Task D4.2: Catalysts

What is Task D4.2?

Task D4.2 is part of the "Act" phase in the Viability Canvas methodology, specifically within the "Nudge" step (Step D4). This task instructs you to "Find and use elements that can significantly accelerate progress or magnify the impact of other efforts. Catalysts are factors or interventions that, although they might not directly cause major changes, can trigger or enhance other organizational processes and improvements."

Purpose of Identifying Catalysts

The purpose of this task is to identify and implement interventions that have multiplicative effects, accelerating or amplifying your other change initiatives. This serves several important functions:

1. Accelerating change: Speeding up the rate at which improvements occur throughout the organization
2. Amplifying impact: Making other changes more effective than they would be in isolation
3. Creating synergies: Generating interactions between different initiatives that produce additional benefits
4. Leverage points: Focusing effort on factors that influence multiple organizational systems
5. Efficiency: Getting more change impact for your investment of energy

By identifying and implementing catalysts, you create a more powerful change strategy that generates momentum and achieves greater results with the same level of effort.

Understanding Catalysts

In the context of the Viability Canvas, "catalysts" are interventions that:

• Accelerate the implementation or adoption of other changes
• Enhance the effectiveness of multiple initiatives
• Remove systemic barriers that affect many changes
• Create enabling conditions for broader transformation
• Influence key leverage points in the organization
• Often focus on mindsets, assumptions, connections, or information flows
• May not produce significant direct benefits in isolation

Unlike low-hanging fruit, which deliver immediate standalone benefits, catalysts derive their value from how they interact with and enhance other change initiatives. They are strategic interventions focused on creating conditions for broader change.

How to Complete Task D4.2

To identify and implement catalysts:

1. Review your entire change portfolio (from your Energy Map):
   • Look for common barriers or enablers affecting multiple initiatives
   • Identify potential synergies between different changes
   • Consider where information flows, decision rights, or mindsets might be limiting multiple changes
2. Identify potential catalysts that could:
   • Remove common barriers to multiple initiatives
   • Enhance information flows across the organization
   • Shift key mindsets or assumptions
   • Connect previously isolated parts of the organization
   • Provide resources or capabilities that enable multiple changes
3. Evaluate each potential catalyst against criteria:
   • Reach: How many other initiatives would it influence?
   • Power: How significantly would it enhance those initiatives?
   • Feasibility: Can it be implemented with reasonable resources?
   • Timing: Can it be implemented in time to influence other changes?
   • Sustainability: Will its effects persist over time?
4. Develop implementation plans for selected catalysts:
   • Clear objectives and expected catalytic effects
   • Required resources and capabilities
   • Timeline aligned with dependent initiatives
   • Measurement approach for catalytic effects
   • Integration with other changes
5. Implement strategically:
   • Time catalyst implementation to maximize influence on other changes
   • Communicate explicitly how the catalyst connects to other initiatives
   • Monitor both direct and catalytic effects

Example from Canned Tornado

In the Canned Tornado case study, they identified as catalysts:

• Cross-functional improvement team with members from all departments:
  • Catalytic effect: Breaking down silos, improving communication across departments
  • Reach: Would influence all improvement initiatives by enabling collaboration
  • Implementation: Selected respected members from each function, provided improvement methodology training, assigned coordination role for initiatives
• Pilot project for self-managing teams as a role model:
  • Catalytic effect: Demonstrating new ways of working, building confidence in change
  • Reach: Would influence the broader organizational redesign by providing proof of concept
  • Implementation: Selected receptive team, provided training and coaching, documented and shared results and learnings
• "Innovation Day" as a forum for exchange between System 3 and System 4:
  • Catalytic effect: Creating structured communication between operational management and future planning
  • Reach: Would influence both operational improvements and strategic initiatives
  • Implementation: Monthly structured sessions with specific topics, balanced participation, documented outcomes

By implementing these catalytic initiatives, Canned Tornado created conditions that accelerated and enhanced many of their other change efforts, creating a multiplier effect on their overall transformation.

Identifying High-Impact Catalysts

When searching for potential catalysts, focus on these high-leverage areas:

1. Information flows: Interventions that improve how information moves through the organization can catalyze many changes by ensuring people have the data they need to make good decisions.
2. Connection mechanisms: Initiatives that connect previously isolated parts of the organization can catalyze change by enabling collaboration and coordination.
3. Decision rights: Clarifying or shifting who can make what decisions can unlock action across multiple domains.
4. Mindset shifts: Changing fundamental assumptions or mental models can catalyze change by altering how people approach problems and solutions.
5. Capability building: Developing core capabilities that support multiple initiatives can accelerate many changes simultaneously.
6. Incentive alignment: Adjusting rewards and recognition to support your change direction can catalyze adoption across many initiatives.
7. Symbolic actions: Visible actions by leaders that demonstrate commitment to new ways of working can catalyze broader cultural shifts.

By focusing on these leverage points, you can identify catalysts that will have disproportionate impacts on your overall change agenda, accelerating progress and enhancing results across multiple initiatives.