Hello and welcome back. We're going to start with Module 5, the problem-solving machine. Now, we shall look at implementation and who's the leading player here? What I call the problem-solving machine. Fancy term, isn't it? Very useful too, because you don't usually pay attention to some very specific elements that you should bear in mind when you want to make things happen. Please take a good look at it. I'm not talking about motivation, resistance to change, or lack of communication. That is for human resources experts, I want to concentrate on the machine. You open up new horizons and look at problem-solving and knowledge as critical elements. What do we want from this particular machine for it to perform as any machine is expected to, to follow instructions and produce but here we have a crucial situation. Free will. This machines do what they like, follow instructions and obey. Nobody obeys. Brain always think they know best so what do we do? How do we fix this? Step-by-step, my friends, because at the end of the day in the 21st century, even the teams you have given the change of mindset that comes with the digital transformation with all the changes we are immersed in, there is only one way, just one. Get others to do what you want them to do and make them what they want to do, Let me stress that. Make that what they want to do. Remember, freewill. People do not obey, peoples say, uh-huh, but they just do what they want so you need to have them do what they want to do, and that to be what you want them to do. All this is about mutual gain for those involved as well as the company. It is essential that every implementation measure you decide is a win-win situation for both parties. Win-win. The problem-solving machine produces solutions to problems. How do we tackle this? Come along, let's make this machine work properly by oiling and maintaining it like a regular machine. Let's remember just for a second where we are at. We have seen Section I, knowing who I am. We have seen Section II, what do I have. Now we shall move on to Section III, get it done. In this module, we shall see how to get it done right and make it happen. Let's go back to our framework. We're going to concentrate on two elements : knowledge stock and service configuration. What to do to deliver my service. Here in this module, we are going to zero in knowledge and service configuration. As usual, we will make five stopovers in this journey. Stopover number 1 starts by looking upon the problem-solving machine as a type of brain force with its distinguishing features and blocking factors as regards to action driven performance. For blocking factor number 1, we shall introduce a tool called the nine questions. When we deal with the problem-solving machine, we need to understand the type of problems it faces and the knowledge gaps that hold up the problem-solving processes. This is blocking factor number 2. For blocking factor number 3, distance to implementation, we shall introduce a framework that links knowledge gaps, problems, and types of innovation. This framework will provide guidance for a structured knowledge acquisition plan. Blocking factor number 4 focuses on the critical elements that provide the most important service problem. It spots the critical touch points on the customer journey and links them to the moments of truth we saw in Module 1. Our module journey will end by looking into the knowledge a company needs to have and the knowledge it needs to get from the extended enterprise. They both deliver a joint customer journey and the knowledge needs to be synergetic. Stop number 1, brain force. Stop number 2, knowledge gaps and types of problems. Stop number 3, distance to implementation. Stop number 4, the critical touch points in the customer journey. Stop number 5, the extended enterprise and the knowledge extended enterprise. As usual, five points, 5 stopovers. Let's just try to remember things that we have already said that are absolutely crucial to make things happen. Number 1, remember, we work with brainforce. We want them to perform value-added tasks in order to boost our company's gross margin. It's a win-win situation. They acquire knowledge that enhances their employability. The company boosts it's gross margin. Remember, the gross margin is revenues minus costs. First there's something we must do, as we have seen, we need to get rid of all waste and as we need an action driven brainforce, we must focus their goals. We need to free up the brains to make them proactive. To do so, a pledge, no higher, no fire. Knowledge is an investment not a cost. We need to get a return on that investment and firing people will not do it. As I have said this many times through the whole course but it's a really essential idea that I need to have you understand. Thus, we need to be able to free up their capacity so they can perform challenging tasks that have a higher contribution margin. A higher gross margin, a higher added value, free up time to have added value tasks. This is a practical pledge, but one that needs to be clearly voiced. Why? Because we need to understand that the world of sustainable efficiency is sender on problem-solving and knowledge. This is the main issue of this whole SPDM model. Sustainable efficiency doesn't come from cost-cutting. Remember we said it in the first module, just at the beginning, problem-solving and knowledge are the way to achieve sustainable efficiency. Please remember that problem-solving and knowledge achieve sustainable efficiency. If not, things stop. There is not continuous improvement. You do just-in-time, you do lean, you do agile and things stop. If you think about what is my proposition is, then you will understand that knowledge is the key asset and knowledge comes out of problems that come out of tasks. The problem-solving machine is our asset. What do we have to do to make things happen and get them right? Follow me in the next video and we will find out.
