Turning Plans Into Action

In the article titled "Change for the Better," we mentioned a concept called "the Knowing-Doing Gap." We said that knowing what to do about something is definitely not the same as doing something about it. Authors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton identified the causes of this "gap" in their excellent book  of the same title, and they go on to explain how to close it.

Their message is clear: Executives must use plans, analysis, meetings and presentations to inspire action. Companies that act on their knowledge eliminate fear, abolish internal competition, measure what matters and promote leaders who understand the work their people do (see F. Edwards Deming’s famous 14 points which follow, especially Point No. 8).

I have a tendency to reference F. Edwards Deming frequently. I do so because I firmly believe he outlined the definitive and best management philosophy way back in 1949. If you want to succeed with CRM, you really need to heed all of Deming’s 14-point management philosophy. Here is a brief synopsis of the points: