Wednesday 14 November 2018

Ideas Can Come from Anyone…

I recently finished reading “Break the Pattern- The Science of Transformational Value Creation” by Dr Ahmad Rahman Songip.  I had heard Dr Songip speak at a business forum and his views on bringing about change struck a chord.  His examples range from Ford to Fernandes (think “Now Everyone Can Fly”) …

One of the main points Dr Songip makes is that ideas come from the people who deliver and use our products or services.  Customer Experience and Market Research are about tapping into these ideas, but the “usual” way of going about them sometimes leads organisations up the wrong path, mainly because they fail to listen to what’s being said.   It was this that led to the undoing of the Ford Motor Company as America’s top carmaker from 1931 onwards, and Tony Fernandes’(still haven’t looked him up?) ability to tap into what others say that has propelled him  and his business to the top slot in his particular niche.

The ability to understand the true state of our organisation, for Dr Songip, is the starting point in moving forward.  Failing to understand results in changes not being achieved.  What, he asks, are your “pain points” and where do they impact the value chain?  

If our organisational culture discourages honest discussion on what’s wrong, is likely to result in a plan that in neither appropriate nor effective, based on management assumptions and wistful thinking.  

Added to this is the “silo” or “functional” division of organisations into areas of expertise, but which, often, have conflicting objectives which impede smooth service. Silos can (and indeed will) be necessary for the reasons I’ve already mentioned, but to really move an organisation to the next level, they all need to understand how their individual activities impact the whole product or service delivery.  Silos make it easy to distribute goals and orders down the chain of command “top -down management”), but more than ever, exceptional customer experience requires a “bottom-up” approach.  

Our question as managers is how we instil this process without destroying the value already embedded in the organisation.  


I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

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