{"id":39523,"date":"2021-04-26T07:00:27","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T05:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strtgy.design\/articles\/no-more-workshops\/"},"modified":"2021-04-26T07:00:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T05:00:27","slug":"no-more-workshops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strtgy.design\/en\/strtgy-notes-en\/no-more-workshops\/","title":{"rendered":"No more Workshops!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey, happy Monday,<\/span><\/p>\n

This thing of doing workshops I think is a little bit overused now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me confess something, the fact that someone wants to do a workshop is not a good sign, it is rather a desperate attempt to get the project back on track, to fix something that is not working: <\/span>the team<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s be clear, those who know me know that I love leading workshops; in fact, I can say that I specialize in designing, selling, and leading them, especially in complex, enterprise organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

And this is not an easy way to make money and work only on the day of the workshop, quite the contrary… Preparing a workshop requires many hours of preparation, design, and negotiation with managers to make sure you get the maximum impact from the little time you have.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s true: once the recipe is designed, the workshop is replicable. That is why I teach my Design Sprint recipe and deliver the slides of my <\/span>JTBD Design Sprint<\/b> only to Alumni participating in the Strategic Acceleration Program at STRTGY<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But 99% of the time the workshops make up for one, or more, of the team’s dysfunctions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first major dysfunction is that there is often no team. <\/b>There is just a group of people with a hot potato in their hands who have to produce any output before the next SAL (work progress status). It doesn’t know where to start or where to get to…. <\/span><\/p>\n

Second, and perhaps most important, is to understand that every innovation project is a mini change management project. Always. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is impossible to innovate if people continue to work the same way. But to really change it is not enough for the CEO to impose it. It is necessary first to make sure, when opening the organization’s refrigerator, that all the ingredients for the cake are present. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Vision<\/b> – Why are we doing this?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Skills<\/b> – Do we have all the necessary skills?<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Incentives<\/b> – What is the reward for commitment?<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Resources<\/b> – Do we have enough tools, budget and time?<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Action plan<\/b> – Who does what, by when?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    This model was first represented by Mary Lippitt, president of the Enterprise Management Group and is known as the “Model for Managing Complex Change.” <\/span><\/p>\n

    As you see just having all the ingredients ensures your success.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Otherwise all others lead to a dead end or at least to unpleasant feelings that I am sure you have already experienced.<\/span><\/p>\n

    How many failed projects can you now explain?<\/b><\/p>\n

    Do you have all the ingredients for the next project?<\/b><\/p>\n

    No more Workshops!<\/h2>\n

    In an ideal situation where the organization already has all the ingredients, workshops are perfectly unnecessary because everyone should be able to co-operate.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If there is a vision, the skills are there, the incentives are clear, the resources are there, and most importantly, there is an action plan. All that is left is to get to work and deliver your “little piece” within the deadline. Each little piece will fall perfectly as in the first level of Tetris…. <\/span><\/p>\n

    What happens if something is missing? You have to meet… <\/span><\/p>\n

    We come together because <\/span><\/p>\n