The Performance Culture

CHAPTER 9Systems Cement the Change

How to make your culture run (almost) on autopilot.

Before we explore the final step in the ABCS, let’s pause for a brief recap.

At this point we’ve identified the right problem to solve, and gotten clear on exactly what the problem is. That’s Awareness. We’ve also clearly defined and described the actions that we believe will help solve the problem at hand. That’s Behaviors. We’ve then rallied and educated a group to help spread the word, and spread the behaviors, to be sure that the work doesn’t rest solely with a few people who might struggle to keep things moving forward on their own. In that sense, we’ve democratized the problem and the behaviors by bringing others along. That’s Community.

Now we’re looking to drive these changes deeper into the fabric of the company, through intentionally and confidently crafting systems that make it clearer and easier to perform the behaviors over and over again.

The first three elements of the ABCS model enable us to get things right some of the time. Systems enable us to get things right most of the time. The difference between a team that harnesses creativity some of the time, and a team that has systems that support repeatable behaviors that harness creativity most of the time, is profound. Think of the most creative companies you know. I’m willing to bet that each of them has gone beyond solving the challenge right in front of them, to build systems that make it easier for employees to follow ...