BE Magazine - Volume 4, Issue 4 - (Page 47)

VIEWPOINT Zero Change Culture: Further Deﬁnition Vern Owens Construction Manager ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. I n a previous article, I deﬁned change, talked a little bit about when change can occur, when it can most successfully be cost-effectively inﬂuenced, and started to draw some parallels between a zero incident culture (ZIC) and a zero change culture (ZCC), with a clear focus on change identiﬁed late in the project cycle. My intention with this article is to strengthen those connections between the concepts inherent to both a ZIC and a ZCC. We teach in our ZIC presentations that a culture is a collection of uniform and enduring beliefs, customs, traditions, and practices shared and continued by the employees of a corporation. It is the invisible force behind the tangibles and observables in any organization, a social energy that moves people to act. Culture is to an organization what personality is to the individual. Culture represents the behaviors that employees are expected to follow. It creates norms for accepted behavior. It is a foundation from which feelings and ideas that are consistent with the corporation’s beliefs can spring. It inﬂuences external relations outside the company as well as the internal relations between the employees. Cultures do not just appear. They tend to be rooted in the values of the founders of an organization. For example, Southwest Airlines has a culture that reﬂects the values of its founder. They provide a low-cost transportation service and have fun doing it. Nordstrom, the department store, is known for its excellence in customer service and a near cult-like environment that fosters it, both a reﬂection of the founder’s beliefs. Cultures tend to evolve in response to organizational or group successes and failures. They grow out of adaptations to new circumstances, such as mergers between companies. They arise as a collective means of coping with difﬁcult situations. So what is a ZCC? It is a culture where every member of the organization feels responsible for working together to achieve a state of zero late change. Everyone knows that the organization supports them in this pursuit, and they are provided with the tools, methods, and person states (that is, selfesteem, group belonging, personal control) to make zero late change a reality. Simply put, it’s everyone working together all the time to prevent late change, which leads to our goal of predictable project delivery! So what are some of the key attributes of a ZCC? s Transparency is a fundamental characteristic of the organization s Everyone in the group participates and buys into the concepts s There is a clear commitment from management to zero late change s Expectations with regard to late change are clearly articulated s The idea of zero late change is designed into processes and procedures s There is a clear focus on eliminating late change in everything we do s Everyone feels empowered to speak freely and intervene with regard to change management issues s Sufﬁcient resources are available to manage late change when it must occur s Group members are trained in the application of all change management tools and processes s People have a positive attitude regarding pursuit of the zero late change state s Means of measuring results are in place, and adjustments are made based on these metrics along the highway to zero late change s There is open communication regarding late change s Leadership in the pursuit of zero late change is by example s People are recognized for seeking out and eliminating late change How do we go about realizing a ZCC? We ﬁrst must accept that a ZCC can’t be simply mandated, it can’t be imported, it can’t be faked, and it can’t be created through wishful thinking. Achievement requires a vision and a strategy with leadership that motivates and inspires a commitment from everyone. It is only through the application of positive attitudes, changes in our most basic perceptions, possibly a process of evolution (or even revolution) that we can all become zero change leaders, and achieve success. We will all know that we have arrived at a ZCC when: s Everyone is actively involved in seeking out and eliminating late change s We all feel a consistent commitment from management s We all feel a sense of personal accountability for eliminating late change s Group members are recognized for their efforts to eliminate late change s We can all accept constructive feedback from our coworkers s All the tools, training, and mentoring we need to be successful are in place and functioning as a matter of routine, and a sense of satisfaction with our ability to manage late change How long will this take? The answer is that this is a process of change and nothing happens overnight. Expect this to be a long trip! This article, the second in a series of articles on change management by Vern Owens, was originally published in CPO Newsletter. Copyright 2007 ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. About Vern Owens Vern Owens has lived and worked in Alaska for 16 years, initially with ARCO Alaska, Phillips Petroleum Company, and currently with ConocoPhillips Alaska. He has held several positions all within the Capital Projects Group, including project leader, construction supervisor, and currently construction manager. Owens holds a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Volume 4, Issue 4 | BE MAGAZINE 47

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BE Magazine - Volume 4, Issue 4

BE Magazine - Volume 4, issue 4 Contents The Drive To Innovate News BE Newsletter Highlights Converging on the Market Bytes and Bricks Generative Components Building Courting Success Remodeling an Icon Structural Integration Building News From Bentley Civil Greenfield Airport Takes Flight Good Neighbors Collaborative Innovation Civil News From Bentley Advertisers Index Geospatial Ring of Fiber Revolutionizing Integrity Management Port City Transformation In Conversation With Greg Bentley Geospatial News From Bentley Plant Single-Source Service Committed to Cleaner Air Expediting Expansion Plant News From Bentley Strength in Numbers The Art of Visualization A Winning Legacy Zero Change Culture: Further Definition A Remarkable Collaboration With a Forward-Thinking Community

BE Magazine - Volume 4, Issue 4

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