August 1996 € Volume 6 € Number 8

For Complete Success, Eliminate The Sacred Cows

By Michael Kane, CPIM

Companies attempting to reengineer their business processes commonly spend infinite amounts of time, effort and money developing information networks and strategic visions of how the company will look and operate in the future. However, the majority of reengineering efforts that are unsuccessful fall short not because of technical and strategic issues, but because the tactical portion of the project has not been adequately addressed.

Paradoxically, the tactical aspects of reengineering are simple, common sensical and relatively easy to execute. So much so, that it is often assumed that the people involved in the process will automatically take care of them. This assumption can prove fatal.

The tactical aspects of reengineering include communicating the need to reengineer and creating an issue around which the organization can rally. These tactics are critical. The reason: Feedback from the communication issues allow managers to identify the Sacred Cows -- those employees who undermine improvement efforts and take proprietary interest in their own welfare without regard to the company or others in the organization. Companies that do not address this will find their reengineering effort trampled to the ground.

Change is a difficult chore
All people struggle with breaking away from the older, more comfortable methods of accomplishing their daily activities. Most will attempt the change because they understand that it's best for the company and their careers. Sacred Cows carry resistance to change to a higher level. They do not accept the responsibility or accountability for the change process. How many times have professionals in the workplace listened to someone say, "I told you it wouldn't work"? Or, have seen seemingly responsible employees lag behind in an improvement until they were assured it would succeed. These are warning signs that Sacred Cows are making their presence felt.

Resistance to change is infectious and saps companywide enthusiasm needed to create revolutionary change. For example, an aerospace company in the midst of a reengineering effort was developing its "Blueprint for Improvement." Employees suggested an information system-generated audit trail was needed to track the number of schedule changes to customer due dates. A Sacred Cow in the information systems department was asked to assist by developing the capability. When asked if he could respond to the reengineering team's request, he answered, "No, because the information system does not have this additional capability." After several weeks of investigation it was learned that the system already had the capability. When questioned as to his response, he stated, "You asked only if I could create a new history file, not if one already existed." This type of situation is extremely demoralizing to others in the organization.

Branding the Sacred Cows
Astute management teams contemplating reengineering are well aware that these individuals can derail an improvement effort. That is why managers employ tactical insurance to make sure Sacred Cows do not get in the way of change. The four effective tactics are:

Communicate constantly with employees.
Work closely with employees in the change process.
Give employees the tools they need to be successful.
Make employees feel like valuable members of the team.

It is precisely because the tactics are so simple that their implementation is overlooked. This is especially important with Sacred Cows because their experience can be valuable in developing improvement actions. Sacred Cows that become positive boost the buy-in of the work force and go a long way toward making the reengineering initiative successful.

Cut them out of the herd
If the positive approach doesn't work, management must remove the individuals from the organization. This is necessary because of the harm they can inflict. For example, a supervisor of more than 30 years at a transportation manufacturing company believed the way they were conducting business was just fine "because it worked when I started with the company." He was involved in the first area that was redesigned and he fought the installation the entire way. What should have been a three-month effort turned into seven months because of the problems caused by this supervisor. Instead of removing the individual, management moved him to an area that was on the fringes of the installation. The supervisor started quickly with subversive tactics that hindered that installation as well.

Management must make the determination of success quickly by working directly with the Sacred Cows of the organization. The employee will ideally become a valuable member of the change process . If this does not occur, the employee needs to be removed from the organization to ensure harm is not caused to the firm. It is unfortunate that situations that should benefit everyone involved can come to such drastic decisions; however, failure to act quickly with a few Sacred Cows can cause harm to a reengineering effort and, in turn, the performance potential of the entire organization.

Michael E. Kane is a member of Spectrum Management Consulting, Wallingford, Conn. He holds an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master's degree in industrial technology from Central Connecticut State University.

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