Verschlimmbesserung

Don't you love it when you find a word that doesn't exist in English that expresses something completely familiar and totally new? Just me, then?

Verschlimmbesserung is a German word describing an attempted improvement that makes things worse.

Like that's never happened where you work.

A great new idea is proposed. It's probably not widely popular to begin with. Often because people don't see the value, it's a bad time, lots of other things are happening, or everyone's feeling flat as a pancake. (Now I want pancakes.)

It's pushed through and goes pear-shaped (mmm ... pancakes with poached pears). But we keep going because we've put all this effort into it. Leaders are expecting it to launch and then get some reporting on how great it's going. So maybe if we just double down, it will all work out.

It's a disimprovement - probably the closest English word. It's not working. It's just causing stress. But egos, time and money are involved, so it will take someone brave or something catastrophic for things to change.

So do you dump out of it or fix it? Yep, that's a question.

But how do you avoid Verschlimmbesserung situations?

> Engage those who will be using or impacted early in the thinking and decision-making process.

> Find lots of different ways to communicate often and share why it's important and how it will help.

>Help sustain the success of the initiative by offering great support.

And if you do, the outcome will be much more likely to leave you feeling like that cat who got the cream (which will go nicely with the pancakes... yum. And where did that image come from??? I'm going to get some food which might Verschlimmbesserung my diet).

#doingworkthatmatters #change #implementation #engagement #leadership

Gayle Smerdon