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Billy Ingram

Are your organizational metrics getting the results you desire? If you are like most organizations, it is a mixed bag. Some results are great and some, not so much. However, a careful review of your metrics, and the results they get, is a great place to find opportunities. Many times, simple adjustments to metrics focused on changing behavior can have a dramatic effect on organizational performance.

An easy first step in your analysis is to find the metrics where you are performing well. This is usually simple to accomplish because you can just ask the stakeholders who are responsible for the current results. Most people will highlight the positive and minimize what they perceive as negative. This is a great opportunity to understand the behavior your formal metrics and informal culture trigger. Carefully documenting the conversation and comparing what the person thinks is important with the stated goals of the organization can be enlightening and insightful.

Does the stakeholder’s understanding align with the organization’s goals? Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and SWOT analysis are two common Lean Six Sigma methods used to understand, analyze, and answer this question. These methods provide a relatively easy and repeatable way to identify which metrics need to be addressed and to whom. Both methods involve prioritizing the results from the stakeholder’s and the organization’s perspectives. Often, the metrics match but the prioritization does not. Clearly sharing why one metric is more critical than the other is very important if you want to change the stakeholder’s perspective. However, clarity is not always a compelling enough reason for stakeholders to agree to change.

Your organization’s mission can be the glue that pulls stakeholders together or the force that pits them against each other

Sharing how metrics, and their prioritization, align and advance your organizational mission is also critical in getting diverse stakeholders to understand and adopt them. Your organization’s mission can be the glue that pulls stakeholders together or the force that pits them against each other. Most organizational leaders prefer the former. This leads to another question. Do you practice what you preach?

The reason your words must be supported by action is simple. Changing anything is hard. You create influence through strong relationships and trust. Trust is built like a house, one brick or board at a time on a strong foundation. When you act in the way you expect others to act, you build trust. You need a lot of influence to overcome the inherent resistance of the status quo. Creating enough influence to get people to act is a challenge. If your belief and actions align with your words, you will find it easier to get others to act. They will be following your example. If your stated beliefs and actions don’t align, you will find it impossible.

Getting everyone aligned to work on the same prioritized metrics will move your organizational mission forward. But only if people act. Great strategy and planning mean nothing if no one does anything. However, there is something worse than doing nothing. What if they act in a way that’s contrary to the values of your organization?

How your stakeholders act on your organization’s mission is just as important as their alignment. Every stakeholder needs to be pulling in one direction while acting on the same values. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of resources and effort with people pulling against each other and going nowhere.

Reviewing your organizations’ key metrics, and the behavior they cause in your stakeholders is a great place to find opportunities. Ensuring that stakeholders understand the priority and why your metrics are important will help you gain their support and best efforts to advance them. Demonstrating how you want your stakeholders to act while pursuing your mission is the most potent way to engage them in your cause. Leaders who want to engage stakeholders in their cause and ensure the success of their organization will take the time and make the effort to pursue these actions.