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Small Changes, Big Results: The Value of Marginal Gains

In today’s highly competitive organisational landscape, achieving substantial growth can feel like an insurmountable challenge. However, the path to success often lies in seemingly small improvements; this is the concept of marginal gains.

2 minutes

Written by Chris Phillips, Group Advocacy Manager, The Access Group.

Unlocking the power of marginal gains is the secret to your organisation’s growth

Popularised by Dave Brailsford and Dr Steve Peters and introduced to the British Cycling team, marginal gains is the philosophy of breaking down performance into small, achievable increments. When these incremental improvements are consistently applied across all areas of a business, they can lead to extraordinary results. The 1% improvements do total up as the success of the British Cycling team subsequently demonstrated.

How can you apply marginal gains to your business?

  • Focus on the details: Every process, product, or service can be refined. Slight changes in efficiency, quality, or customer experience can yield significant benefits over time.
  • Embrace data-driven decisions: Measure and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify areas for improvement. Small adjustments based on data can lead to big impacts.
  • Encourage a culture of innovation: Encourage employees to suggest ideas for improvement, no matter how small. A culture of continuous improvement is essential for driving marginal gains.
  • Build on strong foundations: Look around your organisation, what needs building up on to improve? Financial performance? Leadership qualities? Workplace culture? Product abilities? Customer feedback? All will help you identify and grow.

While it might be tempting to pursue revolutionary breakthroughs, the reality is that sustained growth often comes from consistent, incremental progress. By adopting a marginal gains mindset, businesses can unlock hidden potential and achieve lasting success.

Remember, small, consistent steps can lead to extraordinary leaps forward. Start by identifying just one area where you can make a small improvement today.