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COVID-19

Why Prototyping can help you to become more successful during the COVID-19 crisis

COVID-19 makes everything uncertain. But is this the time to start changing the way you change? Yes, it is, and probably you already have. In this article, 5 reasons why you should start using the Prototyping.Work methodology right now and not wait till times are more certain. Because frankly; these times will not return.

1. Letting go, by giving trust and building autonomy

When you and your colleagues are working from home, leadership can be darn difficult. Suddenly trust and losing control isn’t a target for the near future, but it has become a harsh reality.

But this can be tremendously scary, both for the manager and the employees. What topics are you going to let go of as a manager? And how are you going to do that? We have learned that immediately letting go of responsibility can be counterproductive. Employees can become overwhelmed by the sudden acquired freedoms or expectations. Probably they have never signed up for these responsibilities and additional expectations in the first place.

The most important thing to understand is that shifting responsibilities is a step-by-step process. An interplay between employees and managers. As a manager, what do you dare to let go, and what do employees dare to embrace as responsibilities? Start by creating the first experiment together and create autonomy in the rhythm of the methodology. Start small, start now!

2. Engagement, so you have to micromanage less

One of the biggest questions in these uncertain times is how to keep your people connected. Now that working from home is the new norm, activating your employees through online channels is also becoming an increasingly important topic. Commitment, trust, and autonomy correlate positively with taking responsibility. And in the end, that’s what keeps people really engaged. Make sure people don’t drown in the operational hassle of every day, but also let them work on your organization.

Start with trust and let them experiment with new initiatives, so they can not only make their work more fun but also take on more responsibilities. Because of this newly acquired autonomy, the involvement grows, and eventually even job satisfaction.

3. You already did it during COVID-19. Now keep doing it!

The virus COVID-19 surprised us all. The impact is greater than we could have imagined. But getting bogged down is not something you’ve done with your organization. You’ve started looking for other ways to succeed. New ways that lead to your purpose. You didn’t do this blindly, you did small experiments to find out what works. Small prototypes to a new path to new success.

How did it feel to do these experiments? What did it bring you? At least a lot of insight. More than ever, you know you have to be adaptive to move with the constantly changing world. So prototyping is the solution to this constant movement. And the good news is: you’ve already done it. The change is already in your heart, now the habit, the routine! Prototyping towards the new normal.

4. Get ahead of your competition

You are not the only one in a difficult situation because of COVID-19. Your competitors are struggling just as hard. Nature teaches us that the most adaptive survive. This also applies to organizations. Now that companies are struggling, it is important not only to change reactively but also to work on your proactivity. What changes can you test now that will make you more adaptive as an organization?

But do not do this in large change programs. When you want to change to situation B, you also have to use the methods of B. The current methods cannot move your organization to a new situation. Use Prototyping.Work as a new method to innovate. Prototyping ensures that your employees learn to be agile, in every situation. Because this is a rhythm of constant change, your employees learn to make rhythmic changes in their working lives which not only makes their own work better but also for the whole team. And finally for the entire organization, so you stay ahead of the competition. Not only now but also later on.

5. Create a learning organization

A learning organization has elevated reflection, feedback, and adaptation to an art. When you find yourself in a crisis situation, like COVID-19, there is a good chance that not everything will work out immediately. A safe environment where you can make mistakes is a prerequisite for success. As a learning organization, you embrace the mistakes and tackle them with both hands in order to learn from them. Not only on a team level but also on an individual level. 

 

Prototyping.Work helps to build an experimental mindset. It motivates employees to constantly perform small experiments that help you to learn. The method pays attention to reflection and retrospectives so that every experiment has its value. Whether it is successful or not. Help people to learn by trying, start with prototyping.

Start small, start now

So, start small, but much more important: start! Start your own adventure and change in your own unique way. Copy the method, not the success stories. Use the methodology of Prototyping.Work. Even HBR has concluded that prototyping is the best way to conquer the COVID-10 crisis.

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