Step 7: Communicate benchmarking findings.
"A
man may well bring a horse to the water, but he cannot make him drink." (Heywood,
c. 1540 )
Input to Step 7: The input to Step 7 is the output from Step
6:
- The final report on
findings and recommendations of benchmarking effort.
A.
Communicate the findings.
Successful
change will require a common understanding and a willingness to make the
changes work. Communicate the findings of the benchmarking effort and gain
acceptance and support widely and deeply throughout your organization and
among your customers.
For
the internal customers of the process, prepare a presentation of the findings,
analysis, and recommendations to achieve the desired goals and results. Be
objective and as detailed as the intended audience requires. Have those who
will actually be working in the process perform it and provide feedback.
Some
ideas to disseminate the information in a different way include:
·
Make the benchmarking report a freestanding PC presentation in the
lobby/cafeteria.
·
Hold one-on-one sessions with key individuals.
·
Provide presentations to small and/or large groups with a feedback form
and/or a question-and-answer period.
·
Have a facilitated discussion within each division.
·
Display a flowchart or blueprint that illustrates the .as-is. and
.will-be. process.
·
Evaluate
who else should be informed. External customers and stakeholders may also have
a need to know and could possibly contribute positively to the changes in your
process. It is extremely valuable to compare feedback data from your customers
gathered both before and after the changes are made to help measure success.
Collecting
the feedback in a formal way can be as simple as setting up an E-mail address
for the benchmarking initiative or adding a survey to your home page. And Don't
forget to let your benchmarking partner(s) know the output and outcome of your
study. Allow them to share in your success stories.
B.
Collect and analyze any input/feedback.
Allow
the BMK Team, QMB, and ESC to gather and review any feedback data received from
internal/external customers, stakeholders, and benchmarking partners. Not every
suggestion needs to be implemented, but they should all be discussed and
considered. Some helpful and important information on the process itself and on
the chances of successfully implementing changes to the process can be found
there.
A Word of Advice: The changes may affect
budgets, organizations, and positions. As a result, the findings may receive
mixed reviews. .Rice bowl. issues may ensue. To counter attempts at sabotage,
proceed carefully but confidently. Use objective language. Your research will
validate and justify your proposed changes. And try not to take criticism
personally. Change stirs up fears.
Output of Step 7: The output from Step 7 in the input for Step
8.
- Feedback on the
recommended process changes.
Quality
Advisor's Checklist
Before
moving to the next step, the quality advisor should review the following
checklist:
- Have the findings been communicated throughout the organization in a way
that promotes understanding and acceptance?
- Has the feedback been looked at and considered by all the BMK Team and
QMB members?
- What is the comfort
level for support of these changes to the process?
- Was there consensus
and commitment to the findings at every level of the organization? z Was
the data collected used to validate and justify the changes?
Disclaimer: This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not, in any way, a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 or any standards issued by OSHA.