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Support and grow your business to make it more productive by implementing a high productivity business operating system. Learn how in our quick guide. How to Create a High Productivity Business Operating System High productivity business operating systems allow your business to be at its most productive and profitable. Learn more in our quick how to guide. Published on: 18 Jun 2020 Imagine driving a high-performance car with the wrong engine. No matter how sleek it looks, it won’t win the race. The same applies to your business. Without a high-productivity Business Operating System (BOS), you’re limiting growth, missing opportunities, and leaving profitability on the table. In this guide, discover how to fine-tune your business engine to maximise performance, profitability, and long-term success. What is a Business Operating System (BOS)? Your BOS is the backbone of your company – the framework that integrates your processes, roles, systems, and culture. It’s more than software or technology; it’s the unique way your business operates and thrives. A high-productivity BOS aligns every aspect of your business, ensuring marketing, sales, production, and service delivery function seamlessly. It’s the secret behind consistent growth, innovation, and scaling without chaos. Why Your Business Operating System Determines Success or Failure A failing BOS leads to sluggish performance, high staff turnover, and wasted resources. Conversely, a well-optimised BOS drives efficiency, motivates teams, and sharpens your competitive edge. Consider this: Toyota’s Production System (TPS) didn’t just improve manufacturing; it reshaped the entire automotive industry by focusing on lean processes and innovation. Similarly, Starbucks' BOS ensures you get the same experience, whether in London or New York, by defining clear roles, processes, and customer touchpoints. 5 Core Components of a High-Productivity BOS To build a BOS that accelerates growth, focus on these five key areas: Processes Streamlined processes reduce waste and maximise efficiency. Document workflows , eliminate redundancies, and create a framework that scales. Regularly review and optimise processes to keep pace with market changes. Example: Amazon’s fulfilment centres operate with precision because of meticulously designed processes that optimise order picking and packing. Systems Systems provide predictability and consistency. From CRM software to employee training frameworks, systems create stability and remove guesswork. Tip: Implement automation tools to standardise repetitive tasks, freeing up talent for strategic initiatives. Roles Clear roles eliminate confusion, increase accountability, and align with company objectives. Define each role to support the company mission, ensuring every employee understands their contribution to the bigger picture. Example: In Lego, defined roles and a culture of innovation empower staff to continuously improve processes and product design. Skills Skills drive performance. Identify the skills needed for each role and provide ongoing training to enhance employee capabilities. Upskilling improves productivity and ensures your team adapts to industry trends. Actionable Tip: Offer regular professional development and mentorship programmes to build a future-ready workforce. Structure Organisational structure shapes how decisions are made and ideas flow. Move away from rigid hierarchies to agile structures that empower employees and encourage innovation. Case Study: Spotify’s ‘squad’ structure enables cross-functional teams to collaborate efficiently, driving faster product development. Signs of a Low-Productivity BOS Long working hours without results High staff turnover and disengagement Missed project deadlines Lack of accountability and ownership Declining customer satisfaction If these symptoms sound familiar, your business may be operating on a low-productivity BOS that’s holding you back. Steps to Create a High-Productivity BOS Audit Your Current BOS Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas of friction. Engage employees for feedback and analyse performance metrics. Redesign Processes and Systems Simplify complex workflows and introduce new technologies that promote efficiency and scalability. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities Eliminate overlaps and ensure every role contributes to the overall vision. Use tools like RACI matrices to clarify ownership. Invest in Talent Development Offer skill development programmes and leadership training to enhance employee capabilities. Implement Continuous Improvement Regularly revisit and refine your BOS using employee engagement surveys, customer feedback, and performance data. The Payoff of a High-Productivity BOS A robust BOS leads to increased profitability, higher employee engagement, and improved customer experiences. More importantly, it provides the foundation for sustainable growth, freeing you to scale or plan your exit strategy without stress. By investing in a high-productivity BOS, you’re not just improving operations – you’re future-proofing your business for long-term success. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Why we need Stakeholder Capitalism. Capitalism is broken and how we can make it better. Why we need Stakeholder Capitalism 53 heads of state, the president of the world bank and 100 billionaires have agreed shareholder capitalism needs to be replaced by stakeholder capitalism. Stakeholder capitalism champions a business model prioritising not only shareholders but also employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and the environment. It acknowledges their interconnectedness and the necessity of sustainable practices for long-term success. This approach fosters trust, innovation, and resilience, aligning profit with broader societal well-being. Increasing pollution of the air, seas and rivers, increasing inequality, the exponential extraction of the natural world and increasing mental health issues indicates that western capitalism is broken and it's time to make it better. What is capitalism? One definition of capitalism is: “an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.” So, the key is that it’s controlled by private individuals, as opposed to communism, often considered to be the alternative to capitalism, where everything is controlled by the state. But even communism has morphed into ‘state-controlled capitalism’. Here, the state controls large parts of the economic system, not just private owners. Capitalism’s great strength is its capacity to engage people in innovation and to enable new and creative ways of creating new value. Different flavours of capitalism have spread across the world since the end of World War Two in 1945. Nearly every country now runs some form of capitalism, be that western capitalism, state-controlled capitalism, Nordic capitalism and the capitalism of Germany with varying degrees of public/private partnership and state control. It doesn’t matter which flavour of capitalism we’re talking about, all capitalism is based on consumption ; the making of products and services that create value which are then consumed and used by customers. The issue is that the impact on the environment and people of the production of those products and service hasn’t been factored into their price and has largely been ignored by almost all businesses until now, For nearly 250 years, since ‘father of capitalism’ Adam Smith published the Wealth of Nations , we’ve been underpaying for the goods and services we’ve been buying. We’ve been using up the resources of the planet and many people’s wellbeing for free, paying only for time and materials, not the repair, regeneration and restoration needed to make good what was there in the first place. Markets create private goods not public goods. The market assigns a zero price to depleting natural resources. To rethink capitalism is to rethink not only the public/private partnership but also how businesses are run and the role the customer has in addressing the ills of capitalism. This is now hurting us twice: once in that those natural resources will soon be running out and secondly through the negative impact it’s having on the planet and people by causing global warming and increasing mental health issues. Discussions at recent global talking shops indicate that attitudes are changing, albeit at a glacial pace. Here’s what happened at COP26 and the World Economic Forum event in DAVOS: COP26 In November 2021, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow brought together 120 world leaders for two weeks to discuss climate change. Debates covered the science, the required solutions and the actions needed to address climate change. Although progress was made and actions were agreed, cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are still far from where they need to be to preserve a livable climate. Net Zero is not enough. We need to be regenerative, not sustainable Being sustainable, as defined by COP26, means not exceeding 1.5°C of climate warming above pre-industrial levels. Climate warming is already 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels and, as we know, that’s already too warm. So, setting a goal of 1.5°C is simply too hot and too late. The only way to address this is to be regenerative. Being regenerative means creating extra value for all stakeholders, especially the planet, and with a goal of NET10, regenerating the planet at a rate of 10X. For example, if two trees are consumed in the production of products and services, then 20 new trees must be planted. Another reason to be regenerative is that removing two trees from the planet also removes the associated biodiversity that accompanied those trees, be that other trees, plants and flowers or insects and animals and on the soil too. So, removing two trees has a far bigger impact than just the trees themselves. Additionally, in a world with a still rapidly growing population and increasing wealth the future impact of growth will be multiplied and happen more quickly, and so the damage will be far greater to the planet than it is today, so some future capacity needs to be built back in the natural environment. Davos 2020 In January 2020, 3,000 delegates from more than 100 countries, 53 heads of state, the president of the world bank and 100 billionaires met as they do every year in the Swiss Alps at Davos. They agreed that, within the next 50 years, shareholder capitalism needs to have been replaced by stakeholder capitalism. So, rather than a singular focus on profit maximisation, businesses must also consider the planet, people, staff, customers, suppliers; that’s everybody and everything affected by business, to address the key issues facing humanity and the planet this decade. In the words of Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum: “They have to actively contribute to a more cohesive and sustainable world.” The problem with GDP as a measure of capitalism One of the challenges in measuring the success of capitalism is how we measure it. The usual way is by looking at annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of all goods and services produced by a county in a year and is used to measure its economic health. It is expected that GDP increases every year, and when it doesn’t, when it goes into a sustained decline, it becomes a recession resulting in job losses and a reduction in investment in business growth. When GDP is increasing, more jobs are likely to be created and wages will rise. GDP is used by governments to guide policymakers, define taxation, expenditure on public services and to set interest rates. Companies use it to guide investing in their businesses. But alone it is insufficient to use as a measure of how well capitalism is performing. It doesn’t show increasing levels of inequality, nor the impact on the environment or welfare. As inequality increases, resentment increases, trust decreases and societies, on the whole, become less happy. In our personal lives, we all understand that a focus purely on money isn’t healthy. There’s more to life than money. Some countries recognise this more than others. Some countries are starting to use the Happiness Index as an indicator of the well-being of their citizens. Bhutan, a south-central Asian country on the eastern ridges of the Himalayas, is the only country in the world that has a ‘GNH’, or ‘Gross National Happiness’ measure. This is used to ensure that material and spiritual improvements grow together. Unsurprisingly, Bhutan has been ranked as one the happiest countries in Asia. In 2019, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern adopted the Happiness Index metric, creating new budgets that focus on the prosperity of local communities and paving the way for a national wellbeing budget. The UK, too, is adopting the happiness index to measure societal and personal wellbeing The variables used in the Global Happiness Index include: GDP per capita Healthy life expectancy Social support Freedom of choice Generosity Perceptions of corruption The benefits of capitalism Among the main benefits of capitalism are: New technologies and possibilities Capitalism has enabled new technologies, ideas and concepts to flourish for the benefit of humankind, to significantly improve the well-being of billions. It has enabled us to reach the lowest parts of the world, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, the top of the world on Mount Everest, journey to Moon and back, contemplate going to Mars (and back) and create life-saving and life-enhancing medical procedures. Increased life expectancy So, the benefits of capitalism far outweigh the downsides many times over. As reported in The Guardian: "Lifespans have increased with remarkable consistency since 1800," says Professor Tom Kirkwood, Director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University. "There was no change in longevity between Roman times and 1800. But after that, we see considerable alteration. Every century the lifespan of British people increased by 20 years. Nor is this rise an exclusively British phenomenon. It is observed in most countries today. Only those with particular health problems, like South Africa's HIV infections, have failed to see rises." During the 1990s, 500 million people were lifted out of poverty, mostly across China, India and parts of Africa. Reduced poverty Since Adam Smith 250 years ago described a better way of organising the production of goods and services in what is now called capitalism, massive benefits have been realised across the world with nearly everybody taken out of poverty and the opportunity for many millions of people to lead much better lives, to achieve their dreams and significantly lift the living standards for themselves and their families. Capitalism is broken Today, western capitalism is only running by the rules, norms, and values we have defined for it, rules that evolve. For example, there is no more child labour, working hours are considerably shorter and safer than 100 years ago, and you can no longer be put in prison if you don’t show up to work. Capitalism has also been adjusted over the decades by anti-capitalistic movements, such as socialism. In this respect, it has proved to be very flexible and isn’t a single idea, but an amalgamation of many ideas. For this reason, it will endure, unlike previous political and economic structures, such as the Roman, Ottoman and Greek empires, and many more. Like the rules of a game, then, we need only decide how best to update those rules so there are more winners, fewer losers and fewer people out on the margins, both rich and poor. Autocratic monarchies and ecclesiastical hierarchies dominated western society for hundreds of years before Smith’s Wealth of Nations. As people started to rebel against these systems, capitalism offered a way that allowed people to express themselves and have control over their own destiny, and property, and to create opportunities for themselves. Democracy went well with this as it, too, allowed for individual freedoms. People gave up being looked after by landowners, the nobility, Kings and Queens, in favour of making their own way in life. Smith saw this trend in creating The Wealth of Nations. But economic growth since 1980, when markets were deregulated and supply-side economics took hold, hasn’t been fed into improved public infrastructure. The benefits have gone disproportionally to the private sector. In other words, capitalism can both transform and demonise us. Karl Marx, co-author of The Communist Manifesto in 1848 , said capitalism “ .has greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural, and has thus rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy of rural life.” . He viewed rural life as inferior to urban life. In this way, he was pro-capitalism, at least at the outset, before predicting it would destroy itself, which is the very thing we are trying to avoid now. The issues created by the current version of western capitalism Set against the benefits that capitalism has brought are numerous problems, including: Poor social mobility A lack of social mobility of the poor half of the world needs to be addressed. Being born in the wrong place at the wrong time doesn’t help your prospects. When the richest 1% make all the rules for the other 99% to follow, it doesn’t help. Rampant inequality Opportunity inequality is a concern. The minimum wage for a UK worker is about £13,000 per year and the average salary of the FTSE 100 company director is £5,000,000. The rising tide has lifted all boats, but now the bigger boats are sailing away leaving all the smaller boats stranded or sinking. The world has become more polarised in recent decades. People are blaming the very system that has given them all the benefits they now enjoy. Inequality leads it mistrust and a sense of injustice and resentment. Deaths from suicide, drug overdose and alcoholism have increased significantly, claiming 100,000 lives every year. That’s not to say these are all related to capitalism, but it’s a concerning statistic if many others are becoming better off at the same time. The economic crash of 2008 made matters worse as it was caused by the people with the money and it was the ordinary people who played no part in the slump who paid the price with broken livelihoods and the taxes to bail out the banks who were partially responsible for the catastrophe. Declining prospects It used to be the case that we could safely assume we would be better off than our parents, but that isn’t necessarily so anymore. Pollution Some might say that capitalism is poisoning the planet for profit. Ten key impacts we’re having on the planet today: 1) Pollution 2) Soil degradation 3) Global warming 4) Natural resource depletion 5) Generating unsustainable waste 6) Deforestation 7) Polar ice caps melting 8) Loss of biodiversity 9) Ocean acidification 10) Water pollution Increased mental health issues Those that are making the mega-money often work 80-100 hours per week and don’t see their families or kids without being stressed and irritable, just as though in lower incomes suffer too. What’s happening today to fix capitalism? Finally, if you want to find out what’s already being done to fix capitalism, here are some organisations that are changing the way we define business and economic success: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria Most of us want to do the right thing. In business, many companies are adopting ESG criteria. However, they are perhaps doing it more to comply with market trends than a genuine desire to make the world a better place. Many leaders want to move away from the relentless pursuit of short-term profits demanded by their shareholders, but doing the ‘right thing’ is difficult. When they do act, it is to protect their businesses against bad publicity or to help save the planet? US Business Roundtable In August 2019, 181 chief executives of leading US companies who belong to the non-profit group US Business Roundtable redefined the purpose of a corporation to ‘promote an economy that serves all Americans’. In other words, a move away from shareholder primacy to include commitments to all stakeholders. Council for Inclusive Capitalism In December 2020, the Council for Inclusive Capitalism was created by the Vatican to promote a more inclusive and sustainable economy. The Council believes the strongest and most valuable businesses are those that profitably create value for all stakeholders. Its steering committee has offices across 163 countries representing 200 million workers and $2.1 trillion in market capitalisation. B Corporation B Corporation provides a private certification of social and environmental performance. Companies need to pass an assessment and update their governing company documents to reflect the commitments to all stakeholders. As of March 2022, there were 4,856 certified B Corporations across 153 industries in 79 countries. Conscious Capitalism A movement that aims to raise the standards of business. Forum for the future The non-profit organisation is “reinventing the way the world works”. It recommends the Five Capitals framework for sustainability, as described by environmentalist Jonathan Porritt, that integrates natural, human, social, manufactured and financial capital into existing models. Implementing Stakeholder Capitalism Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman said: “The business of business is business.” But this focus on short-term profit-making is now seen to be responsible for everything that’s wrong with capitalism – from the various financial crises we have endured to increasing inequalities and climate change. But capitalism is constantly transforming itself and it will continue to do so. And it can do that best within a free, fair and democratic system, so people are free to innovate, take risks and receive rewards for doing so, once all stakeholders are accounted for. Most people agree the principle of capitalism is a good one, the debate only comes down to how best to implement it. Capitalism is based on creating prosperity and freedom for everybody. Markets need to be free and fair, we need only consider how free and fair they are today. Many companies are now starting to see that their responsibilities are beyond just making a profit. The external cost of doing business needs to be factored in, the externalities in economic-speak. For example, there are social costs to burning fossil fuels that need to be accounted for. We just need to update the rules of the game to make capitalism better and the private sector can lead the way. After all, business can’t work underwater, with failing climate, food shortages, people moving from hotter climes to cooler ones and countries going to war over rapidly reducing habitats and infertile land. The private sector must lead the way because governments can only do so much. They can’t innovate or create the products and services needed to make capitalism work better. Big, public-listed companies must manage the short-term expectations of their shareholders, but private sector businesses are free of all these constraints. They are agile, quick thinking and innovative, just what is needed to show the way out of this crisis. Companies can make millions and billions of pounds out of solving the climate challenges of our time. You only have to look at electric car manufacturer Tesla, one of the most valuable car companies in the world, so there is a business opportunity in making capitalism better. People often think business is the problem, but it’s not. We just need to update the rules by which the game of business is played. If we don’t do that in a timely way, they’ll be no more game to play. So, we need to transform business and our daily lives to regenerate the planet, extract the excessive amounts of carbon with a carbon management system being created from the atmosphere, create better infrastructure, reduce inequality, increase productivity, and repair and restore the planet’s biodiversity. A Gallup poll found people today associate socialism with equality, not state control, and ownership of the means of production. So, discussions around the merits of socialism need to be tempered with this mind, people are starting to forget that it is far from a utopian ideal. Any consideration of how to fix, improve or upgrade capitalism has to start with considering human nature. McGregor defined two types of people: Theory X and Theory Y people. Theory X people are lazy and don’t like to work; Theory Y people are self-motivated. Whichever camp you’re in, everybody needs self-esteem, self-respect and recognition for the work they have completed and the contributions made. In improving capitalism, it is necessary to include the moral, ethical and spiritual considerations of people as part of business philosophy, especially among the leaders of business, the 1% who control the other 99%. This can be achieved by agreeing a set of values that everybody can sign-up to. Capitalism managed with morals, vision and ethics would be the correction we need. So far, we have seen the debate as two sided. We have free enterprise (capitalism) where people and markets are left to their own devices and on the other side state-controlled socialism, where the state is responsible for everybody and everything. Neither extreme is a good idea. A third route is required. We need a mixed economy that contains the freedom of western capitalism that allows for innovation and risk-taking and the rewards that come with that along with the controls of state regulation. This ensures the game is played fairly and equitably, with the spoils spread in a fair way. But perhaps the answer today isn’t capitalism, state control or a mixed economy. Rather, it is in providing consumers with more transparency of the costs and impact of producing the things they are buying. They can then choose to buy from companies not just because of their products and services, but because of the regenerative good they do for the planet and all stakeholders. 13 steps towards Stakeholder Capitalism It falls to small businesses, the private sector, to fix our problem with capitalism. The only way to address that is to ensure the consumer can see the impact they are having with the purchases they make. How do we organise economic and social life in a way that regenerates for all stakeholders? Society reflects business. Stressed workers go home to stressed families, and stressed kids, creating stressed communities. People who are stressed make poor decisions and are less motivated. 13 steps business leaders can take to make capitalism work better from within their own businesses: 1) Workers share more of the company’s success 2) Address inequality within the business by raising the wages at the bottom end and lowing the top 3) Provide professional development, education, training, and health care within the business 4) Provide more autonomy for staff within their roles 5) Break down the divisions between leaders, managers, directors and staff 6) Increase the transparency of important information 7) Be more inclusive in decision making so people feel valued 8) Go for long term growth, not short-term profits 9) Increase diversity, more diverse companies make better decisions and are more profitable 10) Ensure women are in senior roles. Companies with women in the Executive outperform those without. Men tend to want to win now, women tend to want to build long-term partnerships (there’s a reason Angela Merkel was called ‘Auntie’) 11) Make sure there is a collective shared vision that’s focused on the common good of all stakeholders 12) Increase trust with open, honest, timely and candid dialogue 13) Lead with awareness, alignment and values. Consider all decisions in the light of shared values and a common vision across all stakeholders. One thing many people experienced during the Covid-19 lockdown was that it slowed everybody and everything down. For a short period (not so short for some), the rat race was on hold. Everybody was equalised, everybody had to stay at home, go to the park for exercise and queue up for things. It didn’t matter where you came from, how much you earned or where you worked, everybody became equal during this period. For many of us, this was a great thing. We became more relaxed, more conversational with people we didn’t know or perhaps ordinarily would never talk to. This evidence shows how inequality and constant rush increase stress levels. