Even the best ideas can fail if they aren’t supported with enough time, money, or people. For meaningful change to occur, leaders must not only champion improvement but also commit the resources needed to both implement and sustain the change process.
We’ve all seen it, great ideas that go nowhere because no one thought through the resources needed to bring them to life. Too often, employees are encouraged to share suggestions and told that the organization is open to improvement, but when those same employees are not given the time, space, or budget to test or implement their ideas, the message quickly feels hollow.
Over time, this disconnect erodes trust. When employees sense that leaders aren’t serious about supporting innovation, they stop stepping forward. The culture grows stagnant. In many cases, instead of examining the real root cause, the lack of support, leaders end up blaming the people themselves for the failure of these initiatives.
Building a Culture of Real Support
Great organizations overcome this challenge by backing up their words with action. They invest in their people. They allocate time and resources for experimentation and continuous improvement. This commitment is a hallmark of Lean organizations. Without it, any effort to become Lean will fall flat, and likely lead to higher turnover and lower performance.
At Gemba Academy, we practice what we preach. Team members are encouraged to experiment with ideas and implement new methods when they show potential. We’ve seen firsthand how this openness drives improvement and engagement.
We also work with many outstanding organizations that understand the value of giving their teams time, space, and, when appropriate, funding to test ideas. In these environments, I’ve witnessed incredible transformations by Lean Practitioner candidates, improvements that boost morale, enhance safety, increase productivity, and even deliver financial gains.
There’s a visible shift in people’s energy and satisfaction when they realize their employer believes in them, when they see that their ideas matter and that they’re trusted to test and implement those ideas. And whether those efforts succeed or fail, these organizations make a point to recognize them. Both outcomes are celebrated.
Why Celebrate Failure?
It’s natural to celebrate success, but why celebrate failure?
Because in Lean, we see failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. Every time we test an idea and it doesn’t go as planned, we gain insight into what didn’t work, and that gets us one step closer to a better solution. Scientists have followed this approach for centuries, and it’s how they ultimately make breakthroughs.
Think back to childhood. When something didn’t work, we tried again. We didn’t see failure as shameful; we just saw it as part of the process. But as adults, we often become cautious, fearful of failing, and reluctant to try new things.
A Message to Leaders
So here’s my advice, to myself and to all leaders: truly listen to your employees’ ideas. Give them the time, space, and support to test those ideas. And perhaps most importantly, learn to celebrate failure as much as success.
Because each failure is a shared opportunity to grow. When we learn together, explore other approaches together, and keep pushing forward, we eventually reach our goals, not by avoiding failure, but by embracing it.
The post Why Great Ideas Fail: The Change Management Challenge of Inadequate Resources appeared first on Gemba Academy.
