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First, what is a ‘small win’? These are small, cumulative changes that build (team capability) to better manage the unexpected. Small wins are specific, complete, and implemented outcomes that have moderate importance to a project outcome. They allow for change without being confrontational or challenging. They let teams test and experiment, and they promote learning.

These are different to the idea of breaking a big project into smaller chunks. They are steps that help move the team in a new direction, or away from something that is not useful.

Small wins can be really important in situations where there is high risk and a danger of failure. And they work in situations where success leads to better outcomes.

A ‘small wins’ focus in such situations works like this – individuals and teams look for:

• Ways to avoid failure, and they look for ways to find success.
• Things that need to go right, and they look for things that could go wrong but need to go right.
• Things that have gone wrong and things that have gone right.

So this is a dual process that identifies small failures and small successes. The idea is that by identifying small failures, the team can work on correcting, early. At the same time, by identifying small successes the team can work on enabling and building, early. 

Small wins are about avoiding failure and finding success. The ‘small wins’ approach is a useful way, especially in HROs, to think about the steps and actions that could go wrong and require specific focus.

Small things and small wins thinking are fundamentally important to sound reasoning and critical thinking because they help to keep you aware of what is happening, and what that might mean.

Make a habit of noticing what might be a small win in your environment.

Here is another thing for you to think about: Some teams set target ‘small wins’ progress goals. Some teams like to compete! Any and all of these processes and tips make a difference. Some teams have small tokens that they leave, secret buddy style, for ‘small wins champions’.

Now that you have finished this DCL exercise, think about how you might use it as an ongoing tool, if you don’t have something like this already.

1. Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2011). Managing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty. Wiley. p. 32
2. Goh, K., Currie, G., Sarvi, M., & Logan, D. (2014, May). Factors affecting the probability of bus drivers being at-fault in bus-involved accidents. Accid Anal Prev, 66, 20-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2013.12.022

   Small wins

   There is a philosophy in HROs that small wins can help teams build an awareness of the possibility of failure!

   First, what is a ‘small win’? These are ‘small, cumulative, changes that build [team capability] to better manage the unexpected.[1]  Small wins are specific, complete and implemented outcomes that have moderate importance to a project outcome. They allow for change without being confrontational or challenging. They let teams test and experiment and they promote learning.

   These are different to the idea of breaking a big project into smaller chunks. They are steps that help move the team in a new direction, or away from something that is not useful.

   Small wins can be really important in situations where there is high risk and a danger of failure. And they work in situations where success leads to better outcomes.

   A ‘small wins’ focus in such situations works like this. Individuals and teams look for ways to avoid failure, and they look for ways to find success. They look for things that need to go right, and they look for things that could go wrong but need to go right. They also look for things that have gone wrong and things that have gone right.

   So this is a dual process that identifies small failures and small successes. The idea is that by identifying small failures, the team can work on correcting, early. At the same time, by identifying small successes the team can work on enabling and building, early.

    Small wins are about avoiding failure and finding success. The ‘small wins’ approach is a useful way especially in HROS to think about the steps and actions that could go wrong and require specific focus.

   Activity

   Small things and small wins thinking are fundamentally important to sound reasoning and critical thinking as they help to keep you aware of what is happening and what that might mean.

   Make a habit of noticing what might be a small win in your environment.

   Action: Create a Daily Check List (DCL) to track when you notice small things and when you have small wins! Share with a colleague and perhaps your team.

   We would like you to try this for five consecutive days.

   Make it visible and easy to access.

   This is an achievement progress record. This is NOT a ‘to do’ list.

   This is progress towards bigger goals and success.

   If you have others involved, make sure they add to the Daily Check List and encourage each other to notice your peers’ small wins.

   Action: Debrief and add to your Reflective Journal.

   Here are some tips on how to debrief and reflect on this exercise.

   Look for patterns. What did you notice overall?

   How did you motivate yourself and encourage others?

   How did you support each other?

   How did you help each other?

   Did you celebrate your small wins! And did you notice how these small wins turned into progress!

    

   Here is another thing for you to think about: Some teams set target ‘small wins’ progress goals. Some teams like to compete! Any and all of these processes and tips make a difference. Some teams have small tokens that they leave, secret buddy style, for ‘small wins champions’.

   Now that you have finished this DCL exercise, think about how you might use it as an ongoing tool, if you don’t have something like this already.

    

    

   [1] Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2011). Managing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty. Wiley. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=GU55MJOp1OcC

    

   [1] Weick, K. E. (1979). The Social Psychology of Organizing. McGraw-Hill. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=0LO9QgAACAAJ