Ensuring a Policy for Success

The following post is a story from our very first newsletter published a year ago. Since then, Equitable Life has continued to reap the benefits of applying The Tatham Method to their operations, and has continued training its employees to think differently, to challenge status quo and to always improve the customer experience. Here is their story:

Kitchener-Waterloo, July 2007 – In just two short years, Equitable Life of Canada (Equitable) has gained more than 30% in capacity and productivity in the areas that they focused on. It has achieved at least $785,000 in savings annually and is transforming its culture to being a flexible, customer-centric, demand-driven company.

While to some these improvements may seem bland, for Equitable – a well-established mutual life insurance company based in Waterloo, Ont. – they translate into much more: an improved work environment, happier customers, consistent results and streamlined activity — and that, is priceless.

The secret? It’s in two words: Boot Camp.

The Change Paradox

When was the last time you wore your watch on the opposite wrist or tried writing your name with the other hand? If you’re like me, I’m guessing it’s been a while. (But now that I’ve suggested it, go ahead. Try.)

These are exactly the kinds of exercises that help our brain open up to new ways of doing things. When we challenge routine activities, our brain senses a new experience and forces us to change our behaviour. Still, why is change so difficult?

In an article published by the Scientific American Mind, author Nikolas Westerhoff suggests that age might have something to do with the challenges of changing our behaviour. Westerhoff writes that as people get older, they tend to become less inclined to change, even though they claim to be open to new ideas.

I hate to dissappoint you, but…

“…I don’t have a solution for you. My suggestion would be that you come up with it yourself.”

That was this gist of my conversation with an acquaintance this weekend at a holiday party. I realize this answer is not terribly polite, but before you decide it’s because I had too much spiked eggnog, allow me to explain. The preceding conversation – like most party small talk – went something like this:

Getting to the ‘root’ of the issue

Lately when I find time to read – which usually happens when I’m crammed into a streetcar on the way to work – I’ve been voraciously attacking, page by page, an excellent book by Michael Pollan called The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

While the premise of Pollan’s book has little to do with business, process or culture change, there is a fabulous little excerpt about culling wild pigs on the Island of Santa Cruz, a tiny island just off the coast of California (p.324-325).

In the book, Pollan relates this story to the debate that rages between animal rights activists and ‘others’ (aka carnivores), as to whether or not hunting is morally right. While I won’t even attempt to open this can of worms, I couldn’t help but see this story as a perfect example of drilling down to the root cause of a problem by simply asking “why?”

There’s nothing like real life to remind you of the importance of process

A month ago, my partner and I moved into a brand new home. We decided that to help pay off the rather daunting mortgage, we would rent out the top floor as a separate apartment. After carefully assessing the extent of the renos, we decided that we could probably do it ourselves. (If you feel like this is foreshadowing, you’re right!)

The first challenge was finding a tenant…which was surprisingly easy. An advance preview in the classifieds gave us a deluge of responses. One reliable tenant: check. The second challenge was configuring a tiny space into a kitchen. Thanks to Craig’s List and IKEA, we retrofitted a small nook. One cozy kitchen: check. And finally, the third challenge was putting together a spiral staircase to create the separate entrance. (You might be wondering, “why a spiral staircase?” The space was less than ideal for a regular set of stairs and we didn’t want a shared front entrance, so this was the best alternative.) One separate entrance: check.