Kirk Harper is a longtime continuous improvement practitioner and the author of The Book on Successful Transformation: Structural Readiness and the Governance of Integrity Under Pressure. More importantly, he has seen quite a few "big transformations" that looked great in a slide deck but fell apart in real life. On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, Kirk joins host Dan Swartwout to talk about what really determines whether change will stick.

Kirk believes that most transformations do not fail because of the tools. They fail because people do not feel safe being honest when things are going wrong. Want to know something real about the culture of your organization? Plant a little "bad news" that might not be entirely accurate and see how it travels up the chain of command like a game of telephone. Does the story sound a lot better by the time it reaches the top? Then your organization is not ready for change. To assess readiness, Kirk explains how his iTransform method can help you decide whether your organization should stop, stabilize, or proceed with change.

Kirk also explains what real organizational transformation feels like. When the people closest to the work feel a sense of ownership, the room sounds different. The hallway sounds different. Even the morning walk to the shop floor feels different. By the time Dan and Kirk reach the end of their conversation, you may find yourself asking a new question. Not "What tools should we use" but "What would it take for my place to feel like that?"

In this episode, you will hear about:

0:38 - Introducing Kirk Harper

2:44 - The organization underneath the tools and methods

4:15 - Testing an organization's readiness for change

6:41 - Psychological safety

7:38 - The concept of Structural Readiness

11:04 - The governance of integrity under pressure

11:57 - Reverting back to safety

13:07 - The iTransform gate

18:28 - Being told "Do Not Proceed" or "Stabilize"

19:54 - The 90-day alignment period before implementing change

22:06 - A structurally unsafe transformation attempt

26:21 - The ASCEND transformation methodology

30:08 - Warning signs that a system isn't safe for change

31:06 - Practical steps leaders can take right now

33:03 - Neurosync Technologies

Additional Resources:

Kirk Harper on LinkedIn

The Book on Successful Transformation: Structural Readiness and the Governance of Integrity Under Pressure on Amazon

Neurosync Technologies

MoreSteam's YouTube Channel

Quality Time With MoreSteam on Facebook

Quality Time With MoreSteam on Instagram

Quality Time With MoreSteam on LinkedIn

MoreSteam's Website

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MoreSteam on LinkedIn

Dan Swartwout on LinkedIn

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