This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
NOVEL SOLUTIONS


Outwitting Change M


SHANNON WETZEL, SENIOR EDITOR


etalcasters know changing the status quo is no small feat. But for any business that wants to implement lean manufacturing, improve safety


conditions, cut lead times, reduce scrap, or increase ef- ficiency, change is necessary. Chip Heath and Dan Heath, authors of the bestsell-


ing Made to Stick, tackle change in their newest book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. In a nutshell, Chip and Dan explain that everyone has two sides to their brain—emotional and rational—and both need to be on board with a change for it be successful. According to the authors, if you appeal to the rational side of your colleagues, they will have direction without motivation. Appeal to the emotional side, and they will have motivation without direction. In Switch, Chip and Dan offer several strategies to


direct and motivate. Four stand out: • Find the Bright Spots—“What’s working and how can we do more of it?”


The authors argue you should spend the majority of your time (80%) exploring what worked when imple- menting a new policy and finding ways to replicate it rather than obsessing about why one team member is skeptical or planning more meetings to go over the same material.


• Script the Critical Moves—“T e hardest part of change—the paralyzing part—is in the details.” T e authors suggest providing crystal clear guidance (specifi c behavior mapped out) so indecision won’t keep people doing things the old way. Establish rules that clearly set the correct choice for every major decision.


• Shrink the Change—“Rather than focusing solely on what’s new and different about the change to come, make an effort to remind people what’s already been conquered.” According to Chip and Dan, sometimes it’s important to lower the bar. To get big changes started, they write, select small wins that are meaningful and within im- mediate reach.


• Tweak the Environment—“Make bad behavior impossible.” Sometimes the simplest way to make a change is to take the choice or decision out of the change. Chip and Dan point to factories with machines that are ac- tivated only by pushing two buttons at the same time to keep hands clear from machinery and risk of injury. Rather than convince or motivate workers to be more careful, factories removed the potential for injury. In Switch, readers will find numerous examples sup-


porting methods for establishing change in business, per- sonal life and activism, and the methods are simpler than one would think. The book is a smart read for anyone with aspirations of making a difference in his or her own operation.


58 | MODERN CASTING May 2011


“Even in failure, there is success.”


Metalcaster’s Translation: Perhaps three casting jobs out of 30 produce no scrap at your facility, or one shift works twice as effi ciently as the other two. T ese fl ashes of success can highlight how to take action and off er hope that change is possible.


ABRIDGED


Relevance to Metalcasters Technical Diffi culty Self-Help Fluff Bottom Line


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76