Abandonment must be practiced systematically.
“To abandon what? and “To abandon how? have to be practiced systematically. Otherwise they will always be “postponed,” for they are never “popular” policies.
In one fairly big company offering outsourcing services in most developed countries, the first Monday of every month is set aside for an abandonment meeting at every management level from top management to the supervisors in each area. Each of these sessions examines one part of the business—one of the services one Monday, one of the regions in which the company does business a month later, the way this or that service is organized the Monday morning of the third month, and so on. Within the year, the company this way examines itself completely, including its personnel policies, for instance. In the course of a year, three to four major decisions are likely to be made on the “what” of the company’s services and perhaps twice as many decisions to change the “how.” But also each year, three to five ideas for new things to do come out of these sessions. These decisions to change anything—whether to abandon something, whether to abandon the way something is being done, or whether to do something new—are reported each month to all members of management. And twice a year all management levels report on what has actually happened as a result of their sessions, what action has been taken and with what results.
ACTION POINT: Implement a process of systematic abandonment, such as setting aside the first Monday of every month for an abandonment meeting.
Management Challenges for the 21st Century
* Source: The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker