Objective - objectives

Objectives are statements that will have specific outcomes. Objectives can be set at all levels of a company and can build upon one another from lower to higher level corporate functions. They are often set at the corporate level and then each lower business unit creates a set of Objectives to help support and meet the corporate objectives.  Sometimes they are in financial terms, especially at the corporate level. At lower levels in the company they may take many different forms, but must always have some statement(s) focused on financial results.
Objectives are part of the hierarchy of terms which help set and shape the strategy of a business or unit....

Corporate objectives are set by executive management and provide the focus for setting more detailed objectives at each functional level in the business. The corporate objectives relate to the business as a whole. Your objectives will line up with the corporate objective(s) and support it or them, however they will also be specific to your organization.
For example:

Corporate Objectives - Market share percent
Functional Objectives - Sales per customer
Unit Objectives - 5% increase in sales of product y

Objective examples:

1. Create delighted customers
2. Increase revenue to your division by 10K.
3. Decrease cost per unit of (your widget).
4. Increase market share to 51%
5. Bring xyz product to market on Dec. 5th, 2 months before competition
6. Provide learning opportunities to 25% of employees by end of second quarter
7. Have MS SharePoint on line within 90 days
8. Consolidate to three manufacturing locations by 2015
9. Provide new computers to sale force over the next 24 months
10. Hire 10 new engineers by Dec. 1st.
11. Initiate TQM for manufacturing Unit #1 on June 1st.
12. Move to new customer focused corporate office in by end of 3rd quarter
13. Reduce product waste to 10% on Jan.1, 5% on Dec.1, and 3% within 24 months
14. Cut energy consumption on Machine #20 by 5%
15. Increase factory Y's output 2% within 6 months
16. Eliminate waste to landfill by 2016

Causes of Failure within the Change Driver Process

On your road to Leadership and the implementation of Lean practices leading to the implementation of process changes there can be many bumps in the road.  The objective is to miss as many of these bumps or opportunities for failure as possible. Aside from the possible reasons for failure in the businesses' cultural infrastructure there are a number of reasons for the effort to fail due to causes within the process change itself.

Leading change is not a casual project - it can be costly in time, money, and even competitive advantage.  The desired business change must be carefully managed to result in a successful outcome. 

Remember: Failure is not an option!

In general, there are five common causes for failure.  These are obvious once you know them - but did you consider them before you jumped into your process changes?  Are you prepared to invest the necessary talent and time to ensure success and avoid the five things?

When you look at the five items below you will note their similarity to failures on any Project.  Think about large capital projects or the implementation of new management procedures, etc.  The five most common causes of failure within the Change Driver Process are:

1. Poor scope or goal definition for the process change
2. Poor definition of actions and their alignment to the stated goal(s)
3. Poor (or wrong) participation in the teams to accomplish the goal
4. Poor performance indicator monitoring of the results achieved
5. Poor communication of, and access to, the necessary information to accomplish the goal

See also:
- Drivers for Organizational Innovation
- Causes of failure for Change Drivers within the business infrastructure
- Example of a corporate Quality issue and suggested leadership approach

Where do I start? FIRST of Series

How can I implement Lean Leadership principals and programs with limited or no consulting services?

So many great ideas fail because of execution, not because the idea was bad.  It is the same with Lean Leadership principals and programs.  There are many opportunities for success - pushing your business to new heights with record profits.  There are also opportunities to add cost without seeing a return. I have seen how six-sigma programs, TQM, Leadership Programs and other processes have both helped and hindered companies. As the leader of your organization you must be sure you understand and internalize your path to success.  This blog is intended to help you understand the areas to focus on, the tools needed, where to find help, and to recognize when you really do need to seek expert advise.  This blog and its many posts can help you follow a path to understanding.  Along the way you will learn many things, however be ever aware that few can go it alone!  We can always learn from the experts and often they are the only ones who can push us along to achieve our goals. The path to "Lean Leadership" is not a walk in the park.  However there are many opportunities to take advantage of principals and tools which can be implemented in a logical order over a period of time.  Keep in mind that Lean Leadership is a process, not a single action.  You need to start somewhere, why not here.

Training and continuous Learning are the keys to success.  Everyone in the organization must be challenged constantly.  Training and Learning opportunities must be made available to encourage new thinking.  Implementing the ideas in this blog along with support and training where needed will get you on your way to success with limited costs.  Try for some small successes before taking on a complete culture or organization change.  Look for some 'quick fixes' to use as learning opportunities.

The main thing is not to take on too much until you and your organization have a solid foundation in the process tools you will use.  There are so many "tools" out there that you can get lost in the process.  Be careful when hiring consultants to help you.  Many of them are great and are really there to help... because they enjoy seeing people and companies succeed.  However, others are there to just generate cash flow for themselves or their company.  There are many one or two person consultation groups out there at very reasonable costs to work with you.  These individuals will have a personal, vested interest in your success.  Give the 'new guy or the lone consultant' a chance to provide you with the services you need.  These folks often have very reasonable daily/hourly rates that can be one half of the big guys rates and will provide focused results. They will not have all the fancy 'glossies' but will have the knowledge.

Try out some of the principals and processes outlined in this blog such as those shown on pages:

1. Strategy Factors
2. Success Path
3. Process Tools
4. How to...?
5. Lean Leadership

These pages will link you to many other posts that will show you the path!  It is also important to review many of the archived posts and subscribe to this blog to get the latest posts on your path to success.

Also see:
Where do I Start? SECOND
Where do I Start? THIRD