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) is an important measure of financial productivity or financial efficiency. Learn how to measure and improve ROCE. How To Measure and Improve ROCE Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) is an important measure of financial productivity or financial efficiency. This is a good measure of how well the business is being run. The higher the value, the better. It's also referred to as the "Primary Ratio". Published on: 6 Jun 2024 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) is an important measure of financial productivity or financial efficiency. This is a good measure of how well the business is being run. The higher the value, the better. It’s also referred to as the “Primary Ratio”. A company exists to turn hours and money invested into profits. How well it does that is a measure of financial productivity or more often referred to as financial efficiency. ROCE is an important KPIs in helping to improve your business productivity management . How can you measure financial efficiency with ROCE? The formula for ROCE is defined as Operating Profit/Total Capital Employed *100% ROCE is showing what level of costs are required to drive profitability. The more productive a company is, the higher the retained earnings they’ll be to drive further growth. Total capital employed might include debt, retained earnings or shareholder equity. How does ROCE differ from Return On Investment (ROI)? ROI is only concerned with the returns created by a specific investment such as a marketing campaign. ROCE is looking at the returns created by all the costs of running the business including debt. How does ROCE differ from Return On Assets (ROA)? ROA is only looking at the returns created by capital equipment such as machines, vehicles and warehouse lifting equipment. Investors will use ROCE when researching companies for possible investment opportunities. Like all performance metrics, it should be used in conjunction with other KPIs to accommodate possible hidden risks, such as high levels of debt. The values needed can be easily obtained from a company’s accounts. It is best to establish a trend of ROCE over a period of time to accommodate market changes and possible seasonal variations. A high, stable ROCE will show the business is being well managed. If a company has high levels of cash reserves that it’s not using, this will make the company appear very inefficient when they are included as part of Total Capital Employed. Enhancing ESG Ratings through ROCE Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) can significantly enhance a business's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating by promoting efficient resource use and responsible investment. High ROCE indicates effective utilisation of capital, aligning with ESG principles of sustainable management. Companies focused on improving ROCE often invest in eco-friendly technologies , optimise supply chains, and enhance operational efficiencies, thereby reducing environmental impact. Furthermore, strong ROCE performance reflects good governance practices and financial health, boosting investor confidence and stakeholder trust. By prioritising high ROCE, businesses demonstrate a commitment to long-term sustainability, positively influencing their ESG ratings and attracting socially responsible investors. How to improve ROCE The higher the revenue and the lower the costs, the better the ROCE. With staff costs being the biggest cost of all, it may be tempting to reduce the headcount or lower the wages to make the company appear more productive or more appealing to investors. It is this thinking that has contributed to the poor productivity figures of many UK businesse s, that lowering costs, especially staff costs will help build a stronger, more profitable business. The thinking is rooted deep in economics where staff are just seen as a labour cost, a cost to be minimised. With the top-down hierarchy, staff are recruited for a given job, given a job description, annual appraisals and monitored for the hours they start and finish work. This has the effect of making staff work more hours to feel more effective. An expectation is created that those long hours will be lead to a salary increase, promotion or just stop them losing their job. But in reality, all that happens is the same work just gets stretched over a longer time, people work less hard, they pace themselves to work the long hours needed and so productivity goes down. Longer lunches, casual conversations all stretch the day out so productivity goes down. The bosses may think they are getting more work completed for their money, that the employee is earning their salary, but in reality, the same work is being stretched out over a longer period, and most likely completed less effectively too. The Total Capital Employed may include high levels of debt to drive up sales or operating efficiencies, meaning the company may be carrying high levels of risk. Capital items are depreciated over time meaning companies with older equipment may look more profitable than companies with new equipment. Return on Equity (ROE) Another important, perhaps better, financial productivity KPI, Return on Equity, ROE, measures how well the shareholder value (cash essentially) of the company is creating value. Why is ROE a better performance measure than ROCE? Because ROE strips out debt from the capital employed to use just shareholder value and looks at net income, not operating profit, it gives a clearer picture of how well the business is being managed. How is ROE calculated? Return on Equity (ROE) = Net Income/Shareholder equity * 100 ROE is seen as an important financial KPI as it is only considering stakeholder equity (cash, equipment etc) and is a better measure of how well the assets of the business are being managed. If the ROE is high, check to see why. If it is because the shareholder equity is very low, the company may be low on cash. If it is because the revenues are very high, that shows a strong business performance. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Explore the significance of Impact Investing in driving value-driven growth for businesses. This article outlines how aligning investments with sustainable and inclusive practices can enhance profitability while fostering brand loyalty and resilience. Discover actionable strategies, real-world examples, and insights on integrating impact investing with high-performance workflows. Creating Value-Driven Growth with Impact Investing Impact Investing has emerged as a compelling strategy for business owners looking to combine financial success with sustainable, inclusive growth. Impact Investing has emerged as a compelling strategy for business owners looking to combine financial success with sustainable, inclusive growth. By connecting investment decisions with impact goals, business leaders can leverage capital to not only drive profitability but also enhance their brand and align with core values. What is Impact Investing? At its core, Impact Investing involves putting money into companies, organisations, or funds that generate measurable positive impact alongside a financial return. This differs from traditional investing, which primarily focuses on maximising profit, and from philanthropy, which prioritises social impact without financial gain. Business Growth through Impact For business owners, understanding the potential of Impact Investing is key to staying competitive. Companies that prioritise impact are increasingly recognised by consumers and investors alike. This translates into higher brand loyalty and access to a broader pool of capital. Impact-driven organisations often experience greater resilience and growth, as sustainability can lead to innovation, cost savings, and reduced regulatory risks. Integration with High-Performance Workflows The link between Impact Investing and high-performance workflows is crucial. To maximise both returns and impact, business owners must adopt efficient processes and continuously improve their operations. High-performance workflows ensure that resources are used effectively, and impact is measured and optimised. This alignment can lead to more effective project delivery and improved margins, making a strong business case for impact-driven strategies. Risk and Return Considerations A common misconception is that impact investments yield lower financial returns. However, research shows that well-managed impact portfolios can perform on par with or better than traditional investments. For example, businesses focused on renewable energy, circular economy models, or sustainable infrastructure have demonstrated significant financial gains while addressing environmental challenges. Real-World Examples Take Madaster, for instance, a platform revolutionising the Built Environment through sustainable materials and circular design. Their impact-oriented approach has attracted investments that align with their mission, demonstrating how impactful initiatives can be financially viable. Actionable Steps for Business Owners Evaluate Alignment: Identify areas in your business operations that can align with sustainable, inclusive growth. Set Measurable Goals: Like in high-performance workflows, define metrics for both financial and impact outcomes. Seek Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with funds or organisations that share your commitment to sustainability. Communicate Your Impact: Transparency builds trust. Sharing your impact story can attract like-minded investors and clients. By understanding and adopting Impact Investing, business owners can unlock new avenues for growth while making a difference. With thoughtful integration, it’s not just about making an impact—it’s about redefining what success looks like. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

Learn how to create clear, comprehensive, and structured SOPs that ensure consistent execution, compliance, and efficiency across processes. Explore essential components like purpose, scope, step-by-step instructions, and version control. The Critical Components of a Well-Structured SOP Master the Art of Crafting SOPs that Not Only Drive Efficiency and Ensure Compliance but Also Empower Teams to Perform Consistently and Confidently Across All Processes. For an SOP to be effective, it must be clear, comprehensive, and structured in a way that facilitates ease of use. Each component of an SOP serves a specific purpose in ensuring the procedure is well-understood, correctly followed, and properly managed. We’ll delve into the critical components that every well-constructed SOP should include, with insights on how to craft each part. 1. Title and Document Information The first part of an SOP is its title and metadata, which ensures that the document can be easily identified, tracked, and updated. Title Clarity : The title should accurately describe the task or process the SOP covers. For example, "Equipment Maintenance Procedure for XYZ Machine" or "Data Backup Protocol for Financial Records." Specificity : Avoid vague titles like "General Guidelines" or "Operations Procedure," as these don’t convey the specific nature of the SOP. Include any relevant versioning or department names for better classification. Document Control Information Version Control : Every SOP should have a version number and date of the latest revision. This is crucial for tracking updates and ensuring that all personnel are following the most current procedures. Author/Owner : Specify who created the SOP, typically the Process Owner or Subject Matter Expert (SME) . Also, include who approved it, such as a Compliance Officer or Department Head . Document ID/Reference Number : Assign a unique ID or reference number to the SOP. This helps with document management, particularly when integrating the SOP into a Document Management System (DMS) . These elements help track revisions, assign accountability, and make it easier to locate the SOP within a larger document management system. 2. Purpose and Scope This section explains the “why” and “what” of the SOP—why it exists and what it covers. It’s critical that this section is clear to avoid misunderstandings or misapplication of the procedure. Purpose Why This SOP Exists : Define the objective of the SOP. What is the reason for this document? For example, is it to ensure equipment is maintained correctly to avoid costly downtime, or to meet a regulatory compliance requirement? Outcome-Focused : Clearly articulate what the SOP is designed to achieve. For example, “This SOP ensures consistent execution of financial data backups to minimise data loss and ensure recovery in case of a system failure.” Scope Defining Boundaries : The scope should outline which processes, departments, or systems are covered by the SOP. It prevents the SOP from being applied in situations where it’s not relevant. Limitations : Specify any limitations or exclusions within the SOP. For example, if the SOP only applies to certain equipment or software versions, make that clear. “This SOP applies only to XYZ machines installed after January 2024 and excludes earlier versions.” A well-written scope section helps users understand whether the SOP is applicable to their task or not, reducing confusion and preventing misuse. 3. Definitions and Acronyms SOPs often contain technical language, industry-specific jargon, or abbreviations that may not be universally understood by all employees. A definitions and acronyms section ensures clarity and avoids misinterpretation. Technical Terms Define Key Terms : Any specialised or technical terms used in the SOP should be clearly defined here. For instance, in an IT SOP, terms like “server redundancy” or “failover” might need clarification for less technical staff. Avoid Assumptions : Never assume that the reader will be familiar with all the terminology, especially if the SOP will be used by cross-functional teams. This is particularly important in regulated industries where precise terms (e.g., GxP , ISO 9001 ) have specific meanings. Acronyms Spell Out Abbreviations : Always spell out acronyms on their first use, followed by the acronym in parentheses. For example, “Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).” Then, use the acronym throughout the rest of the document. Providing a comprehensive list of terms and acronyms improves readability and ensures that all users, regardless of experience, can understand the document. 4. Responsibilities Clearly defined roles and responsibilities are crucial to ensure accountability and proper execution of the SOP. This section assigns specific tasks to the individuals or departments responsible for different steps within the procedure. Process Owner Ownership and Oversight : The Process Owner is typically responsible for the overall procedure and ensuring that it is properly followed. This could be a department head, a quality manager, or a team leader, depending on the nature of the SOP. They are also responsible for updating the SOP when necessary. Task-Specific Roles Role Assignments : Each step within the SOP may require different personnel or departments. This section should specify exactly who is responsible for each task. For example, “The IT Manager will perform the data backup, and the Compliance Officer will review the backup logs.” Reporting Lines Chain of Command : This part of the SOP should outline the reporting structure if there is an issue or deviation from the process. For instance, "In case of equipment failure during maintenance, the technician must report immediately to the Maintenance Supervisor." By assigning clear responsibilities, the SOP ensures that tasks are completed by the right people and that there is no ambiguity about who should take action at each stage of the process. 5. Step-by-Step Instructions This is the most critical section of the SOP. It provides detailed, actionable instructions for completing the task or process, ensuring that it is performed correctly every time. Actionable Steps Sequential Instructions : Use numbered steps to guide the reader through the process. Each step should be a clear, concise directive that eliminates ambiguity. For example: “1. Shut down the machine by pressing the red power button. 2. Disconnect the power supply from the main outlet.” Clarity : Ensure each step is written using active voice and imperative verbs (e.g., "perform," "check," "install") to clearly communicate the action required. Granularity : The level of detail should be appropriate to the audience. For more technical tasks, break down each action into micro-steps to avoid confusion. Tools, Equipment, and Materials Required Resources : Clearly specify the tools, equipment, or materials needed to complete the procedure. For example, “The following tools are required: screwdriver, voltmeter, replacement fuse (model XZ-123).” Specifications : Where relevant, provide precise specifications for materials or equipment. This is especially important in manufacturing or pharmaceutical SOPs where exact models, grades, or settings are critical. Visual Aids Flowcharts and Diagrams : Include visual aids such as flowcharts, diagrams, or screenshots to make complex processes easier to understand. Visuals can simplify multi-step processes and clarify tasks that are hard to describe in words alone. The step-by-step instructions must be unambiguous and error-proof, ensuring that even someone unfamiliar with the task can follow them with ease and achieve the desired outcome. 6. References and Related Documents Often, an SOP will need to reference other documents, either for additional information or because the process depends on the correct execution of another procedure. Including a reference section ensures that users have access to all the necessary information to complete their tasks correctly. Linked Documents Cross-Referencing : Link to any related SOPs, manuals, safety guidelines, or forms that the reader may need to consult. For example, “Refer to SOP-002 for detailed instructions on handling hazardous materials.” External References : If there are external guidelines, such as industry standards or regulatory requirements, cite those documents as well (e.g., "For more information, consult ISO 27001 security controls guidelines"). Including references and related documents ensures that employees have access to all relevant information and can confidently perform the task according to the broader operational framework. 7. Safety and Compliance Considerations If the procedure involves any potential risks to safety, health, or compliance, this section should outline the necessary precautions, personal protective equipment (PPE), or compliance checks that need to be followed. Safety Precautions Health and Safety Guidelines : If the task involves any hazards (e.g., working with heavy machinery, hazardous materials, or electrical equipment), clearly define the safety procedures . For example, "Always wear insulated gloves and safety goggles when handling electrical components." Emergency Procedures : Include steps for dealing with accidents or emergencies, such as “In case of an electrical fire, use the designated CO2 fire extinguisher and contact the Safety Officer immediately.” Regulatory Compliance Legal and Regulatory Requirements : Identify any specific regulations or standards that must be followed. For example, in a food manufacturing process, you might need to cite HACCP guidelines or FDA regulations. Specify which laws, guidelines, or standards apply, and ensure that compliance is built into the process. Reporting and Documentation : If compliance reporting is necessary, this section should outline the procedures for logging data, inspections, or reviews. “Ensure all quality control checks are recorded in the QC log and submitted to the Quality Assurance Department by the end of each shift.” This section ensures that all legal, safety, and compliance standards are met, reducing the risk of accidents or regulatory violations. 8. Version Control Version control is critical to ensuring that the most current version of the SOP is in use. Failing to keep SOPs up-to-date can lead to inconsistencies, errors, or non-compliance. Revisions and Updates Version History : Include a table that tracks the version number, date of revision, the reason for the update, and the person who approved it. For example: Version Date Reason for Update Approved By 1.0 01/01/2024 Initial SOP release John Smith 1.1 15/03/2024 Update due to new equipment Jane Doe Review Cycle : Specify when the SOP should be reviewed, whether that’s annually, bi-annually, or after significant changes in technology, process, or regulations. Effective version control ensures that the SOP remains relevant and that employees are not following outdated procedures that could lead to inefficiencies, errors, or compliance failures. 9. Appendices (Optional) If the SOP is particularly long or complex, you can include appendices for additional information. This may include detailed flowcharts , tables , or forms that don’t fit neatly into the main body of the document but are important for understanding the process. Conclusion The structure and content of an SOP are critical to its effectiveness. By including these key components—title, purpose, scope, definitions, responsibilities, step-by-step instructions, references, safety considerations, and version control—you ensure that your SOP is comprehensive, clear, and actionable. SOPs are more than just documents; they are tools for ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and safety, enabling organisations to function efficiently and consistently across all processes.dards (e.g., OSHA guidelines or environmental regulations) and safety protocols. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

Business consistency helps your business operate more productively and profitably. Learn how to improve business consistency with our 10 expert tips. 10 Ways To Improve Business Consistency Additional revenue and profit will be derived from the improvements in how your business is run, its increased efficiency and the associated success you will garner. Published on: 6 Jun 2019 Post Summary: Employee engagement is recognised as vital to a business’s productivity according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. Effectively trained staff are more motivated and happier. Business inefficiencies can cost up to 30% of revenue and confusing your customer with poor customer experience will lose sales. Remote working offers significant increases in business productivity. Effective ways to communicate and collaborate are essential to driving business productivity Why improve business consistency? Improving the consistency of your service delivery in your business translates directly onto your bottom line. Additional revenue and profit will be derived from the improvements in how your business is run, its increased efficiency and the associated success you will garner. However, to achieve the prosperity that your company and its employees richly deserve, you might need to make a few tweaks to how you operate and the systems you currently use. 1. Why employers are responsible for employee consistency One of the most crucial aspects of improving business productivity comes from your staff. If they are engaged, motivated, valued and allowed an opinion they will be more invested in the prosperity of the company and will work harder and more effectively to ensure the success of your organisation. Effectively trained staff are more motivated and happier. So how can you effectively engage your employees? Firstly, by being an effective manager. Giving your employees a voice so that they can relay their concerns and be confident that they will be listened to. Secondly, by empowering your staff to make the decisions that they need to make to improve your customer’s experience and help retain them over the long term. And finally, motivate them to continually improve their own productivity and effectiveness and recognise their achievements. 2. Employee training and development boosts consistency When your employees understand the job that they do, from reasons behind their role to the technical skills they need to develop to be effective, they will be engaged, motivated and productive. Employee engagement is recognised as vital to a business’s productivity according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development By providing regular in-house training and development to your staff you will not only be facilitating their ability to perform their role, you’ll be increasing their job satisfaction, improving efficiencies in the job processes, raising motivation and morale and lowering employee turnover. Succession training and development is vital. If your employees know that they’ll be given the opportunity to progress within the company and they will be developed to allow them to take on additional responsibilities, they’ll strive to succeed will consequently be more productive and engaged. 3. How to identify business inconsistencies Business inefficiencies can cost up to 30% of revenue. Every business, irrespective of size, suffers from inefficiencies that impact on its bottom line and the productivity of its staff. The skill comes from rooting out these inefficiencies, from the obvious to the hidden and obscure, to make your business more streamlined and a less frustrating place to work. When you want to begin the process of streamlining and improving the way you run your company a great starting point is to have detailed conversations with the people at the sharp end – your employees. They work, day in day out, with the processes that you currently have in place and will be able to offer valuable insights into ways of increasing business consistency and ironing out any bugs. As an owner or manager having a ‘there must be a better way’ mindset is essential. Taking the time to look carefully at each department and ask yourself if there would be a better way of operating, what it is and then making the necessary changes. 4. Inconsistent customer experience will lose you sales In addition to looking at how your internal processes work to overcome inconsistent service delivery, put yourself in your customers’ shoes to see how easy it is for them to do business with you. If your customers are finding your website confusing to navigate and give up before they place an order, your online user experience needs attention. As an increasing number of product research and purchase decisions are being made on smartphones and tablets, would an app simplify their buying experience and take pressure away from your tele sales team? 5. Automate the tedious tasks to improve consistency Artificial intelligence and robotics are becoming increasingly common in today’s workplace and they are having a positive impacton business productivity. Automating tedious, repetitive and mundane tasks as the dual benefit of freeing up your employees to do tasks that require critical thinking or to improve your customer’s experience and boosting the motivation and morale of your employees, which will also drive an increase in productivity. 