Knowledge Fulcrum

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Here’s an excellent example of how to use visual thinking to communicate information to your audience.  Given the flood of information we receive each day – your ability to rise above the noise and effectively communicate information just may make the difference between success and failure.  The name of the game is how much information can you effectively communicate to your audience in 2 minutes or less.  The saying is a pictures is worth a thousand words – well how much are hundreds of pictures worth?

This example comes to you from  Flowing Data by way of Cameron Herold - Back Pocket COO.  Thanks Cameron for the link.

Visual Management is any system, process or tool that provides real-time information and feedback about the status of the organization, departments and job functions.  Think of it as the organizational nervous system that connects employees to the critical activities needed to achieve the goals of the business.   It’s also what many refer to as KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators).  Visual Management systems can take on a number of different forms from sophisticated database applications to simple white boards mounted on a conference room wall.  Over the years, I’ve learned a tremendous amount through trial and error as to what seems to work best and what doesn’t.  Here are a few tips that might help.

Think of a visual management system as the scoreboard for your business.  At a minimum it should communicate:

• What are the goals the organization, department or job function is trying to achieve?
• What are the key measures or units of work?
• How are we performing in relation to our goals?
• What prevents us from reaching our goals?
• And, most importantly…what are we doing to contribute to reaching our goals?

It sounds a lot easier than it really is.  Here’s an example of what I would consider a better than average visual management example.  I took this photo when I was on a “Junction Tour” at the headquarters of 1800GotJunk in Vancouver, BC.  They’ve done a tremendous job of integrating a number of parts of the business into the area where they hold their daily huddles.  They’ve included information and metrics related to the long-term goals of the business, as well as operational information about the day-to-day activities by department that are critical to the success of the business.   

Now, here are a few things to consider when you are either add or modify your huddle boards within your business (see example below).

•  First, make sure your visual management board is broken down into three specific sections – “how”, “why” and “what”. The “HOW” should illustrate the performance (daily) with daily metrics that are critical to your business.  This could include things such as “number of calls”, “conversion rates”, etc.  They are the activities that matter to your financial or customer service performance.  Be sure to include the “goal” rate for performance within the graph (see example below). 
• The “WHY” should be a metric that is related to the “HOW.”  e.g., if you were tracking your turn-over, the “WHY” metric would be results from the exit interviews you conducted as to why the employee was leaving the company. 
• Finally, the “WHAT” should chart what corrective “actions” need to be taken, who is responsible, when it will be done, and what resources will be needed. 
• Use graphs, pictures and diagrams whenever possible.  There’s a reason for the saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words.” 
• Display “expected” performance levels whenever possible.
• Don’t sweat it if your board doesn’t look polished.  It needs to be adaptable to your market and industry’s changing environment. 
• Require your people interact with the data.  A simple way to do this is to NOT use computer programs to generate fancy graphs (e.g., Excel) but rather to make them draw the results on a white board.  When they interact manually with the data they will have to “think” about it – which in turn will help them see when something needs their attention.
• Include as many employees in the process whenever possible – this includes the design on your boards, deciding where to post them, and how to communicate the information.

Good luck!  And please share you ideas and examples with us.

If a picture is worth a thousand words – what’s a video worth? I’ve been a big, big fan of visual thinking for some time now.  Simply put – visual thinking is communicating information with pictures, symbols and graphics.  I first learned about the importance of visual systems when I started to dive into my Lean journey.  Check out the video below.  It’s a perfect example of how to use pictures, symbols and graphics to effectively communicate complex ideas and information. 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIQjrMHTv4

Here are the top reasons why I LOVE visual systems and thinking (in no particular order):

1.  Sometimes it’s easier to show a picture than find the right word.

2.  We process the majority of information through our eyes.

3.  Graphics cross over cultural and language barriers.

4.  Visual thinking uses more of your right brain which has a higher propensity for addressing complexity and ambiguity.

5.  Creativity is a right brain activity.

6.  Using pictures and combining symbols, you can communicate 4x more information. 

7.  People respond better to pictures than to text or data – why else would facebook have such a focus on photos?

8.  All of our innovations are created in our mind’s eye (hello, visual too).

9.  Using visual thinking you can easily break problems down into the 6 W’s (who/what/how much/where/when/how/and why) by using pictures.

10.  All you need is a pen, paper and your brain to make it work.

If you haven’t read it yet – go today and pick up The Back of the Napkin.  It’s one of my top 5 books in the past year – it will change how you communicate.  Dan Roam - if you see this, I want to meet you!  Get it?  See this?  I like funny too.

Panasonic Mood Phone

What if there were a way to systematically gather feedback from people within your organization that would provide you with immediate information on their mood – specifically, the level of energy they are exhibiting, their trust in the company and their peers, and how focused they are on their work at the moment?  Think of it as the ultimate feedback loop for organizations.   

Say you were able to walk into someone’s office and immediately know their mood (based on physiological functions), and then adapt your approach to fit their current state.  Does that seem like a far fetched idea?  Maybe it’s not so far off.

In late 2006, Panasonic and NTT DoCoMo designed a cell phone called the “Feel Talk.

Tags: Collaboration, Culture, Visual Systems & Management
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