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Using the Better Practices Process to improve performance

Andrew McCartney1, Fleur Tonge2 and Elwyn Rea3

1 Beef Cattle Producer, Toowoomba. QLD. 4350. 2. Dairy Farmer, Kyogle. NSW.
3
Beef Cattle Producer, Kunwarara, Via Rockhampton. QLD. 4702.

Abstract

As farmers who have experienced traditional extension practices for many years and then moved to a different model, Continuous Improvement and Innovation, (CI&I), we feel there is a single key difference between them. This is the different mindset or ‘mental model’ developed from critical thinking about your farm system. We have found that by thinking about why we do things instead of just what we do, it is possible to test our current practices and processes for relevance and effectiveness. The simple action of changing perspective on our situation leads to innovations we would likely not have otherwise considered. It is in fact enabling new thinking.

For significant improvement in performance, there must be a fundamental change in thinking, resulting in new ideas and opportunities, which are converted into actions. Creating an environment where farmers are supported in an appropriate way enables the continuous improvement and innovation of management practices, processes and performance. When action is focussed on the parts of the system that will make a real difference, we get the biggest payoff for our investment. We can also select the appropriate technology to support our modified processes and practices with confidence that it will achieve real impact. With farmers and service providers working together using a process that is specifically designed to achieve Continuous Improvement and Innovation can significantly increase the amount and rate of improvement.

In this paper we look briefly at:

  • The process we used to focus on improving our enterprise management and production practices and processes.
  • Some outcomes of using the process in a team.
  • Participants thoughts on the process and the outputs and outcomes they have achieved.

Context

Agricultural production is a dynamic and competitive market environment, particularly given the competitive global market environment. As farmers we are always aware of pressure to become more efficient and effective in our business, livestock and natural resource management. Financial pressures from rising costs and volatile markets are pushing farming enterprises to find new ways of improving our performance. Deregulation of industries is opening new and diverse opportunities for those prepared to move out of main-stream commodities.

Many farmers feel that the traditionally accepted methods of introducing new technologies and the relatively conservative rate of change and improvement is causing many farm businesses to fall behind the minimum needed to maintain viability. If we are to have a chance of coping with the increasing demands on our rural industries and communities, we need to change the way we do things and the speed at which we are changing (ie we need to work smarter, and sooner rather than later).

As farmers who have experienced traditional extension practices for many years and then moved to a different model to impact on performance, we feel there are important differences between the two experiences. One of the key differences is the different mindset about what constitutes improvement that is developed from focussed critical thinking about your enterprise and farm system. The model we have previously experienced based on traditional extension type paradigms, made us the “recipients” of information and the “performers” of the associated actions. This model allowed us to avoid taking responsibility for the critical assessment of our businesses.

When we practice Continuous Improvement & Innovation using the Better Practices Process, we are enabled to look critically at our situations to identify key opportunities for improvement. This process also ensures that participants are actively involved in seeking the relevant information and support that will make a real difference to our situation. By critically thinking about why we do things, instead of just what we do, we can check our assumptions about what will really make a difference to our enterprise. This enables us to test our current management and production practices and processes for relevance and effectiveness. The simple action of changing perspective on our situation in a purposeful way, leads to innovations we would likely not have otherwise considered. It does in fact enable new thinking to be done about issues, problems and opportunities.

For significant improvement in performance, there must be a fundamental change in thinking, enabling new ideas and opportunities to be identified, and resulting in different decisions, which can then be converted into action. Creating an environment where farmers are supported in this way enables the continuous improvement and innovation of management practices, processes and performance. By identifying and taking focussed action on the parts of the system that will make a real difference, we get the biggest payoff for our investment. We can also select the appropriate technology to support our modified processes and practices with confidence that it will achieve real impact. We have found that when farmers and service providers work together using a process that is specifically designed to achieve and enable Continuous Improvement and Innovation, the amount and rate of improvement can be significantly increased.

In this paper we look briefly at:

  • The process we used to focus on improving our enterprise management and production practices and processes.
  • Some outcomes of using the process in a team.
  • Participants thoughts about the process and the outputs and outcomes they have achieved.

Process

The process we use to improve performance is The Better Practices Process of Continuous Improvement & Innovation, (Clark and Timms, 2001). This process has been specifically developed to enable Continuous Improvement & Innovation and as such recognises that purposeful change does not happen by chance. The process has 6 logical steps to achieve improvement in an ongoing way, with each step supported by specially selected and designed techniques and tools (see diagram 1). Participants move sequentially and purposefully through each step to achieve new outputs and outcomes, before launching into another cycle at a new level of performance and understanding.

Figure 1. The Better Practices Process. Clark and Timms (2001)

The Better Practices Process also has critical values and principles that underpin it to create an environment where people can perform and prosper. Clark and Timms 2001, state that ”Values are attitudes, attributes and behaviours of worth to individuals and / or groups. Values influence decisions about principles and principles guide actions. Principles are accepted rules about how people or things function or behave. Principles are guidelines for the taking of action and the implementation of processes.”

A willingness to change, to challenge our beliefs and assumptions are important principles for the application of the process. Without these commitments, there is no foundation for focussed improvement. The values used in the application of the Better Practices Process help create an environment where individuals are supported and equipped to develop the capacity to continuously improve and innovate their performance.

In our experience practicing CI&I, this environment is best achieved when:

  • Individuals work in focussed professional partnerships, networks and teams.
  • Participants are quipped with a suitable and proven process to achieve CI&I, such as the Better Practices Process, (Clark and Timms, 2001), that has specially designed techniques and tools.
  • Groups are provided with specialist support of Continuous Improvement and Innovation (CI&I) practitioners.
  • Participants have social and professional networking opportunities with other groups, programs and stakeholders.
  • Individual and group focus is on improving performance by increasing outputs and /or reducing inputs. Ratio of inputs to outputs.)
  • Personal goals are included as part of the focus.
  • The enterprise is viewed as a system and analysed using the techniques and tools of systems dynamics and systems thinking.

