No one knows your business better than you do, right? This is a trick question because, while you and your team know your business, if your methodology is flawed then the way you do business is broken. This is why the organizational analysis emphasized in Step 1 becomes so important. Case in point: I recently spoke to an organization that requested I conduct a survey of their customers to reveal a predetermined outcome. While it is always a good idea to get feedback from customers in Step 1, it is only part of the equation. It is like changing the oil in your car in hopes it will fix the broken radiator.
If you don’t look at the whole picture and address the actual problems that exist, your organization will flounder and perhaps fail. Step 2 becomes a painful outcome of a failing organization because change is not easy on any day. Add to this a heightened level of dysfunction and you’re in for a treat. Step 2 is about changing beliefs and broken actions. As I’ve written previously, change takes time and the process of change cannot be rushed.
Once your organization has moved through the first two steps of the Organizational Success Model, you are now ready for Step 3: Process Improvement. As a result of the analysis and alignment process, the organization’s best practices and deficits are now clearly exposed. We are then able to begin considering the “How” of what organizations do and develop scalable processes and best practices to generate positive outcomes. The key to this step rests in the idea of scalability. Scalable is when a process can grow and contract with the organization’s life cycle. Unfortunately, many organizations are still using systems and processes that are out of date and have not kept up with the organization’s growth, changes in laws or even technology. Process Improvement requires someone with an unbiased view of the organization to observe and report those areas that appear to be in deficit.
Process Improvement also requires speaking with the individuals in the company who actually do the work and asking them questions like, “what would you do to improve this process” or “what would you change in this process to create efficiencies?” Unfortunately, what I’ve discovered is that many leaders believe they know better than their followers on how things are done. The key to success in Step 3 is locked in the engagement of the followers. When you include them in the change process, they are more apt and able to assimilate the changes required to achieve success.
Effective leadership is really in the empowerment of your followers to do their job. It means getting out of their way and letting them do what they do best.
If you believe your organization would benefit from an honest assessment of your operations, we are ready to help! Our team has over 60 years of leadership, management and organizational development experience. If you believe your organization could benefit from our 4-step process, please contact me today for a free consultation.
