Implementation

The management team decided to create a step-change to open employee thinking to options beyond their learned behavior of what could be possible. They decided to apply The Management Shift (TMS) approach and model with their sales team in both locations to shift teams’ collective

mindsets to a Level 4 standard. According to feedback obtained from leaders. The Management Shift helped to achieve a breakthrough during this project.

The leader described the step change as follows.

“We were able to utilize the language of The Management Shift to challenge their approach by asking them to consider what Level of Thinking was evident in their solutions. We did not tell them what we had observed, but by utilizing this frame, they noticed that they were stuck at Level 3 and

that to create a shift change they needed to consciously move to Level 4.

Just by introducing this, they started changing the narrative and the way they were thinking and operating as a team. We were missing that input from the beginning, as it was a breakaway from the process-driven environment they were used to. It seemed to be too overwhelming to a certain extent and initially a return to what they were comfortable with. Once they understood this, then The Management Shift approach gave them a sense of next step, purpose, and direction.”

In the next stage of this initiative, SAP trained 50+ COOs and other senior leaders in The Management Shift approach, creating the opportunity for the TMS vocabulary to spread to other parts of the organization.

In summary, as one of the leaders explained “status quo bias was blocking the ability to shift and break-through, people were stuck, and The Management Shift enabled this awareness”.