Outcomes

Based on our experiences and that of other CI&I Groups we have experienced the following outcomes:

  • Significant change in the thinking and attitude of participants, particularly in regard to using a process to achieve a desired outcome.
  • Greater awareness of the Critical Success Factors (CSF’s), Key Practices (KP’s) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for their business and how they impact on decision making and management.
  • Participants are more focussed on what they want to achieve in their business and why. They would be better equipped to plan and manage change. For example: To become more profitable; Do they get bigger or get better or both? How do they go about finding out? And how does it fit with other criteria like, workload, equity, risk, stress, succession issues, etc?
  • Individuals are more competent to evaluate new ideas & concepts with the new skills, techniques and tools of the Better Practices Process and are subsequently, more comfortable in a market environment with an increasing rate of change.
  • Individual farmers enabled to identify the things that they can do that will have most impact on their enterprise and take action on them. This means targeting what will make a real difference to the overall system and selecting the relevant indicators for performance assessment.
  • An increase in the capacity of farmers in the use of the process, techniques and tools of Continuous Improvement and Innovation by regularly applying it to their individual businesses. This means that they use a new process to achieve better outcomes rather than just another project.
  • Farmers working in professionally focussed partnerships, networks and teams. We know from experience that people perform best in an environment where everyone has a common focus, like a sporting team for example. In these teams, individuals have both shared and specific responsibilities to achieve a common goal. These types of interdependent relationships are also necessary for high performing business improvement teams.

Examples of outcomes achieved

  • Negotiation by the group and individuals of the areas where changes to their current practices will result in the greatest benefit for achieving their objectives. An example of this is a group of dairy farmers in the Northern NSW area who are using the Better Practices Process to practice CI&I. The farmers identified the importance of knowing pasture quantity and quality to achieve desired outputs in milk production. Through pasture measurements and a specially designed computer program, individuals in the group have been able to significantly lift production and lower costs.
  • More effective use of specialists to acquire knowledge that is of specific relevance to the changes the group / individuals are intending to make. In this age of “information overload”, relevance of information is critical. A group of farmers near Kyogle who are using the process, have been investigating soil and fertility issues with the focus on improving pasture and crop yield. The group has been able to utilise the knowledge of specialists in the areas of soil structure, soil biology, soil nutrients and worms in soils to contribute to changing the groups soil management practices.
  • Farmers using this approach realised the importance of measuring to objectively assess outcomes and to understand where opportunities for improvement exist. On one farm the procedure of measuring pasture and feeding correct quantity and quality of pasture has resulted in a 10% increase in pasture utilisation with no increase in costs.

Differences between models

From personal experience of both traditional extension type models and the CI&I model using the Better Practices Process we have identified the following differences.

 

Traditional extension type model

Better Practices Process of

CI&I

Purpose of relationship

Producers want to know how to do things better.

Everybody sees need to improve – continuously.

It is the Government's responsibility to help rural sector.

I can take responsibility for myself.

Getting us (producers) to adopt better practices.

Supporting people to improve their performance.

Producers deserve help.

Effective support builds individuals capacity.

Values and principles

Information / advice should be free.

The cost of information is relevant to the benefit it gives.

Technology and practices are adopted from specialist advice.

Technology is purposefully selected on need and relevance.

Group needs to be socially comfortable.

Group has agreed values and principles.

Extension people have greater technical knowledge than producers.

Every person on the team is a specialist in his or her own field.

Roles and responsibilities

Extension person is a technical specialist to the group.

Specialists are people with the information needed in the group.

Extension person manages information and events.

Participants take equal responsibility for tasks.

Producers listen to information and judge usefulness.

Team members work with specialists and seek specific information needed

Producers attend when topics of interest are discussed.

Team members continually improve and support each other’s improvement.

No expectation of producers to take action.

If no action is taken – nothing happens.

Members of the Kunwarara Better Practices Group made the following observations and comments from their experiences using the Better Practices Process:

  • We need to admit we can do better.
  • We have got to take responsibility for ourselves.
  • We have developed a philosophy of seeking the best information.
  • Benchmarking is a place to go forward from or aspire to.
  • It’s the shorter lines of communication that are the big advantage.
  • We need to measure it in order to manage it.
  • We need to understand it to manage it.
  • Now I can see that I can make a difference.
  • Look after the most important problems before you look at others.
  • Individually we don’t have much impact, but collectively we can advance.
  • The team information is shared.
  • We are not researching new technology but how to put it into your own management.
  • Changing attitudes to improve practices takes time.
  • Our attitude has changed – it’s more searching.
  • We learn by our mistakes – mistakes can be used as a strength.
  • We have formed a partnership.
  • Now I understand enough to ask better questions.
  • I can contribute to the industry and the benefits come back to me.
  • We have the opportunity to learn what we want to learn.
  • Information needs to be related to what you are doing.

Conclusion

As farmers who have had experience of traditional extension methods and also as practitioners of Continuous Improvement and Innovation, we have noticed a significant difference between the models and the outcomes achieved with each. While traditional extension methods are useful, our experience has been that CI&I is better able to tap the individuals potential for improvement by engaging them completely in the process and challenging them to critically examine their own system. Farmers, as the beneficiaries of support from service agencies, should be prepared to fully participate in the processes for developing their capacity. Farmers and others who agree with this should consider using the Better Practices Process for Continuous Improvement and Innovation to focus on improving the performance of their business.

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