6. Remote working – proven to improve staff consistency Remote working offers significant increases in staff productivity. If you want your business to be more productive, then looking at remote and flexible working might be the way forward. When Best Buy introduced a flexible work programme 65% of its employees reported being more productive working from home and 64% said they would sacrifice pay to be able to work remotely. Job satisfaction and employees feeling valued are important parts of business productivity. Tech behemoth’s Facebook and Google truly understand how to incentivise their employees to achieve greater productivity with perks. You don’t need to provide massage rooms, nap pods or free haircuts but i nvesting in your staff in a small but meaningful way will certainly improve morale and drive productivity. 7. How to improve consistency within teams working together. An important part of improving the productivity of your business is simplifying the ways that your employees collaborate with each other. Whether this is a simple as having a company Google account so that your employees can offer input or edit documents and spreadsheets in Google Docs and Google Sheets to formal project management software, the time savings can be impressive. Trello is an inexpensive collaboration tool that allows the entire team to see what needs to be completed on a project and review tasks that have been assigned to them. Usefully, it also integrates seamlessly with apps your team is probably already using such as Dropbox, Evernote, and Google. 8. Tools to make consistent communication a cinch Easy communication between departments and remote offices is as important as easy collaboration. Slack, a messaging app allows communication and collaboration between teams, company-wide or just members of a specific project. It also allows for voice and video calls if needed and will integrate with all the apps you already use. Other communications options include Skype, Zoom and Basecamp. 9. Interpersonal conflict and how to deal with it The flipside to improving business productivity happens when a company doesn’t have effective conflict resolution procedures in place. Conflict at some point is inevitable and if it is left unresolved can impact on the productivity of the team or business. Addressing the situation head on, calmly and professionally is key to getting beyond the issue and back to work. Defining what is acceptable behaviour in the office can help avoid conflict but when it happens it is important that it is dealt with calmly and effectively, to maintain a productive environment. Good communication is key in discovering the issue and addressing it to avoid losing key staff due to ineffective management. 10. Other workplace issues impacting on service consistency Conflict can have a negative and corrosive impact on the atmosphere in an office but other workplace issues can be equally destructive if not identified and dealt with. I nadequate training can lead to unnecessary errors that take time to correct and lack of support from line managers can lead to confusion and poor task management if an employee has no idea what needs prioritising. Leading on from inadequate support is unrealistic expectations of what one person can achieve in a given time and this can be equally demotivating and lead to stress and anxiety. To avoid all of these issues, the key is good communication. If you are aware of your team’s capabilities, have a training schedule in place to address knowledge gaps and are in regular contact with them so they know what is required and they don’t get into a situation where they are overwhelmed, they will be able to work more effectively. Summary Improving business consistency and business productivity isn’t a single task that will magically transform your business, but a combination of a number of areas that need to be addressed to get your business productivity to where you’d like it to be. Your most important asset is your staff, look after their needs to ensure they’re motivated and productive and you can only succeed. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Customer-centricity helps businesses outshine the competition. Learn more about the benefits of customer-centricity and how your business can do the same. 4 Benefits Of Being a Customer Centric Business Companies have always created value for their customers but those with more than a simple customer focus have created real and long-lasting business value. Published on: 13 Dec 2018 Companies have always created value for their customers but those with more than a simple customer focus have created real and long-lasting business value. Today customer-centricity means much more than before, referring to business and digital transformation, customer engagement and customer experience management. However this is more than just people, process and technology, it’s about the culture of the company, how the company sees itself, its employees, partners and suppliers within a bigger, rapidly changing picture driven by the “connectedness” of everything and everyone. What does a high-performance company culture look like? How CRM Enhances a Customer-Centric Business Being a customer-centric business means more than just good service—it requires deep understanding, proactive engagement, and streamlined processes to consistently meet customer expectations. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system plays a vital role in making customer-centricity a reality. 1. Personalisation at Scale Customers expect personalised experiences, but without structured data, it’s difficult to track individual preferences. CRM systems centralise customer data, allowing businesses to tailor interactions, recommend relevant products or services, and anticipate needs—ensuring each customer feels valued. 2. Strengthening Customer Loyalty Through Proactive Engagement A key benefit of being customer-centric is improved loyalty. CRM enables businesses to track past interactions, identify loyal customers, and automate personalised follow-ups, such as thank-you emails, exclusive offers, or service reminders. This proactive engagement fosters deeper relationships and repeat business. 3. Streamlining Customer Support and Service Customer-centric businesses must respond quickly and effectively to customer concerns. CRM ensures that all customer interactions—emails, calls, chats, and social media messages—are logged and accessible in one place. This prevents customers from having to repeat themselves and allows teams to provide seamless, informed support. 4. Data-Driven Decision Making for a Competitive Edge A customer-centric business thrives on understanding evolving customer needs. CRM provides real-time insights and analytics, helping businesses make informed decisions about service improvements, marketing strategies, and product development—ensuring they stay ahead of competitors. Customer-Centricity + CRM = Sustainable Growth A business that prioritises its customers will naturally outperform competitors, but without CRM, customer-centricity can become inconsistent and difficult to scale. By integrating CRM into a customer-first strategy , businesses ensure every interaction builds trust, improves service, and drives long-term success. Corporate social media and a customer centric culture Social media has created a knowledgeable and powerful customer-base so companies must improve their customer understanding to create an unrivaled customer experience that maintains and extends their competitive advantage. Using social data to create a more personalised customer interaction will be at the heart of customer centric service, moving from a product-centric to a customer centric business. The future of corporate social media is customer centricity, becoming more customer centric is key. Social media has changed the way customers behave. Achieving a deeper customer understanding from social data is important in implementing a customer centric model. A customer-centric culture will improve customer satisfaction levels leading to increased referrals, customer lifetime value and more positive reviews. Customer centricity is built on an employee centric culture To be a customer centric business you need to be employee centric first. Establishing ways to engage your workforce, bringing their day to day experiences of delivering value to your customers into your decision making processes will help to create the right customer service focus. You need the most engaged, loyal, and customer-centered employees like that of Disney, Virgin and Zappos. The customer centric business sees suppliers, partners and employees as customers too interacting and dealing with the company as they do. The internal customer is also key. For an exceptional customer experience to be delivered externally, employees need to show the same dedication to internal customer service too. They need to feel valued by each other, supported by the organisation and with a shared vision of success, including with the senior management team. This high performance corporate culture needs to be aligned with the business strategy. So while a highly engaged and motivated workforce is essential for achieving the strategic objectives and goals if it’s not properly aligned you’ll pulled in the wrong direction. For example if the goal was to sell more to existing clients or deliver your services at a lower cost than your rivals. The adjustment from product, job or work focus to a customer behaviour focus may take some time so to mitigate the impact of that, employees need to be on-board with the change, feel a part of it, rather than have it imposed on them. If they do not feel engaged, they will not feel any ownership. This, then, requires the senior team, management to set a corporate goal of engaging with the workforce, motivating them and creating the high-performance company culture they desire. Managing customer centric innovation requires a focus on delivering market leading customer satisfaction, from reviewing the current product or service definition to the teams behind delivering an extended customer lifetime value. Benefits of Customer-Centricity Establish cost saving opportunities. By delivering your products and services more efficiently you can identify hidden cost saving opportunities. Delivering your product or service right first time, in the minimum time frame, makes your company more productive. Identify opportunities for growth In getting closer to your customers and your market you’ll discover new ways to sell or promote your services, new niches you could target to raise revenues. Evolve a differentiated service and a unique competitive advantage Your company will have its own way of doing business, you may not know just what your customers like about the way you work, the way you deliver your value. What makes you unique to your customers, why did they buy from you? If you don’t know or your customers don’t recognise it themselves, then being customer centric will help you develop and promote your unique competitive advantage. Build a productive company culture A focus on customer service will create a more rewarding company to work for, a more rewarding company culture. It is hard to find a top performing company that does not have its employees’ well being, training, support and involvement as an important focus of their operations. By becoming customer-centric, you become more empathetic. You can use customer empathy to better understand your customers and deliver better customer experiences. Ultimately, allowing your business to get ahead of the competition by doing so. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Discover essential strategies for business process improvement and creating effective workflows. Learn how to identify bottlenecks, set clear goals, and foster a culture of continuous improvement to enhance your business operations. The Ultimate Guide to Business Process Improvement and Effective Workflows Unlock the Secrets to Streamlining Operations and Maximising Productivity: Explore proven techniques for identifying bottlenecks, setting actionable goals, and implementing continuous improvement practices that lead to enhanced efficiency and sustainable business success. Published on: 10 Apr 2025 In today's fast-paced business landscape, the ability to streamline operations is essential for success. As companies strive to maximise efficiency, business process improvement and effective workflows have emerged as critical components in driving organisational performance. This guide delves into the strategies and techniques that can help you enhance your processes and create efficient workflows, ensuring your business remains competitive and adaptable. Understanding Business Process Improvement Business Process improvement refers to the systematic approach of identifying, analysing, and enhancing existing business processes to achieve more efficient results. The goal is to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce waste, and improve overall quality. Techniques such as Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen are widely used to implement continuous improvement within organisations. By embracing a business improvement programme , businesses can achieve greater agility, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction. It’s not just about making changes but about fostering a culture of ongoing evaluation and enhancement. The Importance of Efficient Workflows Efficient workflows are the backbone of any successful organisation. A well-designed workflow enables employees to complete tasks with minimal friction, reducing delays and errors. When workflows are optimised, teams can work more collaboratively, communicate effectively, and ultimately deliver better results. Workflow management tools can facilitate the design and monitoring of workflows, ensuring that processes run smoothly. By prioritising workflow efficiency, businesses can enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Key Steps to Achieve Business Process Improvement and Effective Workflows 1. Identify Pain Points The first step in business process improvement is to identify bottlenecks and challenges within your current workflows with a workflow audit. Conducting a thorough analysis can reveal areas where inefficiencies exist. Engage your team in discussions to gather insights on obstacles they encounter, and use this feedback to inform your improvement efforts. 2. Map Your Processes Visualising your workflows through process mapping can help clarify how tasks are completed and where improvements can be made. Use flowcharts or diagrams to illustrate each step in the process, making it easier to identify redundancies or unnecessary steps. 3. Set Clear Goals Establishing clear, measurable goals is essential for successful business process improvement. Implement the SMART criteria—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—to define what success looks like. This approach ensures that everyone is aligned and accountable for achieving these objectives. 4. Implement Changes Once you’ve identified areas for improvement and set goals, it’s time to implement changes. Communicate the changes clearly to your team, and provide any necessary training or resources to facilitate a smooth transition. Monitor the implementation process closely to address any issues that may arise. 5. Monitor and Measure Success To determine the effectiveness of your business process improvements, it’s crucial to monitor and measure success. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your goals and regularly review performance data. This ongoing evaluation will help you identify further areas for improvement. 6. Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement Encouraging a culture of continuous improvement within your organisation can lead to ongoing enhancements in processes and workflows. Empower your employees to share ideas and suggestions for improvement, and recognise their contributions to foster engagement and innovation. 7. Leverage Technology Utilising technology can significantly enhance your business process improvement efforts. Workflow automation tools can streamline repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on higher-value activities. Explore software solutions that fit your organisation’s needs to drive efficiency and effectiveness. Conclusion: The Path to Sustainable Success In an ever-evolving business environment, the need for business process improvement and efficient workflows cannot be overstated. By following the steps outlined in this guide, organisations can not only enhance their operational efficiency but also create a sustainable foundation for long-term success. Embrace the journey of continuous improvement and watch your business thrive in the face of new challenges. By prioritising business process improvement and effective workflows, your organisation can achieve operational excellence, foster innovation, and maintain a competitive advantage in today’s market. Start implementing these strategies today and unlock your business's full potential. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Bad customer service can cost your business more than just than one customer. Learn how to improve customer service experience. How to Improve Customer Service Experience Bad customer service can cost your business more than just than one customer. Learn how to improve customer service experience. Published on: 24 Feb 2022 Delivering an exceptional customer service experience is everything. In fact, 95% of customers say it’s a factor in their choice of brand and ongoing loyalty and consumers are willing to pay 17% more for companies that have excellent service. But what happens when companies are unable to deliver excellent customer service? Worse still, what’s the cost of bad customer service and more importantly, how do you fix it? We’ll be looking at all this and more, including: What is bad customer service? What’s the cost of bad customer service? Bad customer service examples How to fix bad customer service What is bad customer service? Bad customer service can cover many different aspects of a customer experience, but ultimately, bad customer service is best defined as when a customer feels their expectations weren’t met . The most common issues include things like long wait times, too much automation or having to repeat themselves a lot. All issues we’re sure you yourself have experienced. There are different customer service expectations for different brands. We don’t expect the same speedy delivery from a seller of bespoke handmade items as we do from a seller on Amazon. But when we fail to meet these expectations, we deliver a poor customer service experience for customers. What’s the cost of bad customer service? When all’s said and done, bad customer service costs the UK a staggering £37 billion a year . For individual businesses the picture is just as bleak. Poor customer service increases customer churn considerably. Around 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after a single bad customer service experience. The math here should be obvious. For companies delivering poor customer service, they’re potentially losing out on half their repeat customers. Not only are they losing out on these customers, but they’re losing out on the friends and relatives of these customers through valuable word of mouth marketing. It’s estimated that a customer will tell 9 people about a positive experience with a brand, but they’ll tell 16 people about a negative experience. In a world where more than ever we value reviews and word of mouth marketing, this means the real cost of bad customer service extends far beyond customer churn. Companies with bad customer service reduce their profitability by reducing customer lifetime value and making it harder to acquire new customers. Bad reputation Joan Jett might not give a damn, but you should. Overall, bad customer service damages your brand authority and reputation. Think about the last time you bought from a company you hadn’t heard of. Chances are you looked up reviews on their social media, on Google My Business or on TrustPilot. If they were bad, did you still go ahead and use the company or did you opt for another? It’s much easier to gain a bad reputation than a good one. Customers are so much more likely to leave a bad review about a business than a good one. This means the odds are stacked against businesses in the first place. One bad customer service experience probably has more significance to your brand than 10 good customer service experiences. More than ever, brands are being held accountable for their actions, customer service is no exception to this rule. Kill the lead Even when customers ignore the bad press online or what their friends have heard about a business and do take the risk, bad customer service can still kill the lead. We’re talking about simple things like failing to call back, slow response times or not having enough training on products to answer queries. It’s all super frustrating and makes customers likely to jump ship. Employee churn That churn we talked about above isn’t exclusive to customers. The consequences of bad customer service seep into every aspect of a business. Chances are if your company is going through a bad phase where customers are unhappy, profitability is low and productivity is dampened by endless service calls and complaints, your best employees will leave for greener pastures too. After all, they’ll be the ones dealing with cleaning up the mess of bad customer service all the time. Too much of this will lead to them feeling overworked and burned out. It’s only natural to want to go somewhere the stress levels aren’t so high. Profitability drain All of the above essentially creates a vicious circle that wreaks havoc on your profitability. You’re losing out on new customers and repeat customers because of your bad reputation. This reduces your profitability, so you’re forced to either start cutting costs or pumping money into marketing campaigns to plug the gap. If you cut costs, this puts more strain on your current staff. They’re struggling with their workloads and the standard of customer service plummets further. Your best staff leave because they’re tired from all the stress. You spend more money recruiting and training new staff. It feels like the costs keep on piling up. On the other hand, you might pump money into marketing. It might bring some leads in, but because of the bad customer service, the problems aren’t actually fixed. It’s a temporary solution because you still haven’t fixed the internal problems you needed to. Using CRM to improve customer experience A well-implemented Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system takes the guesswork out of managing customer interactions, ensuring no lead, complaint, or opportunity falls through the cracks. When businesses rely on scattered spreadsheets, outdated records, or memory-based follow-ups, customers experience delays, miscommunication, and frustration. CRM systems streamline customer interactions by centralising data, tracking communication history, and automating key touchpoints. This ensures customers receive timely responses, personalised service, and consistent engagement. For example, an effective CRM can notify teams when a follow-up is due, highlight a customer’s past purchases to offer relevant recommendations, and flag unresolved issues to prevent escalation. Beyond improving efficiency, CRM creates trust. When customers feel recognised and valued—whether through a proactive check-in, a personalised offer, or quick resolution of a problem—they’re more likely to remain loyal and advocate for the business. In contrast, businesses without a structured approach risk delivering disjointed service, which leads to customer churn. By integrating CRM into your workflows , you can move from reactive customer service to a proactive, high-performance approach—turning every interaction into an opportunity to strengthen relationships and drive sustainable growth. How to improve the customer service experience As we said above, there’s no one size fits all when it comes to bad customer service. Different industries will have different expectations. This said, there are some commonalities between companies with a reputation for poor customer service, just as the companies who deliver great customer service share things in common. For example, in Which’s best and worst brands for customer service report, three of the worst brands for customer service failed to handle complaints properly. It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Ryanair featured dead last out of 100, where customers described them as ‘greedy’ and ‘sneaky’. Similarly, ranked at 95, Virgin Media was also described as greedy. What this suggests is a failure to present a customer-centric service experience, instead being driven by profit. It’s a similar story for BT and Scottish Power, ranked at number 98 and 99 respectively, where customers stated they didn’t feel valued and that staff members were aloof. All this to say, fixing bad customer service isn’t a mystery. It’s actually pretty simple if businesses make it a priority. We’ll look at some common scenarios highlighted by unhappy customers and how to fix them. Being on hold too long Being left on hold has got to be one of the most frustrating customer service issues. Even a few minutes can wind up the calmest of customers. The fix is simple… get your queue times down. You can do this through ensuring you have the right amount of staff, especially during peak times, as well as implementing better call handling and management. Transfer, Transfer, Transfer Right up there after being on hold too long is getting bounced from agent to agent. Worse yet, if a company has managed to keep you on hold for ages and then bounces you around after! The solution here is simple. Agents should know where to direct customers to after listening to whatever the query or complaint may be. Keep staff up to date with training on call handling to avoid this. Repetition Let’s look at a worse case scenario. A customer has been on hold for ages. They finally got through and explained their problem. They’ve been transferred to another agent who can help them… who then asks what the problem is again. It’s poor phone skills and It’s enough to make anyone scream. Customers don’t like repeating themselves over and over. It makes them feel like companies aren’t listening. To fix this, make sure your agents are actively listening and taking notes. But also ensure they’re sharing information with other agents involved in the call to avoid the customer having to repeat themselves. This should all be part of your standard call handling technique. Negative vibes The right tone and language makes a huge impact on your customer service standards. Calling up a company to be greeted by someone who sounds fed up, apathetic or stressed out is a surefire way to create a bad customer service experience. Similar, agents answering queries by saying “they don’t know” and not offering any solution beyond this are hardly going to inspire confidence and trust in your brand. Fixing this issue is all to do with giving your staff the training and support they need. The training aspect here is obvious, but it should also be regularly refreshed to make sure your staff remain at their best. On top of training though, you should be ensuring your staff are able to get into a positive headspace. If they’re overworked and stressed out, of course they’ll find achieving this that much harder. Improving employee well-being and conditions can make a huge difference to customer service. Lack of empathy Customers expect call handlers to be human. Not robotic, monotone cogs in a giant corporation. When something has gone wrong, it’s only human to want some understanding. In fact, most customers aren’t even looking for agents to apologise – they realistically know it isn’t their fault – they just want someone to empathise with them and help. If your call advisors are failing to do this, you’ll be delivering poor customer service. Again, to fix this, you should be offering regular training for your employees to improve these customer service skills. You should also ensure your employees actually have the time and resources to effectively help customers, as opposed to being limited to reading from a script with minimal autonomy. Have you checked our website? We get it, you’ve created an amazing FAQs section to solve lots of common issues you get queries about. That’s great. But asking or telling your customers to use the website instead is a bad customer service experience. Chances are, they either checked the website already or they wanted to speak to a human anyway. In either situation, directing them to the website is unhelpful. This practice has become more and more common as companies value tracking call metrics like call length. While there is some value in it, some calls simply can’t be dealt with in such a small amount of time and the quality of customer service suffers. You should be encouraging and empowering your staff to be helpful every time, no matter the query. Individual call agents Everyone has bad days. We’re only human. However, it’s equally true that every job isn’t suited to every person. Sometimes this lack of compatibility or lack of customer service skills comes across as rudeness or an attitude and ultimately leaves a negative impression of your company. It’s so important to keep an eye on how individual agents are performing and offer training, support and rewards where needed. You can achieve this with individual call handler metrics and scorecards to gauge their performance, their strengths and their weaknesses. Poor online presence Social media has become an invaluable tool for businesses over the past decade, but it’s come with its own new challenges. Staying up to date with social media messages, comments and more helps prevent bad customer service experiences. A lot of businesses are missing the mark on this entirely, either through a lack of staffing or a lack of omnichannel customer service strategy. For the best customer service, you need both elements. Similarly, online reviews have become another thing for businesses to contend with. As we mentioned above, you’re far more likely to receive a negative review than a positive review. But the issues don’t end there. How do you deal with them? What do you say? Many businesses make the mistake of responding with some unpersonalised, uncaring stock response, or worst yet replying with an unprofessional attack. Neither help your business. Your online reviews, both negative and positive, should be responded to with a personal and human touch. For negative ones especially, you should be taking the time to resolve the issues and attempt a service recovery wherever possible. Incompetent automation Automation is something we’ve all accepted as a normal part of the customer service experience. Whether that’s in IVR systems or chatbots, they’ve definitely become the norm and for the most part, that’s fine. However, issues arise when automation causes more issues than it solves. This could be in the form of hugely lengthy IVR systems where customers have to enter too much information, especially when they have to repeat it all to the agent anyway. It could also be in the form of chatbots who aren’t intelligent enough and provide no value to customers, instead they actively frustrate them. To fix this, you need to ensure your business is reviewing the customer experience regularly and implementing the best automation technologies. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

