With most things we do in life, and especially in business, there are established processes to follow to get things right. If not, there would be chaos. 

Business process chaos occurs when a company operates in a manner that is unstructured​, siloed, or disorganized. The result of this is suboptimal performance. Assumptions regarding problems’ root causes must focus on processes rather than people.  

So how do you become a process-focused organization? It starts from the top down; business leaders need to view the organization as a whole and develop a strategy and objectives to become more process-oriented vs. people-oriented. This approach should lead to the development of a horizontal organization instead of vertical separation based on functional units, such as sales, finance, IT, and operations, which may be viewed as separate silos. 

Start Small

Changing the mindset of working in silos will take time, but it is achievable. There needs to be a culture shift focused on process improvement initiatives and a governance structure to continue to manage business’ processes across-the-board.  Adopt a kaizen-like continuous improvement approach, where all levels of the company work together to achieve incremental improvements. 

Obtaining Adoption of Change

To achieve a high percentage of change adoption, you will need internal process improvement education while also embracing organizational change management methods. Be sure to include the bottom-up level of the company, where the work gets done. Employees who take part in the change initiatives are more apt to buy-in and better accept new process adoption. Understanding that the change is happening with them and not to them, will lower the employee’s resistance to change.  

Succession Planning

Good processes will also help you build a company that can last whether you are there or not. Once you have obtained end-to-end process documentation, you now have a more saleable asset.  When it is time for succession or exit, you have built something of greater value. The new owner will have a leg-up having your business’ how-to instructions at his/her fingertips.  

Change Readiness Assessment Tool

So how do you know if your business is prepared for change?  netlogx, a 20+ year-old national consulting services firm, has developed an easy Change Management Assessment tool. After completing the short survey (less than 10 multiple choice questions), you will receive a scorecard on the readiness of your organization for change.  No email or contact information is required to get your results. Since change in your business is not an overnight endeavor, you should get started today!