In a recent Freakonomics podcast on “In praise of Incrementalism”, Stephen Dubner showcases how substantial change occurs incrementally over time, rather than big bang revolutions. He illustrates this through civil-rights social movements of african americans and same-sex marriage. However, the story that hooked me as a cyclist is on the Sky Cycling team and their marginal gains approach…
I have clipped an excerpt of the podcast where Stephen Dubner interviews Dave Brailsford, who was knighted for helping turn Great Britain into a perennial titan in the sport of cycling through both Sky Cycling and the Great Britain National Cycling Team. Brailsford and Dubner discuss the effects of marginal gains – where leaders focus on very small incremental improvements. These small gains, when cumulated over time, compound the effects for truly impressive results and can become embeded into the culture of the organization as a strategic advantage.
Agile Leaders that take a disciplined marginal gains approach in working with their organizations – identifying and removing even the smallest impediments over time – can substantially impact their organizaton’s performance and business results.
If you are interested, here is the full length version of the Freakonomics podcast “In Praise of Incrementalism”, by Stephen Dubner