High performance work systems can help your business out-perform the competition. Learn how to develop HPWS to increase your business productivity today. How to Develop a High Performance Work System to Increase Business Productivity High performance work systems can help your business out-perform the competition. Learn how to develop HPWS to increase your business productivity today. Published on: 27 Feb 2025 Business productivity in the UK is in crisis. We’re among the lowest in the G7, with UK productivity a staggering 17% below the USA and France. So often businesses look to new sales or marketing campaigns to resolve productivity issues and increase profitability. Instead of looking for external solutions to internal problems, we think everyone needs to rethink business and make work better with a high performance work system ( HPWS ). We’ll be looking briefly at what a HPWS is and how you can develop one for your business. What is a HPWS and why Does Your Business Need one? Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in your business was working to their full capability? That’s exactly what a High Performance Work System aims to achieve. It does this through adopting systems of work which improve performance. Nothing too groundbreaking, right? The previous approaches to achieve this focused on machines and technology. For example, getting a new CMS to better analyse data or automating more processes to free up employees. But despite these well-intentioned approaches, productivity didn’t increase. In fact, the further we’ve moved into the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the technologies it can offer, the more productivity has struggled. It’s what’s known as the productivity paradox . High performance work systems look to address this by taking a new approach — one that focuses on people. After all, people are at the heart of any business HPWS achieve this by creating a culture of high performance for businesses. There is much discussion between academics, economists and other thought leaders around what the key characteristics of a high performance work culture is. But generally speaking, a high performance work culture will have most, if not all, of the following aspects: A company culture of learning and continuous improvement Strong leadership with emotional intelligence to foster this culture A HRM strategy utilised to promote a positive company culture Strong teams built through selective hiring processes Teams and departments have clear goals, strategically aligned with larger business goals Alternative working practices A flat, or flatter, organisational hierarchy to promote communication A clear vision for the business, which all employees share Employees who are motivated, engaged and committed to this vision Research suggests businesses who adopt a high performance work system can see an increase in business productivity between 20% to 40% . How to Develop a HPWS to Increase Business Productivity To develop a HPWS you need to understand what your business goals are and what your current work systems are and how they aid those goals to assess where you can further develop a performance culture. Employees and leaders should be as involved as possible in the entire process for the best results. Let’s take a look at the characteristics listed above to see how you can implement them in your own workplace. A Company Culture of Learning and Continuous Improvement Are you happy with the status quo or are you always striving towards the next development? Many businesses fit into the former category. They assume the way things are done now is the way they should be done. This works for a time, until a more competitive company comes along that has developed further through continuous improvement. They can offer better products, at more competitive prices and a better customer experience overall. This is why it’s vital for high performance workplaces to foster a culture of continuous improvement across the business. All teams and departments should continually be looking for ways to improve the current way of doing things, allowing the business to remain competitive and innovative in the wider market. Continuous improvement is intrinsically linked to learning. Employees who are unable or unwilling to learn are a recipe for disaster for businesses. Learning can empower staff, teach them new skills and change their way of thinking. Ultimately, all this knowledge gets pumped back into your business, allowing you to continuously improve. Businesses can create a company culture of learning and continuous improvement by: Making open, transparent communication a priority Investing in staff development Setting and measuring goals and using this information to improve future goals Empowering employees by implementing ideas and encouraging a sense of ownership over ideas Strong Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence Our current command-and-control management style wreaks havoc on business productivity, ultimately creating low performance teams and a low productivity business. Of course, management needs a certain amount of skills to run a team such as commercial awareness, organisational skills, the ability to delegate and so on. But so much more importantly, they need emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a simple concept at its core. It’s the ability to manage and understand your own emotions and also the emotions of those around you. High emotional intelligence notice and consider the impact of their own emotions and the emotions of others. Managers who possess a high level of emotional intelligence are more likely to stay calm and navigate situations successfully, as opposed to get stressed out and make rash or impulsive decisions. Daniel Goleman, the American psychologist who popularised emotional intelligence in business says there are five key characteristics to emotional intelligence: Social skills Self-awareness Self-regulation Empathy Motivation Of course, business can encourage strong leadership with emotional intelligence by promoting those who possess the skills into leadership positions. But contrary to popular belief, emotional intelligence can be learned . Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Kanban is a visual workflow management method originating from Toyota's Lean manufacturing. It uses boards and cards to visualise tasks, set work-in-progress limits, and optimise flow. The Kanban Method: A Highly Effective Approach To Managing Work Processes and Workflows Kanban is a visual workflow management method originating from Toyota's Lean manufacturing. It uses boards and cards to visualise tasks, set work-in-progress limits, and optimise flow. Kanban's principles help teams in various industries reduce waste, enhance efficiency, and promote continuous improvement by making processes transparent and manageable. The Kanban method is a highly effective approach to workflow management ; managing work processes and workflows, which has gained significant popularity in various industries, particularly in software development and manufacturing. With its roots in Japanese manufacturing and Lean principles, Kanban offers a flexible and visual framework for teams to optimise their productivity, enhance efficiency, and continuously improve their processes. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve deep into the world of Kanban, exploring its history, core principles, practices, and benefits. Origins of Kanban The word "Kanban" (看板) itself is Japanese and translates to "visual card" or "signboard." Its origins can be traced back to the manufacturing practices of Toyota in the mid-20th century. Toyota's production system, often referred to as the Toyota Production System (TPS) or Lean manufacturing, aimed to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve the overall quality of their products. The concept of Kanban emerged as a way to manage inventory and production processes more effectively. Initially, Kanban cards were simple physical cards or visual signals that represented work items or parts. These cards were used to signal when new items were needed in the manufacturing process. Workers would pull items from one stage of production to the next as signaled by the Kanban cards, ensuring a smooth and demand-driven production flow. The success of Toyota's Kanban system in improving efficiency and reducing waste soon attracted attention worldwide. As a result, the Kanban method began to evolve beyond its manufacturing roots and find applications in various domains, including knowledge work, project management, and software development. Core Principles of Kanban The Kanban method is built on several core principles and concepts that guide its implementation: 1. Visualising Workflow One of the foundational principles of Kanban is visualising the workflow . In a Kanban system, work items and their progress are made visible to all team members. This is often done on a Kanban board, which is a visual representation of the workflow, typically consisting of columns representing different stages of work (e.g., "To Do," "In Progress," "Done") and cards representing individual work items. Visualising the workflow provides transparency and helps team members understand the status of work, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions about how to prioritise and allocate resources. 2. Limiting Work in Progress (WIP) Kanban emphasises the importance of limiting the amount of work in progress at any given time. This limitation helps prevent overloading team members, maintain a steady and sustainable pace of work, and reduce the time it takes for work items to move through the system. WIP limits are set for each stage of the workflow, and work is pulled into each stage only when there is available capacity. If a stage reaches its WIP limit, new work cannot be started until some work is completed or moved to the next stage. 3. Managing Flow Kanban focuses on optimising the flow of work through the system. Teams strive to minimise delays, reduce waiting times, and ensure a smooth and continuous flow of work items from start to finish. By managing flow effectively, teams can improve their overall efficiency and responsiveness to customer needs. 4. Making Process Policies Explicit In a Kanban system, the process policies governing how work is done are made explicit and visible. These policies include guidelines for how work items are prioritised, how they move through the workflow, and what criteria must be met for work to progress to the next stage. Explicit process policies help ensure consistency and clarity in how work is performed, making it easier for team members to collaborate and make decisions. 5. Feedback and Improvement Continuous improvement is a fundamental aspect of Kanban. Teams regularly review their performance, collect feedback from the system, and make incremental changes to improve their processes. This feedback-driven approach allows teams to adapt to changing circumstances, address issues as they arise, and optimise their workflows over time. Kanban Practices To implement the Kanban method effectively, teams often follow a set of practices that align with the core principles. These practices include: 1. Creating a Kanban Board A Kanban board is a visual representation of the workflow. It consists of columns that represent different stages of work and cards that represent individual work items. Teams use the Kanban board to track the status of work items and make decisions about what to work on next. 2. Defining Work Items Work items are the individual tasks or units of work that flow through the Kanban system. Each work item is represented by a card on the Kanban board and should be well-defined, including clear descriptions and any relevant information. 3. Setting WIP Limits Work in progress (WIP) limits are established for each stage of the workflow. These limits help prevent overloading team members and ensure a smooth flow of work. When a stage reaches its WIP limit, work cannot be pulled into that stage until capacity becomes available. 4. Visualising Flow The Kanban board provides a visual representation of the flow of work items through the system. Team members can easily see which work items are in progress, which are waiting, and which have been completed. This visualisation enables better coordination and decision-making. 5. Managing Flow Teams actively manage the flow of work by monitoring the Kanban board, identifying bottlenecks, and taking action to resolve them. Actions may include reallocating resources, changing priorities, or redefining process policies. 6. Implementing Feedback Loops Regular meetings, such as daily stand-up meetings and periodic reviews, provide opportunities for teams to gather feedback, discuss performance, and make adjustments to their processes. These feedback loops are essential for continuous improvement. 7. Making Process Policies Explicit Teams document and make their process policies explicit. This includes defining criteria for work item prioritisation, acceptance criteria, and the definition of "done" for each stage of the workflow. Explicit process policies help ensure consistency and alignment within the team. 8. Implementing Classes of Service Kanban systems often include different classes of service to prioritise work items based on their urgency and importance. For example, expedited items may receive priority handling over standard items. Benefits of Kanban The Kanban method offers numerous benefits to teams and organisations that implement it: 1. Improved Efficiency Kanban helps teams optimise their workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and eliminate waste. This results in faster and more efficient delivery of work items. 2. Enhanced Visibility Visualising the workflow on a Kanban board provides transparency into the status of work, making it easier to identify issues and make informed decisions. 3. Better Workload Management By limiting WIP, Kanban prevents overloading team members and ensures a manageable workload, leading to reduced stress and improved work quality. 4. Increased Flexibility Kanban is a highly adaptable method that can be applied to a wide range of work processes, making it suitable for various industries and domains. 5. Continuous Improvement Kanban promotes a culture of continuous improvement, where teams regularly review their processes and make incremental changes to enhance performance. 6. Customer Satisfaction Focusing on flow and prioritising work based on customer needs leads to higher customer satisfaction and faster response to changing requirements. 7. Reduced Lead Times Kanban reduces the time it takes for work items to move through the system, resulting in shorter lead times and faster delivery. 8. Cost Savings Efficient resource allocation and reduced waste contribute to cost savings for organisations that implement Kanban. Kanban in Practice Kanban can be applied in a wide range of contexts beyond manufacturing, including: 1. Software Development Kanban is commonly used in software development to manage the flow of features, user stories, and bug fixes through the development pipeline. Development teams use Kanban boards to visualise and manage their work. 2. IT Operations IT teams use Kanban to manage tasks related to system maintenance, troubleshooting, and support requests. Kanban helps IT departments ensure timely responses to issues. 3. Project Management Project managers use Kanban to track project tasks, milestones, and deliverables. Kanban boards provide a visual representation of project progress. 4. Marketing Marketing teams use Kanban to manage campaigns, content creation, and promotional activities. Kanban helps marketing departments prioritise and coordinate their efforts. 5. Healthcare Kanban has found applications in healthcare settings, where it helps manage patient appointments, treatment plans, and inventory of medical supplies. 6. Education Educational institutions use Kanban to manage curriculum development, teacher assignments, and student services. Common Challenges and Considerations While Kanban offers many benefits, it's essential to be aware of common challenges and considerations when implementing the method: 1. Resistance to Change Introducing Kanban may face resistance from team members accustomed to traditional methods. Effective change management and communication are crucial to overcome resistance. 2. Lack of Training Teams may require training and guidance on Kanban principles and practices to ensure successful adoption. 3. Incomplete Visualisation Failure to fully visualise the workflow or neglecting to update the Kanban board regularly can lead to mismanagement and inefficiencies. 4. Overemphasising Efficiency Focusing solely on efficiency can lead to neglecting other important factors, such as quality, customer satisfaction, and employee well-being. 5. Scalability Scaling Kanban beyond individual teams or departments can be challenging, and organisations may need to explore additional frameworks for larger-scale Agile transformations. Conclusion The Kanban method is a powerful and adaptable approach to managing work processes and workflows. Rooted in Lean principles and originating from Toyota's manufacturing practices, Kanban has evolved into a widely adopted framework for improving efficiency, enhancing visibility, and promoting continuous improvement in various industries. By visualising workflows, limiting work in progress, managing flow, making process policies explicit, and implementing feedback loops, teams and organisations can realise the many benefits of Kanban, including increased efficiency, improved customer satisfaction, and cost savings. While challenges may arise during the implementation of Kanban, a thoughtful approach to change management and ongoing training can help teams successfully transition to this flexible and effective method. Whether in software development, IT operations, project management, or other domains, Kanban offers a valuable toolkit for organisations seeking to streamline processes, deliver value to customers, and adapt to an ever-changing business landscape. 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Explore the most effective change management frameworks to drive operational excellence, business execution, and successful project management. Learn how Kotter's 8-Step Model, ADKAR, McKinsey 7-S, and other frameworks can help your organisation navigate change smoothly and achieve its strategic goals. A Comprehensive Guide to Change Management Frameworks How to Leverage Change Management Frameworks for Operational Excellence, Business Execution, and Effective Project Management In the ever-evolving landscape of business, change is the only constant. Organisations that thrive are those that can navigate change effectively, adapting to new realities with agility and resilience. However, the journey through change is often fraught with challenges, particularly when it comes to maintaining operational excellence, ensuring seamless business execution, and managing complex projects. This is where change management frameworks come into play. These frameworks provide structured approaches to managing change, helping organisations transition smoothly from the old to the new while maintaining high standards of performance. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of change management, delve into some of the most widely recognised frameworks, and discuss how to choose the right one for your organisation. The Importance of Change Management Change, whether technological, organisational, or cultural, can disrupt even the most stable environments. Without a structured approach to managing change, organisations risk falling into chaos, leading to decreased productivity, low morale, and even financial loss. Effective change management mitigates these risks by: Minimising Disruption : By planning and managing change systematically, organisations can reduce the impact on daily operations and ensure continuity in business execution. Engaging Employees : Change can create uncertainty. A good change management process involves clear communication and employee engagement, which can alleviate fears and build support. Achieving Desired Outcomes : Change initiatives often have specific goals, such as improving efficiency, enhancing operational excellence, or increasing market share. A structured approach ensures that these goals are met while keeping the organisation on course. Understanding Change Management Frameworks Change management frameworks provide the tools and processes needed to guide an organisation through change. They offer a roadmap, helping leaders and managers understand what needs to be done at each stage of the change process, whether it involves improving project management practices, enhancing operational processes, or driving strategic business execution. Let’s explore some of the most popular and effective change management frameworks. 1. Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model Developed by Dr. John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School, Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model is one of the most widely used frameworks in the world. It emphasises the importance of preparing for change and involves the following steps: Create a Sense of Urgency : Help others see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately. Build a Guiding Coalition : Assemble a group with enough power to lead the change effort, encouraging teamwork and trust. Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives : Develop a clear vision to help direct the change effort and create strategies to achieve that vision. Enlist a Volunteer Army : Empower and encourage a broad base of people to drive change. Enable Action by Removing Barriers : Remove obstacles and empower others to execute the vision. Generate Short-Term Wins : Create visible, unambiguous success early in the change process. Sustain Acceleration : Use the credibility from early wins to drive ongoing change. Institute Change : Anchor the new approaches in the organisational culture. Strengths : Kotter’s model is highly action-oriented and provides clear steps that can be easily communicated and followed, making it effective for driving business execution. Challenges : It can be too linear and rigid for more complex or iterative change processes. 2. ADKAR Model Developed by Prosci, the ADKAR Model is a goal-oriented change management model that focuses on the individual’s journey through change. It’s based on five building blocks: Awareness of the need for change. Desire to support and participate in the change. Knowledge of how to change. Ability to implement the required skills and behaviours. Reinforcement to sustain the change. Strengths : The ADKAR Model is highly focused on the individual, making it particularly effective for changes that require widespread adoption at the employee level. Challenges : While excellent for individual change, it may need to be supplemented with broader organisational change strategies, especially in the context of large-scale project management. 3. Lewin’s Change Management Model Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist, developed one of the earliest change management models, which remains relevant today. Lewin’s model is based on a simple three-step process: Unfreeze : Prepare the organisation to accept that change is necessary, which involves breaking down the existing status quo. Change : Execute the change, where new processes, behaviours, and attitudes are introduced. Refreeze : Solidify the new state after the change, ensuring that the new ways of working are embedded in the organisation. Strengths : Lewin’s model is straightforward and easy to understand, making it a good starting point for organisations new to change management. Challenges : The model’s simplicity can be a drawback in more complex change scenarios. The concept of “refreezing” may also seem outdated in today’s fast-paced business environment, where continuous change is the norm. 4. The McKinsey 7-S Model The McKinsey 7-S Model is a holistic approach to organisational change that considers seven interdependent factors: Strategy : The plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage. Structure : The way the organisation is structured and who reports to whom. Systems : The daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done. Shared Values : The core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. Style : The style of leadership adopted. Staff : The employees and their general capabilities. Skills : The actual skills and competencies of the employees. Strengths : The 7-S Model is comprehensive and helps organisations see how different elements of the organisation are interconnected. It’s particularly useful for organisational redesign, operational excellence, or transformation. Challenges : The complexity of the model can be overwhelming, and it may require significant time and resources to implement effectively. 