Task D3.1: Volatiles

What is Task D3.1?

Task D3.1 is part of the "Act" phase in the Viability Canvas methodology, specifically within the "Limit Attention" step (Step D3). This task instructs you to "Focus on removing unsustainable actions. Identify interventions that are frequently reverted and thus not sustainable or beneficial in the long term. These actions consume resources without providing lasting value. Once identified, these volatile actions should be removed from the strategy to prevent wasting efforts on interventions that do not contribute to stable progress."

Purpose of Identifying Volatiles

The purpose of this task is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your change strategy by eliminating initiatives that, despite seeming feasible at first glance, are actually unsustainable or prone to reversal. This serves several important functions:

1. Conserving organizational energy: Preventing wasted effort on changes that won't stick
2. Focusing attention: Ensuring resources are directed toward changes with lasting impact
3. Building credibility: Avoiding the cynicism that comes from implementing changes that are later abandoned
4. Increasing stability: Prioritizing interventions that contribute to sustainable improvement
5. Reducing change fatigue: Minimizing the number of short-lived initiatives that exhaust organizational capacity

By identifying and removing volatiles, you create a more focused and sustainable change approach.

Understanding Volatiles

"Volatiles" in the context of the Viability Canvas refers to change initiatives that:

• Are frequently implemented and then abandoned
• Create temporary improvements that quickly revert to previous states
• Address symptoms rather than root causes
• Depend on unsustainable levels of attention or energy
• Conflict with deeper organizational patterns or culture
• Lack supporting structures or reinforcement mechanisms

These interventions might initially appear on your Energy Map as feasible initiatives, but historical patterns or deeper analysis reveals they are unlikely to produce lasting change.

How to Complete Task D3.1

To identify and remove volatiles from your change strategy:

1. Review historical attempts at similar changes:
   • Have similar initiatives been tried before?
   • What happened to those initiatives over time?
   • Why did previous attempts fail to sustain?
2. Analyze your current Energy Map for initiatives that might be volatile:
   • Look for interventions that address symptoms rather than root causes
   • Identify changes that rely heavily on individual champions
   • Note initiatives that conflict with powerful organizational incentives
   • Spot changes that lack reinforcing mechanisms or supporting structures
3. Evaluate interventions against sustainability criteria:
   • Will the change naturally reinforce itself once implemented?
   • Are there structures to maintain the change when attention shifts?
   • Does the change align with organizational incentives and culture?
   • Will the benefits of the change be visible and valued?
   • Is there a critical mass of support for maintaining the change?
4. Mark potential volatiles on your Energy Map (e.g., with a distinctive color or symbol).
5. Make deliberate decisions about each volatile:
   • Remove it completely from your implementation plan
   • Replace it with a more sustainable alternative
   • Redesign it to include sustainability mechanisms
   • Keep it but explicitly acknowledge its temporary nature
6. Document your reasoning for identifying certain initiatives as volatile to inform future planning.

Example from Canned Tornado

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

• Ad-hoc process changes without standardization:
  • Previous pattern: Process changes made during crises were rarely documented or standardized, leading to inconsistent application and eventual abandonment
  • Volatile nature: Without standardization, these changes depended on individual memory and preference
  • Decision: Removed from implementation plan in favor of more systematic process improvement approaches
• Temporary task force approaches without sustainable implementation:
  • Previous pattern: Task forces had been formed to address issues but disbanded before ensuring changes were embedded
  • Volatile nature: Changes disappeared when the task force disbanded and attention shifted
  • Decision: Replaced with permanent cross-functional teams with ongoing improvement responsibilities

By identifying and removing these volatile approaches, Canned Tornado could focus their energy on more sustainable change initiatives that would create lasting improvements.

Signs That an Initiative Might Be Volatile

When reviewing your Energy Map for potential volatiles, look for these warning signs:

1. History of reversal: Similar initiatives have been tried and abandoned previously
2. Dependence on individuals: Relies heavily on specific champions or leaders
3. No reinforcement mechanisms: Lacks systems, processes, or incentives to maintain the change
4. Resource intensity: Requires ongoing high levels of attention or resources to maintain
5. Cultural misalignment: Conflicts with deeply held organizational values or norms
6. Invisible benefits: Advantages are not readily apparent to those who must maintain the change
7. Missing feedback loops: No mechanisms to detect and correct backsliding
8. Isolated change: Not connected to other organizational systems or processes

By systematically evaluating your initiatives against these criteria, you can identify and remove volatiles before investing valuable organizational energy in changes that won't last.