You just made the most brilliantperformance improvement pitchin your career. Your methodol-ogy was flawless, your findings

on target, and your recommendationsapproached genius. You’re expecting acall from the local news station anyminute for an interview about how yousingle-handedly turned around yourclient’s company. But something in theback of your mind tells you they didn’tbite. Yes, they smiled and nodded at theright times, but deep down you werewondering if they were just being polite.Another possibility is that they got it; theysaw the light and the potential, but didnot believe they could pull it off. The ela-tion you had moments before has nowbeen replaced with a sinking feeling inyour stomach. Are the ideas you planteddoomed to die of malnourishment?

Take two. Another client, another time…You just survived the most exhausting pre-sentation of your career. You believe theclient woke up that morning eating rawmeat, and you were dessert. They foughteach of your carefully crafted recommen-dations tooth and nail. They challenged

your research and your findings. Whywould they do this when they are paying toget the benefit of your expertise?

Have you lived through either of thesescenarios? If so, the following article ismeant to help you, the performanceimprovement practitioner, get clients toact on the recommendations you make.

There are three reasons companies cannotsolve their performance problems:• failing to recognize that a problem

exists• addressing symptoms rather than

root cause • having the will to institute the remedies

As Einstein once put it, “The significantproblems we face cannot be solved at thesame level of thinking we were at whenwe created them.” But that is the sourceof our dilemma. Companies want you topropose a solution that fits in withtheir current paradigm, or how theysee the problem, because the alter-native view either eludesthem or they are very uncom-fortable acknowledging it.

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ThePerformanceImprovement Dilemmaby Gregg Maslak

14 www.ispi.org • APRIL 2003

Recognizing Problems

Many clients are unable to distinguish problems from busi-ness as usual. The reasons vary from an inability to recognizesubtle changes in the environment (where previouslyaccepted levels of performance are now insufficient) to anoutright denial of the facts (where a protectionist mentalityhas taken root). What has to be determined is whether thisblind spot is based on lack of information, resistance tochange, or both.

Once the source of the blind spot is identified, the practi-tioner can address it. Gathering enough evidence to demon-strate the actual problem should be the first course ofaction. A practitioner should look for data that have beenpreviously generated within the organization. Look fortrends or conclusions drawn by previous efforts. The datacollected should be translated in a form that the client rec-ognizes as meaningful. Using abstractions or technical jar-gon may make you feel like you have justified your fee, butit will not help your client understand you any better.Likewise, if you have clients participate in the selectionand processing of these data, they are less likely to questiontheir validity.

Once the data have been gathered, a case should be built forwhat would happen if nothing is done to address the data.In this manner you can increase the awareness of the prob-lem, or using an addiction metaphor, raise the bottom (thatis, the point to which the issue will cause the organizationto crash). Removing the client’s current illusion of stabilitymay help that client take action much sooner.

I once participated in a team-building “ropes” course. It wasa challenge by choice, where the pinnacle of the day is theparticipant climbing to the top of a telephone pole, wearinga secured harness, and jumping to a trapeze about 25 feetabove the ground. I did okay climbing the pole until I got tothe top and was in the awkward position of having myhands on the top the pole and my feet resting on either sideon climbing pegs. Unfortunately, in this position your headis oriented toward the ground. Even at 20 feet you feel like

you are a long way from where you naturally belong. At thatpoint I froze. I could not find a reason to step on top of thepole, nor could I chicken out. I felt very vulnerable.

Meanwhile, my teammates were yelling words of encour-agement from the ground. One of them, who had previouslyperformed this challenge, yelled, “The top is solid. Put afoot on the top of the pole.” She was right. As soon as I putmy foot on top of the pole, I felt its stability. I knew it wassafer to have my feet on top of the pole than where theywere. I put my other foot on top of the pole and slowly stoodup. The trapeze was a lot closer than it had seemed from theground. It was at eye level and just a few inches from reach.I was relieved. I made the jump, and was lowered to theground by my cheering teammates.

The point is, you must get the client to leave the safety of their current point of view to a new, uncertain level. Then you guide them to a better place. where they can findfresh stability.

Separating the Cause From the Effects

Another reason organizations have difficulty solving theirperformance problems is that many organizations have dif-ficulty separating the symptom from the malady. As a result,they are constantly wondering why the same issue con-stantly arises. Worse yet, they give up trying to solve a prob-lem because “it’s been tried before and nothing came of it.”

What can make an organization take a fresh look at a prob-lem and work on solving the root cause? For one, showinghow others have solved a similar problem may open theclient’s eyes to the possibilities before them. There is no bet-ter response to “it can’t be done” than to show how some-one else has already done it. As a performance improvementpractitioner, you have the benefit of being exposed to someof the best practices in the industry, and you have accessto resources that leverage your own personal experience.You should draw on those resources to show how undersimilar circumstances, an organization just like theirssolved similar issues.

Another way to tease out root cause is to use this simpletest: For every solution proposed, ask how it will solve theproblem at hand. Many purported solutions will be elimi-nated, and some will be modified until you get to the pointwhere you have a solution that actually gets you on track tocuring the problem, not the symptom. You can also employthe total quality management practice of asking the questionWhy? five times as a means of driving out root cause. Thisprocess breaks down a problem until there are no moresymptoms left. Leading clients through a thorough exami-nation of the problem and getting them to identify andunderstand the real root cause will reduce much of the grieffor both of you in the long run.

It takes the same skills to influence a manager as it does a subordinate. You

have to show what’sin it for the client.

Where There Is a Will…

Let’s face it: Many individuals are risk averse. So when tryingto gain commitment for an intervention you have to help yourclient build support in their organization, including manage-ment. What builds management support? Tying the problemand benefits of the solution to those things that the managercares about. If you cannot make it meaningful to the manager,then the chances of success are slim. Have you ever managedup? It takes the same skills to influence a manager as it does asubordinate. You have to show what’s in it for the client. Inmany cases, linking the problem to a business issue they careabout will get their attention. You need management’s com-mitment to secure the resources, support you when doubt setsin, and to rally others to your aid. That’s why at the beginningof any performance improvement project you should makesure that you are working at the right level of the organization.It’s a waste of time to develop an intervention for areas yourclient has neither the control nor influence over.

Summary

What can you do to get your client to take your recommen-dations and fly? You must: build the case, create a clear

vision of the solution that addresses the current problem,not the symptoms, and gain management commitment bytying the solution to something they care about.

Related Reading

Block, P. (1999). Flawless consulting (2nd ed.). San Francisco:Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Gregg Maslak has 18 years of experience applying technology and perfor-

mance improvement practices to needs within organizations. He is well versed

in project management, change management, knowledge management, OD

interventions, and total quality management. Additionally, Mr. Maslak has pre-

sented on the subject of change management for students pursuing

Performance Improvement Certification through the University of Texas at

Dallas. He received an MBA in Business Management from the University of

Dallas and a BBA in Computer Science and Management from Pace University.

Mr. Maslak is a member of PMI (Dallas Chapter), DFW KM Forum, DFW

Organizational Development Network, and the North Texas Home Brewers

Association. He works for Idea Integration, an information technology consult-

ing company in Dallas. He may be reached at gregg.maslak@idea.com.

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