5. The Bridges Transition Model Developed by William Bridges, this model focuses on the emotional and psychological impact of change, emphasising the transition process rather than the change itself. The model identifies three stages: Ending, Losing, and Letting Go : Employees must let go of the old ways before they can accept the new. The Neutral Zone : A period of confusion and uncertainty, where old habits are no longer effective, but new habits have not yet been fully adopted. The New Beginning : The final phase, where employees begin to embrace the new processes and ways of working. Strengths : The Bridges Transition Model is particularly useful for managing the human side of change, addressing resistance and helping employees navigate their personal transition. Challenges : It’s less focused on the organisational structure and processes, so it may need to be used in conjunction with other models to ensure effective business execution. 6. The Burke-Litwin Change Model This model is an advanced tool that looks at the drivers of change and their effect on an organisation. The Burke-Litwin Model identifies 12 interconnected elements that affect change: External Environment Mission and Strategy Leadership Organisational Culture Structure Management Practices Systems (Policies and Procedures) Work Unit Climate Task and Individual Skills Individual Needs and Values Motivation Performance Strengths : The model is thorough and considers both internal and external factors that influence change, making it ideal for large-scale transformations and complex project management. Challenges : Its complexity can be a barrier to implementation, requiring a deep understanding of the organisation’s intricacies. 7. Rostone 7Ts Continuous Change Management Framework Developed by Paul Freudenberg, the Rostone 7Ts Continuous Change Management Framework is designed to address the demands of modern business environments, emphasising agility and proactive engagement. The Rostone 7Ts framework is built around five key elements— Tools, Traits, Trust, Time, Talent, Teach and Theme —which serve as pillars for guiding organisations through change: Traits: Cultivate leadership qualities essential for navigating change. Trust: Establish trust to enable effective collaboration. Time: Ensure sufficient time is allocated for meaningful implementation. Talent: Harness and develop organisational talent to support change. Teach: Encourage continuous learning to reinforce and sustain change. Strengths: The framework provides a comprehensive, human-centered approach adaptable to various organisational contexts. Challenges: Significant investment in leadership development and cultural alignment is required. Without these, changes may not endure beyond the initial implementation phase. Choosing the Right Change Management Framework Selecting the right change management framework depends on factors such as the nature of the change, the organisation’s size, culture, and the level of employee involvement. Scope of Change: For large-scale organisational changes, comprehensive models like McKinsey 7-S or Burke-Litwin may be suitable. For more focused changes, such as software adoption, Kotter’s 8-Step Model or ADKAR could be effective. Employee Impact: For changes that significantly affect employees, consider human-centric models like the Bridges Transition Model or the Rostone 7Ts, which emphasises leadership, trust, and continuous learning. Organisational Culture: The chosen framework should align with the organisation’s culture. For instance, a highly hierarchical organisation might find Kotter’s model more suitable, while a more collaborative environment may prefer the McKinsey 7-S Model or the Rostone 7Ts. Change Management Maturity: If your organisation is new to change management, starting with a simpler model like Lewin’s may be beneficial. More mature organisations with experience in managing change may benefit from more complex frameworks such as Burke-Litwin or Rostone 7Ts for continuous improvement. Implementing Change Management Frameworks: Best Practices Start with Clear Leadership : Strong leadership is crucial in driving change. Leaders must communicate the vision, align the team, and lead by example. Engage and Communicate : Open communication is key to reducing resistance. Keep employees informed, involved, and motivated throughout the process. Be Flexible : While frameworks provide structure, it’s important to remain flexible. Be ready to adapt your approach as needed based on feedback and changing circumstances. Measure and Adjust : Continuously monitor the progress of the change initiative. Use metrics and feedback to make necessary adjustments to the plan. Support Employees : Provide the necessary training, resources, and support to help employees navigate the transition. Acknowledge their concerns and celebrate their successes. Conclusion In a world where change is inevitable, organisations that can manage it effectively are the ones that will thrive. Change management frameworks offer invaluable tools to guide organisations through the complexities of change. Whether you’re facing a minor shift in strategy or a major transformation, selecting the right framework and implementing it effectively is key to achieving operational excellence, seamless business execution, and successful project management. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

Many businesses aren't meeting the demands of the modern consumer. Learn more about the 21st century customer and how your business can keep up. The 21st Century Customer: Who Is The Modern Consumer? Many businesses aren't meeting the demands of the modern consumer. Learn more about the 21st century customer and how your business can keep up with trends. Published on: 9 Feb 2023 Whatever the century, industry or retailer, one question remains constant: What do customers want? And perhaps even more pressingly — how can we provide it? It should come as no surprise to any business owner that what customers want and what many retailers are offering often doesn’t match up. But why is that the case? Much of this comes down to businesses failing to understand how consumer needs have changed and developed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution presses on. The 21st century customer has drastically different needs than those who preceded them. We’ll be covering everything you need to know about the modern consumer in this article including: The modern consumer dilemma The 21st century customer statistics Why understanding consumer behaviour matters How businesses can meet 21st century customer needs The Modern Consumer Dilemma Even when we’ve enjoyed the healthiest of economies worldwide – prior to the pandemic and following the economic fallout of the 2008 financial crash – many retailers haven’t felt the benefits of a healthy economy in terms of profitability. This is important because it tells us that it isn’t as simple as ‘shoppers aren’t shopping’. The reality is, as we’ve moved further into the digital revolution, discounts have obliterated margins. Even Amazon’s obsession with free shipping isn’t profitable. Other retailers have had to eat into their own margins to compete. To make the problem even more complicated, consumers are less loyal. While price points remain a factor for the 21st century customer, this isn’t their only consideration. After all, anyone can deliver a service or product for rock bottom price nowadays. It’s no longer impressive. In fact, sometimes slashing prices to the bare minimum is a warning sign to consumers that the product or service lacks quality. What instead drives modern consumer behaviour is an omnichannel experience. For most businesses that are thriving, there is a deep understanding ( and matching strategy ) revolving around the messaging and platform used for each stage of the customer journey which lets them deliver a modern customer experience. For example, a survey of American businesses showed that only 40% of them were selling on social media. While for some this may be a deliberate decision to suit the unique needs of their target audience, for many all it represents is another missed opportunity to meet the desires of the 21st century customer. Not just this, but many businesses who are using social media use it solely to upsell. They don’t tell a brand story, they don’t interact and engage. They’re a faceless machine, focused on profit only. This is despite modern consumer research showing these techniques don’t convince buyers. This is just one example of not meeting modern consumer needs. So just who is the 21st century consumer and what do they want? The 21st Century Customer: The Data Gen Y and Z makeup £264 billion of spending power in the US alone. In fact, Gen Z already represents 40% of global consumers. While consumer behaviour has drastically changed across generations, it’s these generations who have led the charge in the consumer behaviour transformation that businesses are contending with. So let’s look at what the data says about each of them to understand them better. Gen Z Consumer Behaviour Gen Z are the first truly native digital generation. They don’t know a life before the internet, social networking and smartphones. What all this has led to is consumer empowerment. This generation is hypercognitive and comfortable cross-referencing many sources of information, both online and offline. Research suggests this generational shift may be more of an influence on consumer behaviour than socioeconomic differences. McKinsey research on Gen Z revealed core behaviours that drive consumer characteristics and behaviours within this generation, but they all revolve around honesty and authenticity. These core behaviours lead to three implications for companies hoping to win big with Gen Z: Consumption is an access rather than a possession Consumption is an expression of individual identity Consumption is a matter of ethical concern. The first implication revolves around access as a form of consumption. By this we mean the emerging – and booming markets – like video streaming services, entertainment subscriptions, car ride services and more. Things that were once products are now services – for example Uber and Twitch subscriptions. Companies that understand and adapt to this consumer change will win over Gen Z. Though the concept of consumerism as a form of expression isn’t a new concept by any means, this means something different again for Gen Z. They’re eager for a more personalised experience and product, as well as happy to pay a premium for something that best meshes with their ethics. For some brands this can be as simple as embracing causes and doing their part for wider society. But for others, it will involve entirely changing their sales and marketing strategies. For example, this same study revealed a whopping 48% of Gen Z prefer brands that don’t classify items as male or female. So for fashion retailers, this generation will be groundbreaking. The final implication is perhaps the one that Gen Z is most famed for. They care. Consumption isn’t as simple as the lowest price or quickest delivery ( though both these still hold some weight ). Gen Z consumers are increasingly educated on brands and expect brands to align with causes they agree with. Not only this, but brands that remain silent are considered implicit. What all this means for businesses is that they must re-evaluate their relationship with the consumer. Businesses need to practice what they preach when it comes to marketing and ethics. Those who succeed will see Gen Z as an opportunity, not a challenge. Millennial Consumer Behaviour For millennials, the implications follow similar lines. But due to the diversity of the generation it is less clear cut. A clear trend is that the consumer is becoming more educated across all ethnicities. This education allows for more knowledgeable consumers, who are more conscious of the implications of their purchases ( although the cost of the same education that allows this enhanced insight, eats into discretionary spending! ). At the same time, key life cycle milestones are changing for millennials and this impacts consumer behaviour too. Less consumers in this generation are buying homes and more of them are waiting longer to buy homes. Similarly, marriage rates have fallen considerably for this generation across ethnicities. Research suggests the largest consumer change for millennials isn’t in customer characteristics – though they share more in common with Gen Z than with the silent generation – but in the customer experience. Millennial consumers, and indeed all consumers, expect and use a cohesive omnichannel experience. By this we mean, they use a variety of channels; websites, social media, different devices, word of mouth and more before reaching a purchasing decision. Even when it comes to the buying decision, they may opt to buy in-store after doing all their research online, or even vice versa. All this choice means businesses need to deliver the right message and experience at the right time of the customer journey to convert millennial consumers into customers. Meeting Modern Consumer Needs While Gen Z may have once seemed like a far off challenge for businesses, the same could have been said for millennials. They now make up a huge percentage of the global purchasing power and this will only continue to increase with time. Consider this fact with decreasing customer loyalty levels and an increased importance on customer service levels and you’re left with businesses who no longer match the demands of a huge amount of consumers. To meet the needs of these consumers, businesses must offer: Personalisation wherever possible Balance of automation and human Cross-platform mobility Multiple touch points Self-service Meaningful experiences Empathy Personalisation Mass production is no longer the desire. Consumers want products in the exact style, colour and specifications they desire. Companies need to offer products and services in as many possible combinations to meet these expectations. Human Contact Automation is a driving force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and it’s great news for businesses. It’s slowly allowing employees to spend more time on creative tasks instead of mundane ones. But the companies who resonate best with the modern consumer strike the balance between automation and human perfectly. The need for the human touch is still prevalent. All this to say, when consumers want to speak to a person, let them. You can’t automate every process and modern consumers don’t want you to. Cross-Platform Mobility You should be accessible anytime, anywhere, from any device. So if your website still isn’t working on mobile or loading slowly, fix it. This lack of responsiveness and mobility will lose you potential customers. Multiple Touch Points Consumers have different contact preferences. One may prefer live chat while others prefer phone while others prefer social media. You should be available on as many as possible. Not only this, but you should be as responsive across all of them. Contacting you should be as convenient as possible. Self-Service Processes with your business should be easy. Whether that’s cancelling a subscription, changing an address or placing an order, they should all be easy for your customer to complete without need for intervention from you. When you have this aspect of your customer experience optimised, the need to contact you lowers generally. Meaningful Experiences Today’s consumer, especially Gen Z, wants to have a meaningful relationship with your business. What you sell isn’t your whole story, or at least, it shouldn’t be. Modern consumers want to know you do good so they can feel good from buying from you. Companies with a great brand story to tell such as Ben and Jerry’s do well precisely because of this emotional connection with consumers. Empathy Customer empathy is a staple of outstanding 21st century customer service. Without it, you’ll struggle to create positive, customer-centric experiences. If you lack any of the vital ingredients above, you’ll struggle to engage and sell to the 21st century customer. Keep Up with Consumer Behaviour Trends Consumer behaviour has always been a developing story, but now more than ever companies need to keep up with modern consumer trends. It isn’t enough to offer the lowest price anymore. Companies need to offer personalised, human, omnichannel experiences that reach customers on an emotional level to connect with the 21st century customer. It’s no easy feat, but those that do will be rewarded with greater customer engagement, increased profitability and increased customer loyalty. You can learn more about how your business can meet modern consumer needs in our complete guide to phone skills . Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

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Emotional Intelligence Assessments Emotional intelligence, also known as EI or EQ, is one of the most sought after skills in today’s workforce, particularly in leadership. This is likely because some 90% of top performers score high on emotional intelligence, while only 20% of low performers do the same. Other research shows EQ makes up for 58% of professional success, regardless of specific role or industry. Businesses can use emotional intelligence tests for a wide variety of reasons such as during recruitment, for internal promotions, for learning and development and more. The History of Emotional Intelligence Testing The term emotional intelligence derives from the term emotional strength, which was coined by Abraham Maslow in the 1950s. It was Michael Beldoch who first used the term emotional intelligence in one of his papers in 1964. From here, developmental psychologist Howard Gardner built on this idea in his publication, "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences". In it, he argued that traditional categories of intelligence, such as IQ, fail to fully examine cognitive ability. Instead, he stated there are multiple categories of intelligence including interpersonal intelligence (the ability to understand the emotions of others) and intrapersonal intelligence (the ability to understand one's own emotions). Though the concept existed as far back as this, it wasn't until 1995 that Daniel Goleman popularised the term in his book, "Emotional Intelligence - Why it can matter more than IQ". Since then, several psychologists including Stanley Greenspan and Peter Salovey have both worked on models to define EI. Defining Emotional Intelligence Salovey and Mayer define emotional intelligence as "the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions". They say those with a high level of emotional intelligence have the following capabilities: To perceive emotions To use emotions To understand emotions To manage emotions Daniel Goleman's own model is slightly different. His updated model from the Best of Harvard Business Review 1998 focuses on the competencies and skills that drive leadership performance specifically. He states emotionally intelligent leaders possess: Self-awareness (the ability to know yourself) Self-regulation (the ability to manage yourself) Social skills (the ability to manage relationships) Empathy (the ability to understand others) Motivation (the ability to understand what motivates others) Create Triple Bottom Line Growth Discover strategies to enhance profitability, cultivate a greener and more sustainable business model, and elevate overall well-being. WATCH VIDEO

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Explore the intricacies of business management systems (BMS) in this comprehensive guide. Learn about key components, implementation strategies, benefits and challenges to empower your organisation's success. What is a Business Management System? Explore the intricacies of business management systems (BMS) in this comprehensive guide. Learn about key components, implementation strategies, benefits and challenges to empower your organisation's success. Published on: 3 Oct 2024 In today's fast-paced business environment, effective management is crucial for the success of any organisation. Business management systems play a pivotal role in facilitating this management process. From streamlining operations to enhancing productivity and ensuring compliance, these systems are indispensable tools for modern businesses. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve deep into the concept of business management systems, exploring what they are, how they work, and why they are essential for organisational success. At its core, a business management system (BMS) refers to a set of processes designed to facilitate and streamline various aspects of business operations. These systems encompass a wide range of functionalities, including but not limited to, project management, customer relationship management (CRM) , human resource management (HRM), supply chain management (SCM) , accounting, and financial management. Key Components of a Business Management System Project Management: · Project planning and scheduling · Task assignment and tracking · Resource allocation · Progress monitoring and reporting Customer Relationship Management (CRM): · Lead and contact management · Sales pipeline management · Customer communication and support · Marketing automation Human Resource Management (HRM): · Employee database and records management · Recruitment and onboarding · Performance evaluation and feedback · Training and development Supply Chain Management (SCM): · Inventory management · Procurement and vendor management · Order processing and fulfilment · Logistics and distribution Accounting and Financial Management: · Bookkeeping and financial reporting · Budgeting and forecasting · Invoicing and billing · Tax compliance What is the difference between a Business Management System and a Business Operating System? A business management system and a business operating system are interconnected components crucial for organisational efficiency and success. A business management system encompasses the overarching strategies, processes, and tools employed to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and achieve organizational goals. It involves elements like strategic planning, resource allocation, performance monitoring, and decision-making frameworks. This system provides the structure and framework for managing various aspects of a business, from finance and human resources to marketing and operations. On the other hand, a business operating system refers to the specific set of protocols, procedures, and standards that govern day-to-day operations within an organization. It includes workflows, standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality control measures, and technology infrastructure utilised to execute tasks efficiently and consistently. A well-designed business operating system aligns with the broader goals and strategies outlined in the business management system, ensuring that operational activities are conducted in accordance with organisational objectives. In essence, the business operating system is the execution arm of the broader management system, translating strategic vision into tangible results through systematic processes and routines. How Business Management Systems Work Business management systems work by integrating data and processes across different departments and functions within an organisation. They provide a centralised platform where employees can access relevant information, collaborate on tasks, and track progress in real-time. These systems often utilise cloud-based technology , enabling remote access and facilitating seamless communication among geographically dispersed teams. The implementation of a business management system typically involves several steps: Needs Assessment: Identify the specific requirements and challenges faced by the organisation, and determine the functionalities and features needed in the BMS. Customisation and Integration : Customise the BMS to suit the organisation's unique processes and integrate it with existing systems and software. Training and Deployment: Provide training to employees on how to use the BMS effectively, and roll out the system across the organisation. Ongoing Support and Maintenance : Continuously monitor and update the BMS to ensure optimal performance and address any issues that may arise. Benefits of Business Management Systems Implementing a business management system offers numerous benefits for organisations of all sizes and industries: Improved Efficiency: By automating routine tasks and streamlining processes, BMSs help organisations operate more efficiently, saving time and resources. Enhanced Collaboration: BMSs facilitate collaboration among team members by providing a centralised platform for communication, file sharing, and project management. Better Decision-Making: With access to real-time data and analytics, decision-makers can make informed decisions quickly, leading to better business outcomes. Increased Productivity: BMSs enable employees to work more productively by providing tools and resources to help them manage their tasks and priorities effectively. Compliance and Risk Management : BMSs help organisations ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and mitigate risks by providing tools for tracking and monitoring key metrics and indicators. Challenges and Considerations While business management systems offer numerous benefits, they also present some challenges and considerations that organisations need to address: Cost: Implementing and maintaining a BMS can be costly, especially for small and medium-sized businesses with limited budgets. Complexity: BMSs are complex systems that require careful planning and customisation to meet the specific needs of an organisation. User Adoption : Resistance to change and lack of training can hinder user adoption of BMSs, reducing their effectiveness. Integration Issues: Integrating a BMS with existing systems and software can be challenging and may require additional resources and expertise. Security Concerns: Storing sensitive data in a BMS raises security concerns, and organisations need to implement robust security measures to protect against cyber threats. Conclusion In conclusion, business management systems are essential tools for modern organisations looking to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and achieve their business objectives. By integrating various functionalities and providing a centralised platform for collaboration and decision-making, BMSs empower organisations to stay competitive in today's dynamic business landscape. However, implementing and managing a BMS requires careful planning, investment, and ongoing support to realise its full potential. With the right strategy and approach, businesses can leverage the power of BMSs to drive growth , innovation, and success. