20 June 2009
Driving behavioural change to boost productivity in business
Businesses are constantly looking to improve their effectiveness, and the current global economic crisis and increasingly competitive nature of business have added more pressure for them to implement changes that will boost their productivity and profitability.
According to learning and development consultant Jeremy Barty, corporate change will only be effective and long-lasting if the individuals within the organisation change the way they think, feel and respond.
“The challenge is that people do not change easily and are often unable to maintain behavioural changes for more than a few weeks or months. For example, some research about cardiac patients shows that only one in 10 people who suffer from a heart attack make any meaningful sustained change to their diet and lifestyle,” he says.
Barty, who has always been fascinated by behavioural change, believes change is more sustainable when supported by a tool or system. Several years ago, concerned about the lack of application of learning after strategic planning sessions and team building exercises once workers had returned to the workplace, he began developing a tool to assist people in managing behavioural change, with initial input from psychologist and philosopher Dr Wynand de Kock.
MyCube, the tool he created after more than five years of development, is a simple grid containing nine key concepts that are easily taught using visual learning, and are applied to the individual’s personal experiences to trigger the change process “from the inside out”, rather than expecting external forces to drive change.
The tool’s key concept is that for people to change their behaviour, they need to change what they value. This is achieved through a three-step process, Barty says.
Step 1 is to “Get Real”: “To bring reality to the situation we use the central concept of the tool – which is value,” he says. “Our catch phrase for reality is ‘what you value is evident in what you do.’ For example, if I spend 12 hours a day working, I must acknowledge that I value work. If I spend one hour a day with my children, by the reality of my behaviour I value working more than I value being with my children.”
The “value struggle” that is created is an opportunity for changed behaviour, he says. “This step helps people to have a realisation of their value and how that is related to what they do. An example of a successful change process is Alcoholics Anonymous, where the first step is the acknowledgement by members that they are alcoholics. We use a different system, but try and take the individual to the same point: the acknowledgement of reality.”
Step 2 is to learn the grid, a system for change. “Through a number of interactive exercises, the individual learns the nine concepts that make up the grid. They learn how the relationships between the nine concepts create leverage for change. The grid id designed to be used as you go about your day-to-day work.”
One concept is to let go, he says. “For example, the person who spends 12 hours a day working will need to decide what to let go of to spend more time with their children. The answer might vary from individual to individual: there is no right or wrong answer.”
Step 3 is to apply the grid: This involves individuals questioning themselves and others, and users are taught how to apply the grid to individual situations and bring about change, Barty says. “While the theory of change is complex, it is not necessary for the person using the grid to fully understand the theory. We have had a person with a Grade 7 education, a former prisoner, who experienced a personal breakthrough in using the product.”
Barty says the most effective way of delivering MyCube into a business is through a three-hour workshop called “The 1-2-3 of Change”, which uses experiential learning to make learning more fun and informative. “Experiential learning statistically has the highest absorption rate than any other form of learning. When learning through experience, information is retained more effectively and for longer periods.”
He adds that a fun and relaxed approach is necessary because the aim is to create an environment of engagement and dialogue. “For example, we include visualisation activities to highlight the knowledge, and also association activities. We actually ran part of the last course on the foothills of Table Mountain. In addition, on our website we have a library of over 50 videos, where course participants can recap and remind themselves of the materials.”
MyCube is intended to be used on a daily basis, and people set their own goals and monitor their own results, he says. “We provide a framework and the individual applies it to their own change requirement. The power of the methodology lies in its focus on individual responsibility for making these changes.”
In the corporate environment, MyCube is supported by C-Cubed (Corporate Cube), which represents the collective change needs of the organisation set out by its leaders, he says.
“Through the design of MyCube, results are only considered results when they show up in what you do,” he says. “MyCube is integrated into the company’s performance management systems or competency assessments as a means to measure the outcome of a change in behaviour.”
The product was recently used at a multinational company with a staff of 2 000 staff in support of major IT changes that took place within the business. “The organisation experienced significant transformation, which was measured using a credible, international business culture management tool. Each person in the organisation received a personal cube, which reminded them of the process to work through when wanting to change value and behaviour,” says Barty.
He adds that MyCube can be used in any change process in business: including new ventures, mergers, retrenchments, human capital change processes, new IT systems, process re-engineering and team development programmes. “Once the required corporate change has been identified, and the change process mapped, then MyCube can be used in the implementation phase.”
Barty also runs MyCube workshops for groups or individuals. The cost of a three-hour workshop, including a manual, an access code to the website, and 10 week e-mail or text communications is R1 000 excluding VAT.
For more information visit info@mycube4change.co.za or call Kim Barty on 083 630 6861.
