Focusing the Organization on Collective Success

Views > Change and Organization > Best Practice > Focusing the Organization on Collective Success

Focusing the Organization on Collective Success
None

Michael Moore, Business Consultant, United States

From purpose and business model to business performance management

Business Performance Management is the essence of business activity. Any activity not contributing to the success of the business, however that may be defined, is wasted energy. No matter how altruistic the business purpose may be, if the rank and file of the organization is not singularly focused on achievement in terms of that purpose, then risk is increased, as is the potential for failure.
It is relatively simple, although complex, to get an organization to focus on their collective success:
1. First, if they haven't done so already, they need to define their purpose. Why are they there? Why have they banded together to build the organization they exist in? These questions need to be answered collectively and consensually. It's not enough for the top management to decide this and direct it.
2. Second; they need to decide what is the model of success, again consensually. How will they know they have arrived, once they have arrived?
3. Third, as a group they should decide the few critical performance measurements and define them in hard numbers that demonstrate their success.
4. Fourth, they must decide what processes are needed among the organization to achieve that success.
5. Then fifth, they should make sure they have the right players, the right talent, in the right positions to foment the activity that fosters that success.
6. Sixth, they should make sure they have all the resources they need beyond personnel, that will enable that success. Once these activities are done, they should just get to work and start striving to achieve the goals they set for themselves.
The key to success, more than having all these factors decided, is to have decided them together and built a solid consensus around all of the provisions that fall out of the exercises needed to do this this way.
Once done the business, working together, can feel confident in achieving top tier performance. Anything less increases the risk of failure.

React | More on the Author | More on this Interest Area