68 Change and the Power of Small Wins

There is an interesting insight from neuroscience about the way in which humans create habits and rituals in their lives.  Researchers at Duke University have found that much of our everyday patterns of behaviour is habitual.¹ While this allows us to build patterns of good behaviour, it is also challenging when we want behaviour to change. Clues from neuroplasticity show us that mindfulness techniques can be really useful here as we seek to pay very deliberate attention to those things that may have become habitual and ‘re-wire’ our brain to take on and adopt small new habits and ways of working.²

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.³  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.

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.

As you listen to this short video reflect on your personal experiences with the insights that are discussed.

Just because you work in an HRO doesn’t mean that you are always looking for ‘what could go wrong?’ and ‘what needs to go right?’   You are also in the business of success, achievement and creating new things. It is almost time for you to go back to thinking about innovation and that concept of ambidexterity.

In fact, ‘small wins’ are strongly correlated with innovation.⁴ This insight is based on a major research project focused on progress, motivation, innovation and successes. The research paper is enticingly titled The Power of Small Wins, by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. They explored teams such as those that discovered the double helix, so no ‘small stuff’!

Here are some of the principles they highlight.

• Progress on anything tends to shape reactions. This progress principle, as Amabile and Kramer call it, works most effectively when people and teams are working on something meaningful. This is about progress in meaningful work. 
• When people experience the sense of progress more often, they are more likely to be creatively productive in the long term. 
• Everyday progress, or ‘small wins’, can and do make all the difference to how we feel and perform. Minor milestones are enough. As the authors note, big wins are great but they are rare. 
• The progress principle works when it is visible. Later in the unit we will explore the 30:60:90 Day process, which is a technique that tracks consolidation of a series of ‘small wins’, in teams, over time, on view.⁵

We would like you to try this for five consecutive days, ideally with some of your colleagues.

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.

a. Set the milestones, small and large

b. Give each other autonomy

c. Notice progress

d. Show respect

e. Encourage each other

Here are some tips on how to debrief and reflect on this exercise. Look at patterns. Use the Progress Tools as a way to diagnose the outcomes of your week’s DPC.

• Did you encourage?
• Did you celebrate and notice?
• Did you support each other?
• Did you help each other?

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

1. Neal, D. T., Wood, W., & Quinn, J. M. (2006). Habits—A repeat performance. Current directions in psychological science, 15(4), 198-202.
2. Doige, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself. New York: Viking, 6.
3. 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
4. Amabile, T. M., & Kramer, S. J. (2011). The power of small wins. Harvard business review, 89(5), 70-80.
5. Watkins, M. D. (2013). The first 90 days, updated and expanded: proven strategies for getting up to speed faster and smarter. Harvard Business Review Press.