Top performers in any industry proactively position themselves to excel through change and achieve competitive advantage. Smart teams realize they can’t achieve peak performance overnight. Change is best handled incrementally. They watch trends, spot needs, and adjust operations quickly to gain ground in the market. Some common drivers of change are:
Shifting Government Regulation
Government regulation is a critical driver of change in many types of businesses. Whether facing changes in tax law, environmental protection regulation, safety standards, or reacting to public health concerns. No business is exempt, and any change can significantly affect the operation of a modern business. Process development plays a key role in mitigating the cost of change and ensuring compliance when the business emerges on the other side. |
Accreditation and Certification
Accreditation and certification by nature tend to constrain processes in any business. Business teams newly seeking accreditation or certification are sometimes surprised by the impact both can have on their operations. Veterans of the accreditation and certification space are keenly aware of the need to constantly adjust to the evolving standards of the accreditation and certification bodies they’ve attained their status through. Process development plays a vital role in accomplishing these goals. |
Employee Turnover
Employee turnover is an extremely frequent, and high-cost, driver of change for many business teams. Although employee turnover occurs for many reasons, mitigating the cost of employee turnover begins long before an employee’s season with a company has ended. When an employee takes an active role in the design of a process, they are more likely to have a sense of ownership of that process, and therefore less likely to leave. Thorough documentation of processes lowers the cost of knowledge loss when an employee leaves the organization. And finally, when onboarding a new team member, the time and cost associated with preparing that person to add value to the organization is radically deduced due to more effective knowledge share and better training. Sound process development practices are vital part of reducing the cost of employee turnover. |
Product Changes or Customer Feedback
Smart businesses work hard to recognize the shifting needs of the market and adjust their product offering accordingly. Whether your business deals in the manufacturing and/or distribution of physical product, or operates in the service industry, when you fail to adjust to the needs of your customer you fail as a business. Changes to product and services will almost certainly require a change to your current process. |
Changes in Leadership
A change in key leadership at any organization is a common driver of change. Often while new leaders are finding their footing in a new role one of the first tasks they’re required to do is assess the current process, discover opportunities for improvement, then develop and execute a plan to better the organization. Process development plays a key role in managing this type of change. |