Rabbits do not put up with solving a problem multiple times. They do not "encourage or admire workarounds, firefighting, and heroic measures." Spear notes that it is impossible to exaggerate the value of getting this right. The cost and effort of solving a problem multiple times is unacceptable in high-velocity companies. They simply do not tolerate it.
And often when one problem is solved it reveals another that was previously hidden by the first. Spear calls this the "...paradoxical benefit that solving one problem often reveals another that had been masked by the first one." This one dynamic of continuous improvement alone ultimately results in an exponential improvement in efficiency and reduction of costs.
High-velocity organizations require that each piece of work be done in a way that it tests the process of which it is a part and encourages bringing "...problems to the attention of those who can best analyze and solve them."
What's the take-away? High-velocity organizations are structured (see yesterday's post) to make the lines between functions fuzzy and accountable to each other and they improve exponentially from the dynamics of proactive continuous improvement. High-velocity organizations build a complex web of functional inter-dependency that is self-healing and to some extent self-managing through the dynamics of continuous improvement.
Any organization could start taking the steps to becoming the high-velocity rabbit in their sector by implementing these to initiatives:
- Mentor functional areas to "walk in the other man's shoes" and become accountable and integrated to each other.
- Encourage and reward bringing problems to the attention of those who can solve them. Not patch them up but permanently solve them.
Next time we'll talk about the Four Capabilities of High-Velocity Organizations.
