Businesses that are growing — whether it be in volume or in new ways like creating a new product or pursuing a new market — are in fact setting themselves up for failure if their systems do not keep up. If your business’s operating system — how work is done — is outdated, growth slows and internal frustration rises.
“An unreliable system means a company’s sales team, rather than growing the business, spends its time apologizing to clients because the organization cannot deliver,” says Ray Attiyah, author of “Run Improve Grow” and chief innovation officer at Clark Schaefer Hackett. “It creates conflict and turnover because employees feel ineffective as they struggle to realize success.”
Smart Business spoke with Attiyah about a leadership system that prepares companies to achieve their future goals by creating a properly designed operating system to accommodate growth.
When a company’s systems, processes and standards fail to deliver, what is the impact?
New or rapid growth frequently exerts pressure on existing systems, and the more a company grows, the more difficult it becomes for employees to reliably meet increased demands.
As a reaction to poor performance, managers may blame the frontline team for failures. Their haphazard problem assessment leads to poorly prescribed solutions such as ‘hold people accountable.’ They fail to assess whether workers have the appropriate tools to effectively do their jobs. Rather than engaging the workforce to listen to the symptoms and methodically define root causes for the failures, assigning blame is often demoralizing and creates fear of repercussions.
Other times, senior leaders question whether middle managers have the right skill set to lead critical improvements. Focusing on individual performers rather than all contributing variables can lead to multiple negative outcomes, including management turnover, a lack of confidence to pursue growth and an inability to meet increased business demands, or unprofitable growth (because resources are used inefficiently). This cycle is very tough on an organization.
What is Run Improve Grow?
When a company pursues new growth, including new products, services, customers or sectors, it requires an operating system capable of reliably executing. And that is where Run Improve Grow (RIG) can help.
RIG is a leadership system that focuses on where your people are spending most of their time. Are your frontline leaders empowered to effectively run the daily operations of your business? (RUN) Are your managers working on process improvements (IMPROVE), and are your executives working on the future of the business (GROW)?
With RIG, you empower your frontline workforce — the people responsible for making the products or delivering services — to be effective problem solvers capable of eliminating chronic pinch points that create daily frustrations.
How does Run Improve Grow differ from Lean or other forms of Continuous Improvement?
Lean is a method of gaining efficiency through waste elimination. RIG gives you the framework to develop a robust new system, rather than making patchwork changes to an existing system. RIG sees the waste in the management activities — not just in the workflow. Your employees are given the tools and authority to take action, enabling them to achieve results quickly.
How can organizations empower frontline employees and unlock everyone’s potential?
Empowerment occurs when employees have the authority, systems, standards and tools to succeed. There is nothing you can’t do when you have the confidence and internal support to do your job with conviction.
By applying the fundamental rules of RIG, your frontline leaders will clearly understand their role and be empowered to run the daily operations of your business without inhibitions. RIG creates a fearless and engaging culture that improves employee retention, which in turn attracts new talent, making recruitment easier.
With your employees operating at peak performance, management and your executive team are empowered to focus on process improvement, growth and innovation.
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