Lesson 17: Fast-Cycle-Full-Participation

by Joanna Ng

Fast Cycle Full Participation

Key Distinctions:

• About WORK SYSTEM DESIGN and not for other purposes
• An adaptation of SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS analysis and design
• INSTRUMENTED: specific materials facilitate the application of the method
• HIGHLY FLEXIBLE: The five (5) elements may be applied and combined depending on the needs of the clients.
• CAN YIELD DEPTH QUICKLY: various and diverse perspectives come from the involvement of many people.

Author of Fast Cycle Full Participation

Allan Scott Fitz, Ph. D.

• Former member of the medical school faculty at Yale University
• Former manager of organization development for Digital Equipment Company
• Member of the Portsmouth Consulting Group since it was founded in 1980
• During his graduate school, he worked with Russ Ackoff—Pioneer of Operations
• Research—and Herb Shepard—founder of the organization development field.

Gray R. Frank, Ph. D.

• Independent consultant with 18 years of experience
• Guides client through major systems changes to create high-performance work systems
• Clients: Johnson & Johnson, Nabisco, Weyerhaeuser Company, Amoco, Monsanto and the United States Government
• Former manager of OD for Storage Technology Corporation
• Former member of the graduate faculty at the University of Colorado

About Fast-Cycle Full-Participation (FCFP)

• A method used to improve the effectiveness of an organization by using its output metrics as basis (i.e. revenue, cost, quality and cycle time)
• It redesigns the work systems in order to improve and produce higher outcomes

The Process

• Organizations are PRODUCING SYSTEMS. (Producing systems – it takes items FROM the environment and converts them into products and services that are DESIRED by the environment)
• This transformation can be called as the ORGANIZATION’S CORE PROCESS wherein the success of the organization will depend on this.
• You must first DESIGN the CORE PROCESS right then let every other design SUPPORT fully the core process.

Participants

A redesign process can be done by:

• Consultant
• In-house representatives
• Most or ALL of the people in the organization
• The FCFP uses this only
• WHY?

-It can be accomplished in a short amount of time

-High Levels of Participation and commitment

n ROLES:

n SPONSOR

n FACILITATOR

n PARTICIPANTS

n DATA INTEGRATOR

n BETWEEN-MEETING COMMUNICATOR

WHY IT WORKS

n Its grounded on TWO WELL-VALIDATED APPROACHES TO SYSTEM CHANGE

n SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS THEORY

n SEARCH CONFERENCE

When not to use

n The task is essentially about solving current problems versus creating a different future.

n There is pervasive ill will in the organization.

n There exists no collaboration agreement between management and the union, if there is one.

n There is no need for work system redesign.

Common Mistakes

n NOT USING THE WHOLE METHOD: picking and choosing less than the required five elements given in the method.

n FRAMING THE CHANGE EFFOET AS A SERIES OF EVENTS AND NOT AS A WHOLE ORGANIC CHANGE EFFORT: The five (5) elements become the change effort (event only).

n SIMPLE COMPLETION OF THE ELEMENTS IS SUFFICIENT FOR CREATING CHANGE

SUSTAINING THE RESULTS

n ATTAINMENT OF BENEFITS:

n Performance Improvement in target areas

n Affective and cohesive work relationship with members.

n Keep bringing people together in large meetings to work on issues that will enable organizations to keep moving forward.

Source:
Notes