ONE of my pet peeves is hearing the phrase “That is how it has always been done,” especially when there are already better ways of going about it. But even if people have heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder” multiple times, some people have a hard time applying it to their work.
Like the time I was reviewing the report of a learning management system administrator who was placed under me. I suggested rearranging the data to make it easier for executives to see the relevant information easier and make decisions faster. He told me, yes, that was how it was always done, and it would take more time for him to prepare. But I insisted and, in the end, the executives appreciated the reports better and my administrator took less time to explain his presentation.
Part of managing people is helping your team develop a mindset of getting their work done in the most efficient and effective manner. And when they cannot do it on their own, it is our role to steer and motivate them in that direction. But before you can do that, you need to ascertain that the change is necessary. There are some processes which do not change for a reason, and there are others that may have been there for too long they have outlived their relevance. You can start with looking at core office processes and see if there are any bottlenecks, and then identify what are causing the delays so you can focus your improvements on them.
Hiring is a common problem in most organizations. In one organization, we discovered that most people hesitated to apply because of the tests and the numerous paperwork needed to be submitted. To increase the number of applicants, human resources worked with the Information Technology Department to create a chatbot where applicants could be interviewed with standard questions in the chat, schedule and have an online interview, and then submit electronic copies of their requirements all through the chatbot. Problematic areas became opportunities for improving processes and enhancing everybody’s hiring experience.
Another way to identify process improvement efforts is to simply ask your team where processes can be improved. In your regular team meetings, you can ask some of your team members to present process improvement initiatives. This is one way you develop your team’s critical thinking skills, as well as improve their creativity in looking for solutions. You also help them develop a mindset of looking out for what can be improved so they can work smarter, not harder.
Once you have your team’s input, listen also to the voice of the customer. Your customers, whether internal or external, have insights on what you can do to improve your products or services. It goes without saying that external customers significantly affect improvement efforts because they will go to your competitors if you do not listen to what they need or want. For internal customers, ask people you regularly work with to understand how your team’s output is being used by other departments as input to their work. In whatever form you want to do it, ensure there is a feedback mechanism where you can draw information on what can be improved.
It also goes without saying to hire the right people for the work and use the right tools to deliver the best results. Review your office’s core objectives and then identify the manpower and tools requirement so team members can deliver excellent work. Making a list of the ideal qualifications of team members and the best tools available in the market can help you identify what you need to improve. If current team members are not delivering as expected, it would be a good opportunity for you to train them or to take on more responsibilities. If possible, buy the best tools on the market for your team’s work; if not, learn to maximize your current tools.
Another way to identify opportunities for improvement is to research new developments in your field. You can benchmark with similar organizations and update yourself on new ways of working. Just be careful that when you adapt new processes or tools, you apply change management principles, so the change is assimilated smoothly and effectively.
Sometimes, process improvement ideas come from outside your own field. Improvement opportunities can come from ideas that do not necessarily address a current problem in your own field but improves the way things are done in your office. Your exposure to other groups can provide a different perspective and open your eyes to different ways which could prove beneficial to your own team.
A few weeks ago, I attended a planning session of a group I was not familiar with, but I was sent there to observe and provide input. In previous experiences, planning sessions were siloed and depended on group leaders but when the cluster head took it upon himself to plan the entire session, it became easier for the groups to appreciate their role in the entire cluster and how they contributed to the overall strategy. This gave us the idea to institute the practice for the other cluster heads to follow.
And, lastly, develop a mindset of continuous improvement. Your team needs to regularly ask themselves how they can do their work smarter and better. It can be as simple as asking your team members to arrange their work area so that everything they need is within arm’s reach, or as complicated as plotting problematic tasks and working as a group to improve the workflows. Team members need to agree on the processes and adapt the same as their own.
There are cases when people do not want to change even after pointing out the need to improve. In those cases, you need to be patient and exert your best effort to guide them. If they still do not want to change, then maybe you need to improve your team by getting someone who can actually do the work.
Image credits: Dylan Gillis on Unsplash