When Trying “Harder” Doesn’t Work - Try “Different”
You can’t get to 100% on your core measures.
The usual mantra is to ‘try harder’. Trying harder is impossible when you’re already trying as hard as you can.
But you can always try different.
In addition to my work for LifeWings I also fly an MD-11 for FedEx. We guarantee your package will be there overnight. On time. A 99.99% success rate won’t cut it. If we deliver 7 million packages a day, that means 700 will not make it on time to the right place and right person. These 700 service failures would be honest mistakes, made by smart, dedicated people working as hard as they can.
No matter how hard we try, we wouldn’t do better than 99% on effort alone. So we rely on a system completely different from what most organizations do. Same number of people, same number of hours working, 100% accuracy.
We added teamwork to the mix. The type of teamwork and collaboration wherepeople cross-check one another, speak up when needed, and catch the inevitable slips, trips, and lapses that humans make - to detect and correct errors before the package is late. Or, before the patient doesn’t get antibiotics on time, or doesn’t get an aspirin on check in.
If it’s not working, harder might not be the answer. Creating a culture of accountability might be.
