From Vision to Action: Igniting the Passion and Imagination of an Organization to Introduce Positive

Continuous improvement is the essential component of long-term success.  Whether it is viewed as innovation, progress, or competitive advantage, the introduction of new ideas creates sustainable advantage for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) organizations.  However, to achieve success, organizations must recognize that the process of introducing new ideas requires the ignition of interest and curiosity within the organization.  This is critical to propelling continuous improvement.  The continuing challenge for organizations is to ignite, foster, and expand the passion for innovation and new practices throughout this process.

Through a literature search, survey, structured interviews, and a series of case studies, this research effort conducted by the CII Vision-to-Action team provides empirical evidence that a gap exists between the initial step of establishing a vision for new practices and the overall implementation process. The findings of the current effort culminated in the development of the short-form “Hot List” and the Implementation Process Action Tool (IMPACT) which provide implementation teams with both a qualitative and a quantitative foundation for igniting organization change and moving from vision-to-action.

While the short-form resource provides an expeditious approach to mobilizing executive management to consider new ideas and act on them, a central element of the IMPACT tool process is moving from vision-to-action as a journey across a bridge.  Crossing the vision-to-action gap, the journey requires organizations to prepare for distinct steps as follows:

• Preparing to Cross – A focus on management buy-in and the development of the appropriate vision for implementation.
• Getting on the Bridge – A focus on the establishment of metrics and statements of necessity to ensure that the organization understands why the implementation is being undertaken and how it is going to be evaluated.
• Starting the Journey – A focus on ensuring that a team has been put in place to guide the implementation and a focus on the existence of resources to support the implementation.
• Checking the Supports – A final checkpoint to determine if the appropriate cultural, management, and technical support is in place for a successful implementation.
• The Main Crossing – Ensuring that the organization has a defined plan and roadmap for completing the implementation effort.
• Addressing the Barriers – Prior to completing the journey, the organization must determine if common barriers will be encountered and if they are prepared to address these barriers.
• Exiting to Action – A focus on communications and the ability of the organization to communicate what it has done, how it will build on this, and the importance of the new practice to the organization.

The challenge for the individual seeking to improve existing paradigms within EPC organizations is to capture the imagination of executives through the use of the short-form resource and subsequently to utilize the IMPACT tool to assess commitment to implementation and continuous improvement.  Ultimately, organizations must determine if they are willing to put the resources and management support behind the continuous improvement opportunity presented by an innovative idea.