on the organization chart. These different perspectives lead to structural conflict, where everyone is working to act in their best interest without a clear understanding of the impact on the organization.

Social aspects of the organization are critical components to manage. The rate of change and knowledge based work has risen in most organizations. Unlike managing an assembly line, social interactions are as important to manage as process throughput.

Efforts must be focused. Businesses have scarce resources to invest in change. Yet there is pressure throughout the organization to respond to improvement requests, manage conflict, and address other apparent needs. You must decide which investments of money, energy and management attention are most likely to improve performance.

In the best of situations, change is met with resistance. Change effects the value individuals have in the business and can lead to defensive behaviors and embarrassment. Individual loss of value, defensive behaviors, and embarrassment avoidance result in powerful forces of resistance.

Most organizations lack a way to overcome these obstacles

Pragmatic leadership and effective governance is called for. You can't just demand better results. You have to manage the way the organization performs work. And you have to do it so it frees up the resource and management attention to purposefully improve the organization. When the three dimensions of strategy, process, and people are aligned and the obstacles to change are addressed we say the business is Strategically-Aligned, Throughput-Focused, and Human-Powered.

Our approach works because it pragmatically addresses all three dimensions of organizational change while overcoming the obstacles to change.

Strategically-Aligned - When an organization is Strategically-Aligned, all processes are focused on customer value and departments and individuals understand the role they play in executing the business strategy. They can align their choices and actions with the strategic goals. Their activities and projects can be defined by business value and expected performance improvements. Strategic alignment overcomes the structural conflict endemic in organizations and allows the business to focus scare resource where it will have the greatest impact on improving business value.

Throughput-Focused - When an organization is Throughput-Focused, work moves efficiently and effectively through the organization's processes. Focusing on throughput involves learning to see the flow of value all the way through to the customer. Understanding how the processes in the organization relate, and using observable measures that reward results and behavior consistent with efficiently producing the desired outcomes, overcomes complexity.

Human-Powered - When an organization is Human-Powered, individuals are in roles where their skills and innate competencies position them to contribute successfully; people are transitioned into and out of roles; and people collaborate productively to reach common understanding, coordinate, and develop an ongoing capacity for learning and improvement. Positioning people to be successful overcomes challenges related to social interaction and resistance.

Our approach shows benefit early and its phase gate structure optimizes insight while cutting risk.

The Synaptus F.A.S.T. Method

The key benefits of the Synaptus F.A.S.T. method is that the approach delivers reliable results. We apply pragmatic concepts in focused initiatives that deliver value rapidly. Additionally, our engagements continue to provide benefit to executives and organizations over time.

Phase I: Frame - Each initiative starts with a business capability focused assessment. Working with the client, Synaptus frames the desired outcome and current constraints in the context of the business. This results in a clear identification of where to improve next.

Phase II: Assimilate - Through participative design Synaptus consultants assimilate the knowledge within the organization with best practice strategic alignment, process improvement, productive collaboration, talent management, and technology enablement into a roadmap to realize your anticipated benefits in the unique circumstances in your business.

Phase III: Stimulate - Using effective project management, learning and development, and change management techniques, the Synaptus consultant will work with the business to ensure the expected benefits of the business are realized.

Phase IV: Thrive - A measurement framework is established as the basis for assessing and managing the ongoing impact of the improvement initiatives.

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