My time in the productivity business had led me (perhaps rather slowly) to a simple truth.
Effective organisations - with high productivity and good quality - start at the top with a 'planning and execution system' that stems directly from the organisational mission. This must define and support 'excellence' and must translate into systems, processes and procedures - and skilled roles and tasks which build in individual and team responsibility for that excellence, together with performance measures that ensure we remain 'on track' with our plans and targets.
For a small business, much of this is instinctive - but it happens in the best small companies and startups where the business owner builds a skilled, trained, engaged and motivated workforce who know and understand their own roles within the overall organisational system. In fact, in a small business this is usually easier because employees can often see the whole of the 'production process' and it is clear as to what their contribution is.
We need to 'flip' the traditional representation of an organisation structure and see the role of managers and leaders as creating and sharing a vision of excellence and then identifying and removing the barriers that prevent 'front line workers' from creating that excellence.
So, your role is to lead from the bottom!
Effective organisations - with high productivity and good quality - start at the top with a 'planning and execution system' that stems directly from the organisational mission. This must define and support 'excellence' and must translate into systems, processes and procedures - and skilled roles and tasks which build in individual and team responsibility for that excellence, together with performance measures that ensure we remain 'on track' with our plans and targets.
For a small business, much of this is instinctive - but it happens in the best small companies and startups where the business owner builds a skilled, trained, engaged and motivated workforce who know and understand their own roles within the overall organisational system. In fact, in a small business this is usually easier because employees can often see the whole of the 'production process' and it is clear as to what their contribution is.
We need to 'flip' the traditional representation of an organisation structure and see the role of managers and leaders as creating and sharing a vision of excellence and then identifying and removing the barriers that prevent 'front line workers' from creating that excellence.
So, your role is to lead from the bottom!
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