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The Zipper Merge:
A Lesson for ‘Driving Improvement’
“But that’s the way we’ve always done it.” – Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, this is a common response to change. And it’s not just the battle cry of the underperforming. It’s often found in organizations with strong performance. That makes it worse because there’s no impetus for change- at least not in the short run.
As we all know, sometimes we need to find better ways to do things that have worked just fine in the past. The need may be a process improvement, a new way to leverage technology, a new product, etc… It could be a matter of being proactive. Or, we might already see performance declining. Maybe, there’s a more efficient way to do it.
If you find yourself in the driver’s seat in these situations and you are met with resistance, I have two words of advice – zipper merge.
Zipper merge? You may not be acquainted with the concept. It has to do with the flow of highway traffic as lanes are reduced. I’m sure you’ve been in the situation where ‘that inconsiderate jerk’ drives past the crawling line of cars and moves into the ongoing lane just before his lane disappears.
That jerk was actually helping the overall flow. In fact, if everyone zipper merged (i.e. brought two lanes together right before the lanes reduced), the overall length of traffic backup would be reduced by 40 percent. Studies show that it is also a safer approach than the long line of stop and go traffic.
The zipper merge is a useful analogy for ‘pushing’ improvements in an environment resistant to change. You essentially have three options.
Option 1 – Keep the Status Quo
The first is to ‘line-up’ – keep the status quo by getting in the back of the line, where you will become aggravated because of the long wait. You won’t ruffle any feathers, but you will arrive late to your destination and may miss an opportunity.
Option 2 – Make a Safe Improvement
The second is to go part way up the line of traffic and cut in front of someone who leaves a gap big enough for you to squeeze in. Maybe you even wave to make them feel better about ‘letting you in’. This is like implementing a partial improvement that makes your life easier but doesn’t help the overall performance of the organization.
Option 3 – Take the Risk
The third is to zipper merge. Being a ‘side-zoomer’ may result in others giving you the stink-eye. Maybe a few honks. Or, if you’re lucky enough, the coveted single-finger salute. While the zipper merge may be understood by a small percentage of people, it is actually the best approach for the entire system.
Approaching improvements in a zipper merge fashion looks like this:
- See the opportunity. Define the scope of the improvement that is best for the overall system.
- Commit to the action. Explain the improvement, without apology, to all who are affected. (If only we could explain to the other drivers that our zipper merge technique is superior to the traditional approach).
- Use your turn signal. Give people plenty of advance notice so they have a chance to manage their own readiness.
- Pull into the lane and flash them a smile. Demonstrate a positive attitude when implementing the improvement, even in the event of obstacles.
By using the zipper merge approach, you will optimize helping people in ways they may not realize. Others may not understand it and certainly will never track you down to thank you. After all, even if they understand that your approach is better for the system, they may not perceive it to be better for them.
But you do have another option. If you want to make sure you don’t ruffle any feathers, then take your place at the back of the long line. You may be late, but what the heck, so will everyone else! How bad could it be? After all, that’s the way we’ve always done it.
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