{"id":133315,"date":"2024-10-16T15:29:34","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T19:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=133315"},"modified":"2024-10-25T15:34:16","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T19:34:16","slug":"management-intervention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/management-intervention\/","title":{"rendered":"Management Intervention: What to Do If It Worked or Failed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is management intervention? How can you tell if your management intervention worked?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managers should use science-backed behavioral management principles to affect the change they want to see. Then, they should measure the impact of their interventions and fine-tune their methods over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out how to determine if your management intervention worked, and what you can do if it didn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Review Your Progress<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To be a better leader, you’ll evaluate whether your management intervention has helped you achieve your objective. To do this, gather new employee performance data<\/a> and compare your results. Then, determine whether the behavior changed and whether you\u2019re closer to achieving your objective than you were before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: As you gather your post-intervention data, make sure you\u2019re using the same methods you used to collect baseline data. For example, if you used a standardized rubric to evaluate abstract behaviors, don\u2019t make any changes to the rubric for Step 5. This ensures that you\u2019re getting what Naked Statistics<\/em><\/a> author Charles Wheelan calls \u201cquality data<\/a>.\u201d <\/em>Quality data is accurate and consistent, allowing you to make valid comparisons and draw reliable conclusions about the impact of your intervention.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also ask your employees for feedback about the reinforcements you\u2019ve been using. Daniels warns against asking people what reinforcements they want before your intervention because they may not know or answer honestly, but you can gather feedback afterward to gauge the intervention\u2019s effectiveness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: If you struggle with receiving or making good use of your employees\u2019 feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen offer helpful tips in Thanks for the Feedback<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>For example,they suggest that when it comes to critical feedback, it\u2019s best to temper your knee-jerk, defensive reactions and adopt a curious, open mindset instead.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Do If Your Intervention Failed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you determine that your intervention isn\u2019t working, Daniels says there are two possible reasons<\/strong>: First, your reinforcement may not have been effective. This could happen for a variety of reasons\u2014for example, you may not have chosen a reinforcement method that resonated with your employees, or you may have applied it too inconsistently. Second, you may have targeted the wrong behavior for change. This is likely the case when it seems that your employees\u2019 behavior has changed radically but you\u2019re still not getting the results you want. Use this information to guide your next intervention\u2014change either the reinforcements you use or the behavior you target, and see whether your results improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: If you\u2019re not sure why your intervention failed, try Toyota\u2019s \u201cfive whys\u201d method<\/a> for getting to the root of organizational problems<\/a>. Begin by asking why the intervention wasn\u2019t successful. For example, if employees aren\u2019t responding to the reinforcement, ask why that might be. If the answer is that employees aren\u2019t motivated by the rewards, the next \u201cwhy\u201d could be to explore why the rewards aren\u2019t motivating. Maybe the rewards aren\u2019t aligned with what employees value. Continue this process\u2014asking \u201cwhy\u201d for each answer\u2014until you identify the core issue<\/a>. The Toyota technique recommends that you ask \u201cwhy\u201d five times, but it might take more or fewer questions to arrive at your final answer.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Do If Your Intervention Was Successful<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, if you\u2019re happy with the results of your intervention, then you\u2019ve likely identified effective strategies for behavior management. However, you shouldn\u2019t stop there. Daniels recommends that you continue to refine and build on these successful elements to further enhance performance and achieve additional objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Daniels\u2019s advice to build on successful interventions mirrors the Japanese business philosophy known as kaizen<\/em><\/a>, which means \u201ccontinuous improvement.\u201d To practice kaizen, you must constantly make small, incremental changes to improve processes and outcomes. This allows you to keep refining your strategies, adapt to new challenges and opportunities, and boost your company\u2019s overall performance.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is management intervention? How can you tell if your management intervention worked? Managers should use science-backed behavioral management principles to affect the change they want to see. Then, they should measure the impact of their interventions and fine-tune their methods over time. Find out how to determine if your management intervention worked, and what you can do if it didn’t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":134166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,30],"tags":[1632],"class_list":["post-133315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management","category-work","tag-bringing-out-the-best-in-people","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nManagement Intervention: What to Do If It Worked or Failed - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Once you've finished your management intervention to change employees' behavior, you need to check if it worked. 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