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Five Reasons to Set Green Sustainability Development Business Goals Five Reasons to Set Green Sustainability Development Business Goals By having specific, measurable green goals, companies can track their progress and ensure that their efforts have a positive impact. Additionally, achievable goals help businesses allocate resources effectively and efficiently, ensuring they make the most of their actions. Published on: 21 Dec 2023 According to John Kapeleris , only 3% of the population set goals, let alone sustainability goals. Sadly, we all know the world is facing significant environmental challenges. But, on a positive note, more and more people are becoming aware of these issues and want to make a difference. We can all help by setting some greener goals for ourselves. This could mean anything from recycling more to using less energy at home. Every little bit makes a difference! Not only is it essential to do our bit for the environment, but setting green goals can also help improve our health and well-being. After all, there’s nothing like knowing you’re doing your part to improve our environment and make the world better! Setting achievable goals is critical for businesses if they want to focus their environmental initiatives and make a real difference. By having specific, measurable goals, companies can track their progress and ensure that their efforts have a positive impact. Additionally, achievable goals help businesses allocate resources effectively and efficiently, ensuring they make the most of their actions. There are several factors to consider when setting achievable goals, such as the time frame in which the goal should be achieved, the resources available to achieve it, AND the plan’s potential impact. However, by considering these factors and setting realistic goals, businesses can make a real difference to their environmental footprint. Actions speak louder than words regarding the climate crisis. Despite the overwhelming evidence that human activity is causing the Earth to warm, emissions continue to rise. The majority of people feel they need more urgency about the problem. But instead, they see it as something that will affect future generations, not something that requires immediate action. This must change if we are going to avert catastrophe. We must find ways to inspire people to act on climate change now. One way to do this is by setting goals for a greener economy . Then, by showing people what is possible, we can encourage them to demand more from their leaders and take steps to create a cleaner future. Some examples of ambitious yet achievable goals for a greener economy include: Reducing emissions from transportation by half within ten years Generating 100% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030 Making all new buildings carbon-neutral by 2050 These are just a few ideas – the sky’s the limit regarding what we can achieve if we set our sights high and work together towards common goals. So, let’s start inspiring action for a greener economy today. How can goals benefit sustainability in business? Here are five reasons why setting goals will align your business for sustainable success. Goals inspire action Making a business more sustainable starts with being aware of the problem and understanding how important making a difference is to the company and the planet. According to ‘ Harvard Business School’ businesses should include sustainability in their strategy. It is a working definition of business SUSTAINABILITY, explaining what it means, identifying key players, discussing benefits and challenges, and providing information on improving business SUSTAINABILITY. Does not sacrifice profits Sustainability doesn’t mean sacrificing PROFITS or procrastinating. Instead, it has become vital to any organisation’s successful strategy. Companies not addressing sustainability risks are less successful in multiple areas, including profitability, growth, and employee retention. 1. Goals improve business operations Sustainability makes business sense, so don’t hesitate to shout about it. So many ways being more sustainable can help a business – · cost reduction · improved brand value · enhanced reputation · development of innovative products · attraction and retention of staff · better relationships with communities and stakeholders. Sustainability doesn’t mean sacrificing PROFITS or putting success on the back burner. Instead, it has become crucial to any organisation’s successful strategy. A business that doesn’t factor in sustainability risks is less successful in several measures, including profitability, growth, and employee retention. Sustainability can improve business operations and bottom lines by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. 2. Measuring and reporting on sustainability progress It is also helpful to follow potential sustainability reporting practices and protocol changes (follow specific guidelines like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations) and assess how they may affect your goals and roadmap. For example, there is growing interest and ambition to move past the measurement of MWhs, ( A Megawatt-hour, or MWH, are one million watts of electricity used for 1 hour), and RECs, (renewable energy certificates are an initiative that represents the energy generated by renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power facilities), to measuring the carbon intensity of the energy your business consumes. With this, there is an impetus toward developing and using carbon tracking tools. Sustainability can help companies to save money and improve their profits by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. You must anticipate and incorporate these principles into goal definitions, sustainability roadmaps and action plans. SUSTAINABILITY metrics and data resonate as a core component of business sustainability performance. Carbon footprint calculations have become a popular metric among organisations and individuals alike. Carbon footprint data, however, is only one SUSTAINABILITY metric among several that can give vastly different information about an organisation’s internal workings. 3. Sustainable Goals create accountability When businesses set sustainable goals, they become accountable for achieving them and progressing towards a more sustainable future. As businesses become increasingly aware of the need for sustainability , they set goals to become more environmentally friendly. These goals create accountability for companies to be sustainable and help them track their progress. Develop a long-term vision. Businesses must develop a long-term vision and understand that sustainability is not a token response to satisfying consumers. Instead, sustainable companies set well-researched and achievable goals. Sustainable Goals can include: · contributing to nutrition programs · expanding educational opportunities within and outside the organisation · Initiating sustainability efforts throughout the supply chain. Align with UN SDGs A sustainable company that wants to align its business sustainability model and associated goals with those of the 17 SDGs United Nations can start with responsible consumption and production. To do so, they must ensure that their supply chains support environmental goals such as climate change mitigation, life below water and energy on land. Businesses can set many sustainability goals, such as · reducing energy consumption · waste production · water usage. Setting these goals can be challenging, but companies must consider their environmental and planet impact. Businesses that set sustainability goals are helping the environment and themselves. Attract the best staff and customers. In addition, sustainable practices can help businesses attract and retain customers and employees looking for eco-friendly companies. According to a recent McKinsey survey , some companies are ‘actively integrating sustainability principles into their businesses’. While sustainability goals have many benefits, businesses must ensure they are achievable and realistic. It is also vital to have a plan to reach these goals so that companies can measure their progress and adjust as needed. 4. Goals measure success According to ‘Forbes’ ‘aligning your goals with your core business model helps maintain integrity, as this becomes the connective tissue between what you do and who you are.’ Several goals can be used to measure a sustainable business’s success. Here are some examples: Environmental impact: One of the critical measures of a sustainable business is its environmental impact. Goals related to reducing waste, minimising the use of non-renewable resources, and decreasing carbon emissions are all important metrics to track. Social responsibility: Another essential aspect of SUSTAINABILITY is social responsibility. This can include goals related to fair labour practices, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. Financial performance: A sustainable business should also be financially viable in the long term. Goals related to profitability, cash flow, and return on investment are all critical indicators of success. Innovation: Sustainable businesses are often at the forefront of new technologies and ideas. Goals related to research and development, patents and intellectual property and new product development can all be used to measure innovation. Employee engagement: A sustainable business should also prioritise the well-being of its employees. Goals related to employee satisfaction, retention, and development can all be used to measure the success of a company’s human resources practices. Many different goals can be set to measure the success of a sustainable business. However, the most crucial objective is to ensure that the company can operate in a way that does not damage or degrade the environment. This might involve setting targets for · reducing emissions · waste · water use. Another key goal for a sustainable business might be to ensure that it provides employees with fair and just working conditions. This could involve setting targets. · for improving employee satisfaction · ensuring employees have access to training. · development opportunities. Ultimately, the goals will depend on the specific nature of the business and what it is trying to achieve. However, by ensuring that these goals are aligned with SUSTAINABILITY principles, companies can help create a brighter future for us all. Check out the top ten most sustainable companies in the world. 5. Goals motivate employees Achieving sustainability related goals creates a sense of accomplishment among employees in the following ways: Clarity and direction Goals provide employees with a clear sense of direction, enabling them to focus on achieving specific outcomes. Employees who know expectations are more motivated to achieve the set goals. Setting sustainability goals can motivate employees to contribute to making a business more sustainable by providing a clear direction, a sense of ownership, incentives, and opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. Increased engagement and productivity Employees with clear goals and an understanding of how their work contributes to the company’s overall success are more engaged and productive. Continuous improvement Setting goals can encourage employees to push their boundaries and strive for constant improvement. Clear direction and purpose When employees have clear goals aligned with the company’s mission and values, it can help them feel more motivated and engaged in their work. By setting sustainability goals, employees can see how their work directly contributes to the company’s efforts to be more environmentally responsible, which can increase their sense of purpose. Sense of ownership When employees are involved in setting sustainability goals and are responsible for achieving them, it can create a sense of pride in their work. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, you can develop a sense of ownership and responsibility among employees for making your workplace more sustainable . This can lead to increased engagement and motivation and a more significant commitment to making the business more sustainable . Incentives and rewards When sustainable goals are tied to incentives and rewards, they can further motivate employees to achieve them. This can include bonuses, promotions, or recognition for achieving sustainability milestones. Collaboration and teamwork Sustainability goals can also promote cooperation and teamwork among employees as they work together to find innovative solutions to environmental challenges. A corporate culture of sustainability In addition to setting sustainability goals, you can create a corporate culture of sustainability by implementing policies and procedures that support sustainable practices, providing training on sustainability topics, and recognising and rewarding employees for their efforts in making your workplace more sustainable . By taking these steps, you can create a workplace where employees are motivated to be sustainable not just because it is good for the environment but also because it is good for business. In addition, this can help build community and foster a positive work culture. Provide focus and direction Goals can provide focus and direction to employees who want to be sustainable . They can also motivate them by giving them a sense of accomplishment when reached and encouraging accountability for their actions. Setting specific goals with measurable outcomes can also help employees stay on track and hold themselves accountable for the results they achieve. Foster collaboration Additionally, clear goals can foster collaboration between teams, departments, and organisations as they strive towards their collective SUSTAINABILITY goals. Some examples of sustainability -related goals that could motivate employees to be more sustainable include. · reducing energy consumption by 10% within six months · increasing recycling rates by 5% within three months, · or reducing paper consumption by 2% within one month. Whatever goals you set, you must ensure they are realistic and achievable, so employees feel motivated rather than discouraged. In conclusion Ultimately, the goals used to measure the success of a sustainable business will depend on the specific industry, market, and company. However, it’s important to set measurable goals that align with the company’s values and mission and to track progress over time to ensure that sustainability remains a priority. A sustainable business meets today’s needs without jeopardising Putting at risk the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Goal setting is vital to any business, and sustainable businesses are no exception. Setting goals can help improve sustainability in business. Companies can focus on making progress towards a more sustainable future by having a specific target to aim for. Additionally, sharing goal progress with employees and other stakeholders can create buy-in and motivation to keep working towards a greener business. Goals motivate by providing a clear sense of purpose, recognition, and accomplishment that drives engagement and productivity. Setting goals is critical to creating accountability, staying motivated, and achieving meaningful economic and environmental results. Additionally, setting sustainability goals can act as an incentive for businesses to reduce their environmental impact. By having tangible objectives to strive for, these businesses are more likely to take the necessary steps towards becoming more sustainable . Goals also provide a benchmark by which progress can be measured, and adjustments can be made if needed. Ultimately, setting sustainability goals is essential in helping businesses become more environmentally responsible. Setting goals is a crucial part of any business, but what if those goals could also help make the world greener? That’s the idea behind sustainable goal setting, and it’s something that more and more businesses are adopting. There are many ways that sustainable goal setting can benefit businesses, both in terms of their impact on the environment and their bottom line. For instance, setting sustainability goals can help businesses to: Reduce their carbon footprint. Save money on energy costs. Improve their image and attract more customers. Increase employee engagement and motivation. These benefits can positively impact a business’s bottom line , making sustainable goal-setting an intelligent choice for any business that wants to be more environmentally friendly and financially successful. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Business performance management can help companies of every size, from giant corporations to SMEs, better execute their strategy. Learn how. What is Business Performance Management? Business performance management can help companies of every size, from giant corporations to SMEs, better execute their strategy. Learn how. In today’s fast-paced business environment, adaptability, efficiency, and strategic alignment are critical for maintaining a competitive edge. Business Performance Management (BPM) provides organisations with the tools and insights to manage and optimise these elements effectively. Business Performance Management (BPM): The Synergy Between Strategy, Workflow, and Performance Management For BPM to reach its full potential, it must be integrated with both workflow and business process management, underpinned by a strategic framework. This article explores how BPM drives long-term success when these elements work synergistically, offering practical insights for organisations seeking to thrive in a rapidly changing market. Business performance management (BPM) addresses several key issues that can hinder the effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation. Here are the main problems it helps solve: Lack of Clear Goals and Alignment : Without a proper performance management system, businesses often struggle to set and align goals across departments. BPM ensures that strategic objectives are defined, communicated, and understood at all levels of the organisation, fostering alignment between daily operations and long-term goals. Inconsistent Performance Monitoring : Many businesses fail to consistently monitor and assess performance, leading to missed opportunities for improvement. BPM provides a framework for tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) regularly, helping organisations stay on track and make data-driven decisions. Inefficient Resource Allocation : Without visibility into performance metrics, resources may be misallocated, leading to waste or underperformance. BPM helps businesses identify where resources are being used effectively and where adjustments are needed. Poor Decision-Making : Decision-making can become reactive or based on incomplete data. BPM offers real-time insights into business operations and performance, supporting better, faster, and more informed decision-making. Siloed Departments : In many organisations, departments operate in isolation, which limits collaboration and hinders overall performance. BPM integrates different departments, encouraging collaboration, and ensuring that each part of the business works toward shared goals. Inability to Adapt to Change : The business environment is constantly evolving. Without a performance management system, businesses may struggle to respond effectively to market changes or internal shifts. BPM provides the flexibility to pivot strategies and optimise performance in a changing landscape. Lack of Accountability : When there are no clear metrics or expectations, it becomes difficult to hold teams accountable. BPM assigns responsibility for specific outcomes and creates transparency around performance, ensuring accountability at all levels of the organisation. Employee Engagement and Development : Employees may become disengaged if they don’t understand how their work contributes to broader business goals. BPM helps to connect individual performance to company success, motivating employees and providing a structure for continuous development and improvement. By addressing these problems, BPM helps organisations optimise efficiency, improve decision-making, and achieve sustained business success. 1. Defining the Core Concepts To understand how BPM synergises with workflow and process management , we need to define the key components: Business Performance Management (BPM) : A system for monitoring, measuring, and improving business performance, usually through key performance indicators (KPIs) and data-driven insights. Strategy : The long-term, high-level plan that guides business operations, resource allocation, and competitive positioning. Workflow Management : The design, execution, and automation of specific tasks that make up day-to-day operations, focusing on efficiency and smooth task transitions. Business Process Management : The optimisation of end-to-end processes across departments, ensuring that every aspect of the operation aligns with the broader strategic goals. The synergy between these elements allows businesses to not only perform efficiently at the task level but also ensure that each task, and the larger processes they feed into, are contributing to the overarching strategic objectives. 2. The Role of BPM in Workflow Management Workflows are the building blocks of daily operations. However, even the most efficient workflows can become disconnected from strategic goals without proper oversight. This is where Business Performance Management proves invaluable. BPM provides real-time data that enables managers to monitor the effectiveness of individual workflows. Take the example of a marketing department in a mid-sized technology firm. The team’s workflow includes task management for content creation, campaign execution, and performance analysis. While these tasks might be completed on time, BPM can reveal whether the workflow contributes to overarching business goals, such as improving lead generation by 15% over the next quarter. By aligning workflow KPIs with strategic objectives, managers can ensure their day-to-day operations directly support long-term business outcomes. Additionally, BPM identifies inefficiencies . Imagine a logistics company where warehouse operations involve multiple departments handling shipping, receiving, and inventory management. BPM data could show that while the shipping team consistently meets deadlines, delays in inventory processing are affecting overall performance. With this insight, managers can focus on bottlenecks in the inventory workflow, ensuring smooth transitions between tasks and ultimately improving operational efficiency. 3. Driving Process Optimisation with BPM Business Process Management (BPM) is about optimising the full scope of operations, from customer service to supply chain management. Business Performance Management plays a key role in ensuring these processes are not only efficient but also driving the strategic goals of the business. Consider a hypothetical scenario in a manufacturing company that aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 20% over five years. The company’s process management system has been optimised to reduce waste during production. However, BPM data reveals that while waste reduction is occurring, energy consumption during the production phase has increased, which contradicts the sustainability goal. Using this performance insight, managers can re-engineer the process—perhaps automating certain stages or adopting renewable energy sources—to realign with the strategic sustainability objective. Furthermore, BPM enhances process automation by measuring the impact of automated systems on performance. In an e-commerce company , for example, BPM could track the performance of an automated order processing system. If performance data shows that while automation has sped up order fulfilment, customer satisfaction scores have dropped due to errors, the business can refine its automation processes to balance speed and accuracy. 4. Setting Targets for Long-Term Growth A frequent pitfall in performance management is an overemphasis on short-term results at the expense of long-term sustainability. Businesses, particularly in times of crisis, tend to set targets that address immediate concerns but fail to account for long-term goals. For example, a retail company facing a temporary market downturn might focus on cutting costs by reducing staff or inventory. However, with a strong BPM framework, the company can set long-term growth targets, such as enhancing customer loyalty or investing in technology to improve online sales. By using BPM data, the company can track whether short-term actions—such as inventory adjustments—are negatively affecting its long-term goals, like maintaining high customer satisfaction. This approach prevents reactive, short-term decisions that undermine future success. BPM also enables target flexibility , allowing businesses to adjust their goals based on real-time data. A software company , for instance, might set a target to increase product subscriptions by 30%. However, if BPM data shows a surge in customer churn or complaints about the product’s usability, the company can pivot its focus to improving customer support or software functionality before pursuing aggressive sales targets. 5. Balancing Organisational Priorities and Individual Goals For a BPM system to work effectively, it must link organisational priorities with individual employee goals. Processes must be nimble, allowing for ongoing reassessment of targets and real-time communication between managers and teams. Consider a financial services company aiming to boost its customer acquisition rate. By using BPM to break down this high-level goal into individual performance metrics—such as call conversion rates for sales teams—the company can align employee performance with the overall objective. Importantly, this alignment needs to be flexible. If external conditions change (e.g., a sudden shift in the economic landscape), BPM allows the company to re-evaluate both organisational and individual targets to remain agile. BPM also encourages a culture of accountability and transparency. Employees can track their own progress toward goals and see how their individual contributions impact broader business objectives. This alignment helps to foster engagement and encourages employees to actively contribute to organisational success. 6. Fostering Two-Way Dialogues for Success One of the greatest advantages of BPM is its ability to facilitate ongoing, two-way communication between management and employees. For any strategy to succeed, it must be enacted by people who feel engaged and connected to its outcomes. A professional services firm adopting a new client relationship management process, for example, can use BPM to monitor performance metrics like client retention and service delivery times. However, the firm’s success hinges on more than just data—it’s about empowering employees to give feedback on the process. By fostering two-way dialogues, where managers listen to employees' challenges and suggestions, the firm ensures that its processes remain flexible and aligned with both performance metrics and team satisfaction. This transparent communication fosters trust, ensuring that employees understand company priorities and feel empowered to contribute to the business’s long-term success. 