Why I Care That TOC Implementations Sustain

3 Minute Read

I’ve been thinking (and writing) a lot about what it takes to sustain TOC after the big breakthroughs have been achieved and after the implementation consultant has left.

“What to do about backsliding?” is the practical question. But there’s another, deeper question: Why does it matter so much?

The obvious reasons are business reasons. Sustained implementations turn one-time breakthroughs into compounding value—better flow, calmer teams, fewer fires, more profit. For consultants, the incentives might feel less direct: we delivered the results, and the client enjoyed incredible ROI. After the engagement ends, is it really our job to make sure the change sticks? Some will say reputation and repeat business make it our concern. Fair enough.

But in the twilight of my career, there is another reason that this question has my attention, one that for me, looms larger than the business considerations. A reason that even though it may not be my job to make sure the change sticks, it bothers me when it doesn’t.

The Less Obvious Reason

Over two #SustainTheChange Roundtables I hosted in the past few months, the idea or sentiment that seemed to most consistently engage people was this: sustaining the change matters because TOC matters.

For so many in this community, the thinking itself is worth championing. TOC isn’t just another change method or a box of tools; it’s a way of seeing and solving that injects simplicity, common sense and harmony into people’s lives and organizations. And when implementations fade, we feel it beyond the missed business opportunities. More than once during our Rountables I noticed someone share a past TOC success story, but then end by saying (almost wistfully) that the company in question “used to be a TOC company.” You could hear the weight, and perhaps even the sadness, in their voice, as if the next generation won’t get to see what TOC thinking is truly capable of.

That’s why I care. Not only because sustained results are good management, but because stewardship is part of the work.

So yes, let’s keep chasing the big wins and impressive breakthroughs. But let’s also design for staying power: projects that start with sustain, visible measures, rituals and habits that embed the Five Focusing Steps into the work, systems that support the needed behaviors, leadership that is consistently aligned.

We owe it to the people who will inherit our systems and to a world that genuinely needs better thinking. There is so much good that can be done.

________

If this resonates, I’d love to go deeper with you on October 5th at my TOCICO workshop. Join me at:

→ “Sustaining the Change: Building Long-Term Success Beyond the Implementation Engagement”

We'll hack our assumptions about what makes an implementation slip or stick and leave with an action plan. Together, let's increase the odds that what we put in place becomes the launching pad for our clients' ongoing improvement and not a diving board. Highlights you can expect:

• The Mystery Analysis: My starting point in looking at this challenge.
• The Research: I’ll share key insights from the research I did while hacking assumptions in the Mystery Analysis.
• The Levers: The critical elements to include in implementations to give them the best shot at sustainability.
• The Conflict: The conflict that must be evaporated in order to pave the way to using the Levers.
• Action planning and reflection: To make a more powerful impact now and into the future.

Hope to see you there. You can sign-up for the Summit here, and if you want a $300 discount, use the code SAVE300.

If you can't make it to the workshop but you'd still like to discuss how we can better sustain change in TOC, you can set up a time to chat here.

And lastly, if you’ve ever seen a beautiful TOC win slowly unwind, hit reply and tell me what slipped first. I’m still collecting patterns for the workshop.

Lisa

______________

P.S. A couple weeks back, Danny and I did our annual trek to Burning Man. For those of you who followed along or participated in this year's Jenn's Challenge, you know that I bring everyone's stories with me, compiled into an art project, and then they burn at the Temple on the last night (see pictures). It is an odd sight for outsiders, but the burn serves as collective release—letting go of grief and painful memories, marking new beginnings, and bringing conclusion to the week itself.

Photo credit on temple pics: Kevin Price