Managing Organizational Momentum

Momentum definition: force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events.

How do you maintain momentum within your organization once the ball starts to roll? I have tackled this very question in several positions I have had in the past.  In reality momentum requires serious effort to get something moving but once it is moving it is harder to get it to stop then to keep moving. One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals. Below I have outline four additional areas that I have found beneficial to watch in order maintain organizational momentum.

Velocity

“If we weren’t still hiring great people and pushing ahead at full speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company.”
- Bill Gates 

     First, at minimum your organization needs to maintain the velocity in which the organization is currently operating, and most likely increase it due to competition from your competitors.  Velocity is defined as: the rate of speed with which something happens.  To continue the momentum, that you worked so hard to create, you have to continue to operate, change and recreate yourself at the minimum rate of speed in which it took to produce the current momentum.  History is littered with organizations that were once industry leaders that no longer exist because they failed to change or reinvent themselves to maintain the momentum. 

“The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.”
—Rupert Murdoch

One Mistake

     As quoted by Peg Wood, “Commitment is the ignitor of momentum.”  Just like a sports competition, one play can swing the momentum over to the other team and create a dramatically different outcome. Your organization is always just “one play” away from losing the momentum. Lack of commitment, a mental error, lack of judgment, complacency, or arrogance can all lead to a momentum shift. Make sure your leadership team has their heads in the game every play. There is no time for any of your leadership staff to take a play off or to coast on the current success. If you or your organization is operating under a feeling of quiet pleasure or security then you are most likely unaware of some potential danger about to surface.

Failure to Plan

     Attrition and turnover is a part of everyday life for all organization. Employees come and employees go. Some industries or leadership can affect the rate of the attrition, but no one can stop it. Momentum is often affected by key individuals leaving the organization. Cross-training employees so multiple people can perform the same function is vital. Documentation of process and work instructions can also minimize the loss of momentum due to attrition. Too many times, key employees that are vital to an organizations success have proprietary information that only they know. Making sure multiple employees can perform functions and processes can certainly reduce the risk of lost momentum due to attrition. Likewise, spend a lot of time screening potential new hires so you only hire top performers.  This is not an exact science, but there are certain steps that can be taken on the front end to minimize potential low performers.  Do not fall in the trap of just hiring employees to have cheeks in the seats.

 “I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way”   - Lee Iacocca

Data is everything

     Many organizations do not possess the expertise or the mindset needed to properly analyze and utilize incoming data. An internal data management team is key to achieving and continuing momentum. The director of data management is a co-pilot on the leadership team that allows the organization to organize, analyze, and pull data in order to make decisions on the fly and with quick and effective turnaround to maintain velocity. A large portion of an organization’s future momentum is centered on the ability to make decisions based upon solid data–not just a theory or gut feeling. Data management plays a vital role in allowing leadership to make quick and effective changes to stay ahead of the competition. Effective and controlled data management provides the ability to change, manage, and most importantly, make educated decisions at the same velocity that the competition demands.