7. Integrating Strategy, Workflow, and Performance Management The true strength of BPM lies in its ability to bring strategy, workflow, and performance management into a cohesive framework. Consider the example of a multinational corporation implementing a new digital transformation initiative. The strategy might involve becoming a market leader in digital services within five years. For this to happen, workflow management must ensure that individual tasks—like developing new digital products—are completed efficiently, while process management ensures that these workflows are scalable across regions. Business Performance Management ties everything together by continuously monitoring how these workflows and processes contribute to the overall strategy. If BPM data shows that digital products are being developed quickly but adoption rates are low, the organisation can re-align its processes to improve product marketing and customer education, ensuring long-term strategic success. Characteristics of a Successful Business Performance Management Process Organisations that get business performance management right are competitive machines. Microsoft, Deloitte and Adobe have all adopted continuous business performance management processes and have enjoyed a wealth of success in part because of this. While the exact process will come down to the unique needs of your business, many of these BPM processes share some key characteristics that contribute to their success besides a robust business intelligence solution. The importance effective goal setting cannot be overstated. Clear goals that are meaningful and understood are vital to a successful business performance management process. It allows everyone across the business to align and understand how their tasks and responsibilities contribute to wider business goals. This alignment is important, because a great business performance management process is collaborative. While leadership may turn the initial cogs to implement a BPM process, the best performance goals are strategised between teams, departments and leadership. To achieve this collaboration, there needs to be transparency about the business strategy and performance. Conversations held behind closed doors between leadership will not help staff understand their responsibilities, nor will it empower them to hit performance targets. Potential Weaknesses or Limitations of Business Performance Management Over-reliance on Metrics : BPM systems often place heavy emphasis on measurable KPIs, which may not capture the full picture of business performance. Qualitative factors, such as employee morale or innovation potential, might be overlooked, leading to a narrow focus that misses crucial areas for improvement. Resistance to Change : BPM initiatives often require cultural shifts, especially when introducing new metrics or accountability structures. Resistance from employees or leadership can undermine the effectiveness of BPM systems, leading to poor adoption or inconsistent use. Risk of Short-Term Focus : By focusing on performance metrics, BPM can encourage short-term thinking, where employees and managers prioritise immediate results over long-term strategy. This can limit innovation and discourage investment in initiatives that may not show immediate returns but are essential for long-term growth. Overemphasis on Accountability : While accountability is essential, an overly rigid focus on it may foster a blame culture. This could result in fear of failure, reduced risk-taking, and a lack of creativity, as employees might become more focused on meeting metrics rather than thinking critically about the best ways to improve performance. Lagging Indicators : Many performance metrics used in BPM are lagging indicators, meaning they reflect past performance rather than current or future trends. This reliance on historical data can delay necessary actions or adaptations in fast-moving industries, limiting the organisation’s ability to respond to real-time changes. Potential for Overload : By tracking too many KPIs, BPM can overwhelm teams with data, leading to analysis paralysis. Managers might struggle to prioritise the most critical metrics, diluting focus and making it harder to identify what truly drives business performance. Subjectivity in Goal Alignment : While BPM aims to align goals across an organisation, the process of setting these goals can be subjective, depending on the perspective of management. Misalignment or vague goals can result in teams working at cross-purposes, undermining the system's intended benefits. Undervalues Human Element : BPM systems, in their drive for efficiency and data-driven decision-making, may undervalue the human element of business operations, such as leadership qualities, team dynamics, and emotional intelligence, which are harder to quantify but critical for success. These weaknesses suggest that while BPM can be a valuable tool for improving business performance, it must be implemented thoughtfully, with consideration given to its potential downsides and limitations. To Summarise Business Performance Management is more than just tracking data—it is the engine that drives the synergy between strategy, workflow, and performance management. By integrating these elements, businesses can not only optimise day-to-day operations but also ensure that every action contributes to long-term growth. Whether through better target-setting, fostering two-way dialogues, or adjusting processes in real time, BPM provides the flexibility, insight, and structure needed to thrive in today’s complex business environment. For organisations looking to future-proof their operations, a holistic BPM approach ensures sustained performance, adaptability, and alignment with strategic goals. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

Learn everything you need to know about high performance work systems (HPWS), their benefits and how to implement one in your workplace. What are High Performance Work Systems (HPWS)? When your employees have a voice they are able to air their concerns and suggestions for improvements and be confident they will be listened to. Published on: 27 Mar 2025 High-performance work systems can be defined as a system which creates an environment in a business that allows an employee greater involvement and responsibility. Employees are seen as valued partners of the business which makes it possible to create and maintain competitive advantage because of the commitment of the employees to help the business succeed. A key benefit of adopting a high-performance work system is an increase in business productivity and efficiency. What are the key features of high performance work systems? Employees that work in a business that has adopted a high-performance work system tend to benefit from: Having a voice Being well trained Are more motivated and committed Feel more secure in their roles Are carefully recruited Are better compensated Perhaps privy to key information How do these benefits work and how do they impact employees? In a high performance work system employees have a voice to air their concerns and suggestions When your employees have a voice they are able to air their concerns and suggestions for improvements and be confident they will be listened to. This improves employee attitudes and team performance. If they see a way they could improve the service they give to your customers it’s important that they feel comfortable in making that suggestion. This can also improve the decision-making process by empowering your employees to be actively involved. Improved decision making, in turn, will have a direct impact on how efficiently your business runs and the productivity of your employees. Every business, irrespective of size, suffers from inefficiencies that impact on its bottom line and the productivity of your staff. The skill comes from rooting out these inefficiencies, from the obvious to the hidden and obscure, to make your business more streamlined and a less frustrating place to work. Your employees are at the sharp end of the businesses systems and procedures and if they can see a better way of performing a task or speeding up a process it is vital that they have the confidence to voice this so that it can improve their working environment or the service they offer your customers. Companies that adop thigh-performance work systems tend to be bottom-up organisations that are employee-driven, actively encouraging employee participation and inclusion. Cultivating Trust and Open Communication in High-Performance Workflows Trust is at the core of any high-performance workflow. Without trust, even the most well-designed processes and systems will break down. Trust fosters an environment where employees feel empowered to share their insights and feedback. Open communication channels create the foundation for transparency, constructive dialogue, and collaboration, all of which are essential to maintaining a smooth and efficient workflow. To build trust in a high-performance workflow , it’s essential to establish consistent feedback loops and actively engage employees in decision-making processes. When employees trust that their suggestions are valued and will be taken seriously, they are more likely to offer insights that streamline operations, improve customer outcomes, or increase overall efficiency. This trust and open communication reduce bottlenecks, prevent miscommunication, and create a more resilient workflow that adapts to changes effectively. In this way, trust and communication become the pillars of continuous improvement, enabling employees to feel ownership over processes and making them crucial contributors to business success HPWS features effective employee training for maximum motivation Continuous effective employee training is a cornerstone of high-performance work systems. Employees who fully understand the job that they do, from the reasons for their role to the technical skills needed to be effective, tend to be engaged and motivated. Regular training and development has a positive impact on job satisfaction, improving the efficiency of the processes, raises morale and this, in turn, helps to reduce employee turnover and the associated costs that are involved in recruitment and onboarding. On-going training that prepares your employees to take on further responsibility is both an effective motivator and gives your employee a higher skill base that allows them to help your customers more effectively and efficiently. In a high-performance work system employees are motivated and committed to your company’s success Employees in organisations that have implemented high-performance work systems are motivated and committed not only to their own personal success but also the prosperity of the company. Being part of a business where the culture is based on commitment rather than control inspires staff to buy into the businesses goals and make them their own. They are motivated by how the business is run, the positive impact that this has on their job, wellbeing and health and the belief these companies have in the value of their employees. Their achievements are recognised and rewarded which consequently increases their motivation and commitment. 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Explore essential strategies for successful construction operations, including planning, resource management, risk mitigation, and quality control. Learn how effective project management can ensure timely, budget-friendly, and high-quality construction outcomes. Construction Operations Rostone Operations for Construction Companies We support you in mastering these 6 critical areas of construction operations. 01 Deliver on Time Ensure timely delivery by managing schedules, setting clear deadlines, and monitoring progress 03 Improve Quality and Safety Enhance quality and safety by implementing standards, regular inspections, and training programmes. 05 Improve Efficiency Boost efficiency by streamlining processes, adopting technology, and optimising resource allocation. 02 Build to Budget Build to the budget by tracking expenses, forecasting costs, and controlling spending. 04 Lower Carbon Footprint Reduce carbon footprint by using sustainable materials, energy-efficient processes, and minimising waste. 06 Improve Margins Enhance margins by controlling costs, increasing productivity, and optimising pricing strategies. Construction Articles 01. Project Estimating and Scheduling Construction project estimating and scheduling involve predicting costs and timelines for materials, labour, and tasks. Read more 02. Construction Project Management Construction project management high-quality completion, balancing scope, resources, and expectations. Read more 03. Project Estimating and Scheduling Tools Construction project estimating tools streamline cost predictions and resource planning, offering features like digital takeoffs and automated calculations. Read more 04. How to Manage Subcontractors Effectively managing subcontractors involves clear communication, precise contracts, timely payments, and rigorous quality control. Read more 05. 50 Construction Software Tools Construction software tools streamline project management, estimating, scheduling, and collaboration for efficiency. Read more

Discover how to embed learning into employee high-performance workflows with effective strategies that enhance employee engagement and drive organisational success. Explore the importance of contextualised learning, micro-learning, and measuring progress. Integrating Learning into Employee High-Performance Workflows Transforming employee development through embedded learning strategies for sustained success. Effective Learning and Development (L&D) initiatives are vital for the success of both employees and organisations. But what does it take to create initiatives that yield significant positive outcomes? As highlighted in a HBR article , traditional training methods often fail to yield significant positive outcomes, with many organisations struggling to demonstrate a return on their L&D investments. How to Improve Employee Engagement and Boost Productivity Why Employee Engagement Matters Employee engagement directly impacts your company’s profitability and productivity. Developing a strong employee engagement strategy is essential to gaining a competitive edge. Engaged employees drive innovation, enhance customer experiences, and contribute to a thriving organisational culture. Your employees are the link between your company and your customers. Whether they manage emails, phone calls, eCommerce platforms, or warehouse operations, their attitude and performance shape customer perceptions. Engaged employees deliver better service, fostering stronger customer relationships and loyalty. The Hidden Costs of Poor Employee Engagement Poor employee engagement can drain your business financially and culturally. It leads to: Decreased Productivity : Unmotivated employees underperform, limiting business growth. Higher Turnover Rates : Disengaged staff are more likely to leave, increasing recruitment and training costs. Increased Absenteeism : Lack of engagement often correlates with frequent absences. Reduced Innovation : Disengaged teams contribute fewer ideas and solutions. Weakened Customer Service : Low morale negatively affects customer interactions, harming your brand's reputation. Financial repercussions include higher hiring expenses, lost productivity, and diminished customer retention. Addressing engagement issues safeguards organisational success. Boosting Engagement to Enhance Customer Loyalty Engaged employees feel valued, respected, and heard. Fostering a positive workplace culture boosts morale and reduces turnover. This leads to: Enhanced Service Delivery : Motivated employees provide exceptional customer experiences. Increased Customer Retention : Satisfied employees create loyal customers. Higher Revenue : Improved service drives repeat business and higher lifetime customer value. A disengaged workforce can lead to complacency and poor performance, impacting overall team morale. In contrast, engaged employees contribute to a dynamic, collaborative environment that encourages continuous improvement. Practical Tips to Improve Employee Engagement Listen and Understand : Address why disengagement exists before attempting solutions. Identify barriers to motivation. Empower Employees : Equip staff with the authority to resolve customer issues promptly and effectively. Define Organisational Values : Establish clear behavioural expectations for staff interactions with colleagues and customers. Hire for Attitude and Fit : Prioritise mindset and cultural alignment during recruitment. Encourage Feedback : Create channels for employees to share insights and ideas. Implementing Effective Feedback Systems Feedback is valuable only when it prompts action. Develop systems that: Prioritise Listening : Actively hear employee concerns. Acknowledge Contributions : Recognise valuable feedback. Take Action : Implement meaningful changes based on employee input. By fostering an engaged workforce, your business will experience improved productivity, stronger customer loyalty, and long-term growth. Building a Culture of Learning High-performance workflows are characterised by continuous improvement and employee engagement. Robust L&D programs not only equip employees with the necessary skills to excel in their roles but also demonstrate a commitment to investing in their development. This approach strengthens company culture and enhances employee commitment. However, many organisations face challenges in demonstrating a clear return on their L&D investments. Studies indicate that a staggering 90% of the $200 billion spent annually on corporate training and development in the United States fails to deliver tangible results. The main barriers to effective L&D programs include: Learning Context: Traditional training often occurs outside the workplace, creating a gap between learning and real-world application. Time Constraints: Employees must balance their regular responsibilities with their learning commitments. Accountability: Often, the responsibility for applying new knowledge falls solely on the learner, with little ongoing support. The Solution: Learning in the Flow of Work The good news is that organisations can overcome these challenges by embedding learning into employee high-performance workflows. To facilitate this integration, the following five strategies grounded in research can help align employee development programs with key organisational outcomes, ultimately enhancing return on investment: Contextualise the Learning Learning is most effective when it occurs in the context in which it will be applied. Implementing customised training sessions tailored to specific team needs can facilitate this. For instance, initiating "learning meetings" where employees share insights from recent training and discuss their practical application within their workflows can contextualise the learning and strengthen team collaboration. Nudge, Nudge, Nudge Research has shown that small reminders can effectively encourage learning application. Organisations can implement brief, targeted nudges through email or internal communications, linking them directly to the concepts learned. These nudges should be concise, relevant, and end with a specific call to action, prompting immediate application of the learned concepts. Build in Time for Reflection Reflection is essential for reinforcing learning. Scheduling dedicated time for employees to reflect on their learning experiences encourages them to consider how they’ve applied new knowledge in their roles. Facilitating these discussions helps employees recognise the impact of their learning and strengthens their commitment to applying it. Create Micro-Learning Experiences Breaking down training content into manageable chunks can significantly enhance retention. Instead of lengthy workshops, organisations can offer micro-learning sessions that fit seamlessly into employees’ schedules. Short, focused training on specific topics will increase engagement and make it easier for employees to integrate what they’ve learned into their daily workflows. Measure Progress To accurately assess the effectiveness of L&D programs, it is crucial to track employee progress through pre- and post-assessments, as well as real-time behaviour changes. Gathering feedback on questions like, “Did you apply what you learned this week?” will provide insights into the effectiveness of training. By aggregating this data at the team or organisational level, trends and areas for improvement can be identified, ensuring that learning initiatives yield measurable benefits. Conclusion By embedding learning into employee high-performance workflows, organisations can foster a culture of continuous improvement that enhances individual performance and drives organisational success. Embracing these strategies will facilitate wise investments in people, create a more engaged workforce, and ultimately achieve operational excellence. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

How to overcome limiting beliefs holding back your success How to overcome limiting beliefs holding back your success Limiting beliefs hold you back from setting your goals and achieving your full potential. "Your beliefs become your thoughts; your thoughts become your words; your words become your actions; your actions become your habits; your habits become your values; your values become your destiny." Gandhi Like the brakes on a car, limiting beliefs hold you back from setting your goals and achieving your full potential. We will take a closer look at what limiting beliefs are and how you can identify and remove them. What are beliefs? Beliefs shape us like the clay in the hands of a potter. They determine how we think, how we feel, what we say and the actions we undertake. Our beliefs are based on past experiences which are now shaping our future. If we become what we think about most, then we become a reflection of our beliefs, both good and bad. Our thoughts come from our beliefs which then become our reality. When you have a belief about something, you’re more likely to see evidence around you that reinforces that belief and miss or discount anything that contradicts it. 5 examples of limiting beliefs and thoughts. Beliefs are assumptions and convictions we hold to be true about ourselves and the world around us. Beliefs become self-fulling prophecies that can hold you back or encourage you. You will have beliefs about success, education, money and morality and many other things, too. When combined with your core values, deeply held assumptions about ourselves and the world, you have a toolbox of attitudes and behaviours that you’ll be using in any given situation. People naturally recognise that someone who is determined and tenacious, who never gives up, is more likely to succeed than someone who procrastinates. Someone who believes they will succeed is generally more likely to than someone who doesn’t, irrespective of their talents. Health professionals recognise that the attitude, that is the way people act based on their beliefs, of a patient is a major factor in their recovery. In medical research, placebos have been seen to be as effective as many drugs. So, if you can think your way to health, then you can also think your way into being less healthy and less successful or more successful, too. The beliefs that others have of us can also play an important part in our beliefs about ourselves. What is a limiting belief? Have you tried to do something and failed, then not tried again? Why did you not try again? Why did you fail, and what defined failure? Did you take the failure as, ultimately, a positive experience or a negative one? While all failure is initially negative, it’s also a great mentor saying: “Don’t do it that way again”. And sometimes, experiencing why something doesn’t work is the only way to know why and how to do it better. Limiting beliefs are a state of mind that undermine your confidence and restrict you from pursuing a task you’d otherwise like to take on. They are assumptions about yourself, the world or other people that are holding you back from starting or completing a task. Limiting beliefs start in childhood, they are rooted in experiences and a way of thinking. Limiting beliefs can affect everything in your life; at work, at home and in many other areas. They place boundaries on what we think we can achieve. How is a belief formed? Beliefs are formed from experiences and from what we inherit from our parents much like we inherit many visible attributes from our parents, but unlike having blue or brown eyes, they are not fixed. As the report from the Baby Lab suggests, we’re born with a set of morals inherited from our parents, and some they teach us, which then evolve into our belief system over time and with experience. These beliefs can change over time as our experience of life evolves or if we deliberately challenge our own beliefs What is a core belief? A core belief is a deeply held assumption about ourselves, others, and the world around us. It forms the very essence of who we think we are and our opinions. Core beliefs can become self-fulfilling. If we think somebody or a certain type of person is a bad or good person, we are likely to treat them in a way that reflects that. This may encourage that behaviour in them and reinforce our belief in what they are like. The role of beliefs in our lives "Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” Lao Tzu We prefer people who we identify with most, be that their values, their beliefs, their attitude towards life or their behaviours. So, beliefs form a large part of our relationships and how we communicate with each other. This relates to all aspects of our life: work, professional and home. Knowing and being able to identify our own core beliefs and values will go a long toward helping us to succeed at whatever we are trying to accomplish. We may value honesty and believe that being honest is essential to success in life, or that other people are inherently dishonest and so make everybody sign a contract rather than rely on a handshake and a gentleman’s agreement. Identifying a limiting belief and removing it can help to increase motivation and engagement with a task. Limiting beliefs can be a healthy thing, too. Nobody should overcome the self-limiting belief that they can fly. Some self-limiting beliefs are good, sensible and help keep us safe and spend our time wisely. You may wish to become a best-selling singer, but if you’re tone-deaf, can't sing or keep time, that’s not going to be possible. Perhaps you settle for being an okay singer singing locally or pursue another interest. The challenge is in knowing what is actually physically impossible vs what you only believe to be impossible. With limiting beliefs comes victim mentality and imposter syndrome. Our beliefs can affect our health, from the healthy to the not-so-healthy food we eat, to the positive and negative thoughts we have. What is the relationship between attitudes, values and behaviours? What we think about controls how feel and the emotions we experience. What we feel controls how we act and how we behave. Having a positive attitude comes from having positive beliefs and positive values. If we believe on the whole that people are good and that one of our core values is that telling the truth is important, then we will have a positive attitude towards others, we are more likely to be truthful ourselves and trusted by others in return. What is an attitude? Attitudes are judgements on anything, whether somebody likes or dislikes something, finds it good or bad. Attitudes come from our values and beliefs. Carl Jung, in his essay on psychological types, defines attitude as “the readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way”. As such, attitudes will drive how we think, feel and act about things in our lives and about ourselves. Also known as the ABC model : affective, behavioural and cognitive. The affective component relates to emotions and feelings (the emotional part), behavioural relates to how we act or behave given the attitudes we have and cognitive relates to what we believe to be true (the logical part). Attitudes are based on our core beliefs and the behaviours that they motivate. For example, having a ‘positive attitude’ helps an individual to be motivated to start and engage with a task that needs to be completed. What are values? Values are core ideas and standards you believe to be true for you and how you should act on a day-to-day to basis. They help you prioritise and make ethical decisions. When you act and work in alignment with your values you generally feel good