I want you to think of a prior initiative you believed would result in a faster workflow and higher customer satisfaction. Let’s assume your initiative started well but ended with a thud due to inconsistency and lack of interest from most staff.
Has that happened before in your organization? If so, do you know why?
DCOM® Defined
One of my favorite people frameworks is DCOM®. I first learned about this people-centric framework from Judy Johnson, one of the authors of Switchpoints. During an interview on the CFO Bookshelf podcast, she explained what the letters behind DCOM® mean.
D – Direction
The task or project that needs to be completed should have clear direction, including alignment with all involved parties.
C – Competence
Includes the person’s capabilities to complete the task or project at hand.
O – Opportunities
Represents the required resources, including training to complete the task or project.
M – Motivation
The key driver of performance.
According to the authors of this trademarked framework, “DCOM®bhas proven to be a robust framework for assessing an organization as it currently exists. But more importantly, it is an invaluable body of knowledge for planning and guiding the transformation of an organization to one capable of achieving and sustaining high performance.” Source: DCOM®: A Proven Framework for Outstanding Execution.
Swapping a Better Term for Opportunities
The purpose of DCOM® is to help us create a discipline or set of habits before we embark on any new work that involves others. It’s a shortcut to help us remember the key ingredients to achieve a positive outcome once the new initiative is started.
I prefer including ‘opportunities’ with competency. Furthermore, I like using both capabilities for my ‘C’ in DCOM®. I also prefer the term obstacles over opportunities.
Each time we start a new project or change an old practice, the hardest part of change is eliminating old habits. Accordingly, I suggest you ID every potential roadblock and hurdle you will face on every new initiative. If your entire team is part of the planning process for adopting a new initiative, have them agree on the obstacles they will encounter. Then, find ways to overcome them before they occur.
Obstacles are a good thing. They are the raw material for employing strategies to implement our new ideas as intended.
Try Modified DCOM® Now
DCOM® is a framework I wish I had when I inherited a 40-person department that I led and managed. It is one of the most practical coaching and mentoring tools I’ve ever encountered.
However, please try to make it sticky as soon as possible by using it right now. Do you coach a youth league? Do you do volunteer work where you are in a leadership position? This tool works everywhere, both personally and professionally.
Once you have used this tool, I’d like to hear about your success with the framework, whether you use it in its original form or modify it based on my suggestions above.