Valuing Marginal Gains

As the athletes head home after GB’s most successful Olympics of modern times, we can reflect on what the exceptional results might tell us about achieving success.  While sport can always teach us lessons about commitment, resilience and failure, the implementation of the ‘marginal gains’ culture, especially in cycling, has continued to deliver results. In 2012, Dave Brailsford told the BBC "The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by 1%, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together.”. This idea of continuous improvement is now well known with numerous books on the topic. However, what is clear is that it has to become an on-going philosophy, the new normal. As each of those 1% gains accumulate, that becomes the new habit allowing the further improvements necessary to stay ahead.
The logic of the marginal gains philosophy is undeniable, but the issue in the organisational world may be more about valuing every single step, no matter how small. Recognition often goes to those who achieve large and highly visible success, yet those who work to improve by 1% may loose heart well before the culmination of those efforts leads to large scale achievements. We often forget those many athletes who put in equal effort to make the 1% changes, but who fail to top the podium. The continuous improvement principles may be necessary for success, but are no guarantee of it. The other part of the equation is to recognise and reward those small wins to create the spike in dopamine levels that create the feel-good factor to maintain motivation. Only then can those marginal gains become a habit that can be built on and potentially deliver results.
 
Where can you recognise and encourage those marginal 1% improvements?
What one thing can you change that might make a difference?
How can you maintain the small change to become the ‘new normal’ for you?
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