about yourself and life. Recognising they exist and what your core values are will help you make better decisions in life. The New Zealand Government places a lot of importance on happiness and wellbeing. It explains that on personal beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviour, values are: “stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a person”. Can values change over time? Values can change over time going from childhood to old age. The things that are important to us change. Experience and varying needs will change the values you find important. For example, security may be more important later in life and relationships earlier. As we said earlier, values are the ideas and concepts we were born with and formed as part of our childhood, those values become attitudes based on underlying beliefs. What is a behaviour? Behaviours are the final action based on our core beliefs and values. So we have values working with beliefs creating our belief system. Our thoughts, emotions and feelings are expressed as our attitudes with behaviours being the final visible action. These behaviours also determine how well we will be able to learn, acquire new knowledge and develop new skills. For example, with poor beliefs about school and little value in education, unhelpful attitudes are formed resulting in visibly poor behaviours towards learning. What are the causes of limiting beliefs? Limiting beliefs are usually rooted in experiences that have come to define how you see yourself, others and your capabilities. Some people are more predisposed to them than others. Those with a negative disposition may be more likely to have them than those with a positive disposition, but anybody can have them. Comments made to you, bad experiences, or just a lack of confidence can all hold you back. Understanding the source of your limiting thoughts or beliefs can help you to overcome them. Are your beliefs holding you back? Generally, positive thinking people with few limiting beliefs are healthier, live longer and are more successful, as reported in Can you think yourself young? Guardian article. Your limiting beliefs can stop you from trying something new. Moreover, they cause stress and unhealthy habits that can lead to depression and lower personal and professional performance. Limiting beliefs can stop us from leaving our comfort zone where life is relatively easy and risk-free but lacks growth and the opportunities to learn new things and take on new challenges. This might limit the extent to which you can achieve your personal and professional goals. Limiting beliefs can be subconscious or conscious thoughts about how you see the world, yourself and others. With limiting beliefs comes victim mentality and imposter syndrome. Not feeling that you are good enough can be a self-limiting belief that results in the imposter syndrome. Even though you’ve achieved a lot and you receive a lot of praise, you just don’t believe it’s real, and that you’re about to be ‘found out’. Believing that all our issues and problems are the result of other people’s actions, not our own, is self-limiting behaviour resulting in the victim mentality. What are examples of limiting beliefs? Typical examples of limiting beliefs or thoughts include: I’m not good enough; I can’t ...; I’m too old, too young; I don’t have enough ...; I’ll never be …; I’m not … enough; I don’t have the … They fall into these categories: Either you don’t feel you’re capable of starting the task due to a lack of skills, experience, money or time, for example. You can’t complete the task because it will never be good enough. That should you achieve your goal, you fear you won’t be able to sustain it, that you’ll be rejected by family and friends You’ve achieved your goal, but now you feel like an imposter, that you don’t deserve your success. Revered guitarist Eric Clapton had these thoughts. How to identify your limiting beliefs Is there something you’d like to do, to be or achieve but you are not currently working on it? That’s a good place to start. Become more aware of how you express yourself. Are many of your statements about yourself very negative? Speak with friends, family, and colleagues about something you might like to pursue. The only obstacle to doing this is that they may have been influenced by your own negative view of yourself or have their own issues stopping them helping you. So keep an open mind. We are all familiar with that little voice, the inner critic, inside our heads feeding us either negative or positive thoughts and emotions depending on what we’re doing, who we’re doing it with and what we’re seeing as a result. Become more aware of your inner voice and manage it in a constructive, positive way. Your business beliefs will shape your business like they do your life A positive attitude in business is essential for creating high-performance teams as there are just so many challenges to get through. Whatever plan you put together will likely fall at the first fence, and so you’ll need to constantly adapt to new challenges and lessons learnt. Positive beliefs then will help you become more resilient, develop essential business skills and create a business culture that will foster innovation, agility and motivation. Ray Dalio , founder of the investment firm Bridgewater Associates and one of the wealthiest people on the planet, identified his beliefs in his book Principles . 6 ways to overcome limiting beliefs So, to address limiting beliefs we need to identify their root causes and associated behaviours. You’ll have to start thinking in a new and better way. Perhaps the first thing to do is to act. There is no better motivation to getting started than actually getting started. The act of starting will spur you on, rather than waiting for the right time. Is this negative belief based on any facts, is there anything to suggest it is a limiting fact, rather than a limiting belief? Is the limiting belief only that it will make you slower or less good? If so, get started and find out, you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll get with practice. Ask yourself what would be the worst that can happen if you either start or complete the task. Persistence and tenacity are the hallmarks of success. Did you start something in the past, fail and then believe you couldn’t do it and didn’t try again? Well, go try again. If you improve even a little bit, you’re on your way. What we tell ourselves is important. Tell yourself you can, and there’s a good chance you’ll start to see you can. Look at those around you. Are they positive people? Are they successful people? How do you feel when you’re around them? Do you feel uplifted, inspired and motivated? Does a conversation with them make you feel good about yourself? Unfortunately, there are many people in life, even family and friends, who will resent your ambition and success if they haven’t experienced that for themselves. Movies and songs are full of that sentiment by successful artists. Adele and Lil Peep come to mind, among others. Perhaps the first step is to become more aware of our own thought patterns, how we react emotionally to certain situations and people. Once you become more aware of these thoughts you can challenge the perceptions that lead to those thoughts. Negative thoughts release chemicals in the brain that create feelings of stress and unhappiness. Positive thoughts elevate your mood and make feel more engaged, your actions, countenance and behaviours become more positive too. It comes down to the perspective you have as it relates to events and people in your life. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations offer clarity and a well-defined pathway for you and your team to move forward confidently. Get Started

Struggling with too many disjointed business strategies and activities? Integrated business planning (IBP) can help you align your operations and strategy. What is Integrated Business Planning (IBP)? Struggling with too many disjointed business strategies and activities? Integrated business planning (IBP) can help you align your operations and strategy. Published on: 28 Dec 2023 Employee happiness surveys are not unlike employee engagement and staff satisfaction surveys , they would include the scope of these, but they are broader. An employee happiness survey recognises staff happiness is what matters most both to the employee and business. Happy staff will outperform unhappy staff many times over. It recognises that personal happiness is not just related to work but other areas of our life too. Integrated business planning enhances the effectiveness of a business operating system Integrated Business Planning (IBP) enhances a business operating system in several ways, primarily by aligning strategic objectives with operational execution, optimising resource allocation, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. Firstly, IBP facilitates the synchronisation of various departments and functions within an organisation, ensuring that activities are coordinated towards common goals. By integrating financial planning, sales forecasting, production scheduling, and supply chain management, IBP enables a cohesive approach to decision-making and resource allocation. Moreover, IBP promotes agility and responsiveness by providing real-time visibility into market trends, customer demand, and internal performance metrics. This enables organisations to adapt quickly to changing conditions, minimise disruptions, and capitalise on emerging opportunities. Furthermore, IBP enhances communication and collaboration across departments, breaking down silos and fostering a culture of transparency and accountability. By involving stakeholders from different areas of the business in the planning process, IBP ensures that decisions are well-informed and aligned with overarching strategic objectives. Overall, integrated business planning enhances the effectiveness of a business operating system by promoting alignment, agility, and collaboration, ultimately driving improved performance and sustainable growth. How to create an effective employee happiness survey Business benefits of an effective employee happiness survey include: Increased employee retention Improved business productivity Enhanced communication Increased business resilience Improved innovation and competitive advantage Increase employee engagement Improved profitability Many people look at a company’s social and environmental commitments Employees often want to be more involved in cutting carbon emissions and may feel their company isn’t doing enough. Many organisations set the target for emissions reduction, but not what practical measures are being taken to achieve it. Effective employee engagement is key to any organisation and a lack of clarity and clear communication of climate warming mitigation strategies can be distracting or demotivating for staff. Inspiring staff to act on climate change is both motivating for them and good for the bottom line. We are social animals, so we value our friendships at work Friendships at work can help increase employee engagement as well as personal, professional and business productivity. This makes work more enjoyable and rewarding, with employees more likely to want to go to work each day. If work is stressful or routine, friendships can help to overcome poor performance and low productivity. Staff are more likely to open up to a trusted friend about issues and problems at work. They are also more likely to deliver improved service levels and less likely to leave the company. Experts have suggested that work-based friendships can be the most impactful on our overall happiness – both at work and home. To achieve valuable friendships, companies need to create an environment where staff feel at ease to communicate and share ideas, thoughts and observations without fear of being judged and reprimanded. People should be able to come to work every day as themselves. Many believe that socialising and friendships are important for making progress in a company and advancing their careers. If social connections don’t exist, people may feel demotivated and want to leave, so employee turnover will increase and overall workplace happiness will decrease. However, you need to be aware of some dangers. Staff may want to avoid becoming too close with colleagues. Telling everybody about your domestic issues, hidden desires or long-term plans may be distracting to what you are all trying to achieve at work. And some people naturally have a more negative disposition than others, so confiding in people who negative could get you down. Somebody once said we become the five people that we spend most of our time with. Employees might not have a best friend at work but they should expect to have some strong personal relationships with colleagues. Feeling absorbed in the work we do can make us happier If you can lose track of time at work, then the chances are you’re doing something you enjoy and are good at, which should make you happier. We are spiritual beings after all – more than we are transactional consumers. So, find finding something that absorbs you and helps you identify your own spiritual being, what you’d get out of bed for, your passion, is important. Part of how we become more absorbed in our work is feeling that we have the autonomy to complete that work in the way we know best. Do staff feel listened to, do their opinions matter and are their suggestions valued and acted on? Transparency builds trust in an organisation Employees are going to feel happier if there is transparency in their organisation based on open, honest communication. If there isn’t, they may feel resentful and distrustful, perhaps holding back from fully engaging with the organisation. They might mirror this behaviour by holding back information themselves. Providing information in a timely way is key, including bad news, to minimise surprises. Holding interactive sessions with staff on a weekly, or another regular basis, helps people to feel involved, updated and engaged as part of a company team. Create a mindful workplace to improve workplace happiness Being mindful is being in the moment, being 100% present in the now. Like a child, in the present moment, with eternity before us. Many of us, though, spend most of our time thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Neither of which exists, there is only now. And there will only ever be now. So, experiencing the now is a good way to be calm, reduce stress and focus. Think about your vision, and your dream life periodically, but be in the now. Does the company acknowledge this? Does it give staff space to think, relax and be in the moment? They’ll be happier, more creative and engaged if they are. Employees need to feel recognised and valued for their work Feeling recognised, valued and rewarded for the work we do is important, not only to feel happy but also professionally and for the company’s bottom line, too. There are big benefits for workplace productivity, health and wellbeing, employee engagement and business profitability. Creativity will increase as staff know their ideas matter and it’s safe to express them. This creates a more positive working culture, staff are less likely to leave and your competitive advantage is enhanced. After all, competitive advantage for any business relies on its staff’s ideas, insights and effort. It will help to build a stronger, more resilient team. Most people leave their job not because of pay but because they didn’t feel engaged, respected or listened to. If the company feels like a team and they are an important part of it, they are less likely to leave and deliver higher service levels. Is work contributing toward your employees’ own life goals? As we spend so much time at work, we need to feel that our own life goals and our work, job or professional goals are aligned. Having these aligned with the company’s goals is also important. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, this has become a bigger concern with 65% of people in a Gartner survey saying they’d rethink how work should fit into their life. In this way, employees are working on something that they are both good at and like doing, something they may even feel passionate about. But if their life goal is to be on a stage in front of an audience, then working in an office may feel deeply unrewarding for them, even if they’re good at it. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started

Optimise your company's HR performance and increase departmental productivity with these 10 tips 10 Ways To Improve HR Performance This article looks at 10 ways to improve your current HR performance to boost efficiency and productivity throughout the workplace. Published on: 21 Jan 2021 It is essential for all businesses, large and small, to acknowledge the value of HR to their business. This article looks at 10 ways to improve HR performance to boost efficiency and productivity throughout the workplace. People are at the centre of your organisation’s success and therefore, they should be your prime investment. We believe creating value and investing in your employees is as fundamental as looking after your customers. HR has a vital role to play in this by curating a strong company culture and ensuring workers are given opportunities to flourish by adopting a Agile HR Operating Model. Unlock Greater HR Efficiency with ERP Integration To truly elevate HR performance beyond manual workflows, integrating an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can be a game-changer. An ERP centralises HR data, streamlines processes, and gives leadership real-time visibility into workforce metrics — all from a single platform. Key Benefits of ERP in HR: Data Accuracy and Accessibility : ERP systems reduce the risk of errors associated with manual data entry and ensure that employee information is updated, consistent, and easily accessible. Streamlined Recruitment and Onboarding : Automate job posting, candidate tracking, onboarding checklists, and initial training, making new hire transitions smoother and more consistent. Performance Management : Use ERP tools to track goals, appraisals, and feedback in real-time, creating a continuous performance management culture instead of relying solely on annual reviews. Training and Development : Maintain comprehensive records of employee training, certifications, and learning paths to align development initiatives with business goals. Compliance and Reporting : Simplify the management of compliance requirements, generate accurate reports quickly, and prepare easily for audits. Action Steps: Evaluate your current HR processes and identify where automation could create the most immediate impact. Select an ERP solution that fits your organisation's size, industry, and specific HR needs. Invest in employee training on the new system to maximise adoption and unlock the full benefits of the platform. By adopting an ERP system tailored for HR, organisations can not only enhance operational efficiency but also create a more connected, proactive, and data-driven HR function. Standardised Workflows to Elevate HR Performance One of the key factors in improving HR performance is the implementation of clear and standardised workflows. A well-defined HR workflow ensures that critical processes such as recruitment, onboarding, employee development, and performance reviews are handled consistently and efficiently. By setting up Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) , HR departments can improve communication, minimise errors, and foster a culture of accountability. Key HR Workflow Areas: Recruitment and Onboarding: Automating job postings, application tracking, and onboarding ensures a smooth and consistent experience for new hires, reducing time to productivity. Performance Reviews: Structured performance review workflows help ensure timely and objective evaluations, promoting fairness and transparency. Employee Development: Establish a clear process for tracking employee progress and delivering training, ensuring that growth opportunities are well-managed and aligned with organisational goals. Compliance and Documentation: SOPs for maintaining compliance records ensure that the business adheres to legal requirements while reducing the risk of fines or penalties. Action Steps: Map out key HR processes and create a step-by-step SOP for each one. Incorporate digital tools to automate routine tasks, allowing HR to focus on strategic initiatives. Regularly review and refine workflows to adapt to changing business needs and improve efficiency. By implementing workflow management techniques into HR operations, you can reduce bottlenecks, ensure consistency, and ultimately enhance overall performance. 10 more ways to improve HR performance 1. Improve your employee recruitment & selection process Ensuring the recruitment process is managed effectively is one of the first steps you should take to improve your organisation. Employing the wrong people can cost you in both time and money. A bad candidate who fails to fit in with the team can disrupt the company culture and create a loss in productivity. Spend time perfecting the job description. Promote your company and make it sound like an attractive place to work. Don’t just list skills - these can be enhanced with training. Consider hiring candidates based on the attitudes and qualities you value in your staff. Use all of the tools available to you to find the best talent, including LinkedIn and networking events. Ask for feedback from candidates on your recruitment process and implement their suggestions for improvement. Finally, ensure that your recruitment process is fluid and adapts well to changing workplace needs. 2. Improve communication in the workplace Effective internal communication is central to all business goals. It avoids confusion, encourages teamwork, allows for collaboration, provides purpose and creates a positive company culture. However, communication in the workplace is often insufficient. According to Entrepreneur, 46% of employees leave a meeting unsure what they are supposed to be doing next. The evolution of technology has given us many opportunities to improve communication through email, instant messaging and video chat services but using these tools is only the first step. Improving communication needs to come from the top – employees need effective and clear briefs that relate back to the business goals. They need to be given the opportunity to provide regular feedback and ask questions. Alongside clear business communication, employees should be given the opportunity to communicate socially at work too. 3. Invest in employee health & wellbeing A study by Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, in collaboration with BT, found that workers are 13% more productive when they are happy. Professor De Neve, who conducted the survey, found that there is ‘considerable room for improvement in the happiness of employees while they are at work’. There is much more emphasis placed on a good work/life balance today than there was 50 years ago. The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound effect on our mental health and wellbeing and employers need to consider ways to help their employees navigate these struggles. It can no longer be seen as a ‘personal issue’ that is entirely separate to work. Employee Wellness Programmes can be a great way to improve happiness, reduce absenteeism and boost productivity. 4. Offer employee training & development opportunities In a rapidly changing business environment, ongoing training is key to success. Often companies hire the right candidates and then the nurturing stops there. Five years down the line, that staff member is no further on in their career than when they started and they experience low job satisfaction. Ongoing training and career opportunities are vital to retaining your staff. Plus, staff with updated skills are confident and more engaged with the company, therefore increasing productivity rates. Ensuring your staff are trained and kept up to date with the latest developments in the sector can ensure you stay ahead of the competition. 5. Ditch the annual appraisal process Many companies still rely on the outdated annual appraisal to address employees’ strengths and weaknesses. No one looks forward to these arduous meetings that involve lengthy forms and awkwardly formal procedures. Twelve months is a long time in the business world and achievements that happened last year have become irrelevant and mistakes forgotten about. Ongoing, regular meetings help to focus on objectives, address issues as they arise and ensure achievements don’t go unnoticed. 6. Act on employee feedback The employee feedback process shouldn’t work one way. We often get caught up in telling our staff what they need to do to improve but we never ask what we need to do to be a better business. Your staff are in the perfect position to help you improve. Involve your employees in decision making, they have seen first-hand what does and doesn’t work. Ask them how you could improve company culture and employee satisfaction; what training they need and what processes could be executed better. 7. Recognise and reward employee achievements Everyone responds well to praise and appreciation both inside and outside of the workplace. Thank you always goes a long way. Putting a reward and recognition scheme in place improves productivity, increases job satisfaction, boosts happiness and creates loyalty. In a survey by Perkbox of 1,532 UK employees, 42% said receiving greater recognition for their work would make them happier in 2021. There are a number of ways to recognise staff, this could include social media recognition, awards for meeting core values, end of year awards, colleague thank yous and long service awards. 8. Develop and share your company’s purpose and passion Your HR department is perfectly positioned to share the company vision and value with all employees. Firstly, you must identify your organisation’s purpose and ensure everyone in the company is actually aware of it. Are you articulating it clearly? Do they understand how their role contributes to the organisational goals? Regular communication is key in sharing your message. 9. Empower your team and build trust Business success relies on a whole team of people collaborating and sharing their ideas, success is not due to one single person at the top barking orders. Micromanaging can demoralise your employees, result in frustration and limit their creativity. You need to listen to your employees, challenge them to think outside the box, implement their ideas and trust them to make decisions. Being ordered to do something tends to negatively impact on our motivation. However, when we’re included in the decision-making we feel part of the bigger picture and our productivity improves as a result. Empowered employees are more likely to go the extra mile for you. 10. Redefine the employee experience & workplace COVID-19 has profoundly changed the face of the workplace and encouraged businesses to adopt more flexible approaches to working. Gone are the days of long commutes and 9-5 structured workdays. Prior to the pandemic, flexible working was still a privilege reserved for the select few, with many still cramming soullessly onto the tube for the morning commute. Flexible working allows for a better work/life balance with increased childcare opportunities, less time wasted travelling and helps prevent employee burnout. As things begin to return to normal over the next year, it is essential to consider the new face of the workplace. Allowing a blended approach to office and home working could help increase workplace productivity and improve employee wellbeing. Previous Next Start Your Business Improvement Journey Our business improvement programme and smart operations provide clarity and a clear pathway forward for you and your team. Get Started