Operational Excellence, Destination or Culture...

…so, I am at the gym this morning reengaging with my opponent in the never ending and losing battle against age and time, when I notice an employee walking to the restroom and stopping to pick up some loose pieces of paper towel.  This is no easy task as the pieces are big and small and she spends a few minutes making sure that the presentation of the gym integrity is protected.  With video cameras throughout, I began to wonder if this act of operational excellence would be noticed and/or recognized?  I then began to wonder about all company’s desire to achieve Operational Excellence…I then asked myself if my thought process was mis-guided in that Operational Excellence is not something to be achieved and instead it is something that should defined as an organizational culture.

So, what is operational excellence as an organizational culture and how do we create it, define it, measure it, and ensure it remains the foundation of the organization?  Let us first define culture as the language we speak / write and the behavior we practice towards our co-workers during the workday.  With this in mind, should an organization now create a new language or train all the employees on strict verbal and written communication protocols…YES! No one is immune from this cultural creation assignment; Board Members, to CEO’s, to Vice Presidents, to Regional Managers, to Hourly employees, as all compensated members of the organization and should be expected to follow the cultural expectations of the company.  So how do we do this? The first step is to clearly define the words that are approved and the words that are not approved in any formal or informal communication. While I let the laughter subside, try this test: no one in the organization is allowed to use the words, “yes” or “no” in any email, text, or verbal communication, for a period of one week. Let me know the results. This simple test will force company team members to re-evaluate how they are attempting to communicate with superiors, subordinates, vendors, and all other business partners. Another fun test is that all company team members are required to demonstrate one act of unsolicited kindness or courtesy to another team member each day. This could be opening a door, getting someone a cup of coffee, writing a thank you note, taking someone to lunch, and the list goes on and on. You see, looking for or seeking fault or flaws in another person’s character is a self-defense mechanism based upon self-preservation. Teaching yourself to look for positive attributes in others and / or engaging in random acts of kindness is a perceived vulnerability and goes against our historic survival instincts and thus must be learned and practiced every day.  Vulnerability is a strength that creates a bond with our co-workers that allows everyone to excel, grow, and become a competitive force in the marketplace in which they reside.

As a result, if an organization wants to create true customer facing operational excellence, start by practicing cultural operational excellence at the highest levels and let these languages and behaviors permeate throughout the company.

Tomharperconsulting.com