CEO requirements for business performance improvement have remained unchanged for 40 years

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In a world that appears to be changing at an ever increasing rate, it is reassuring to know that some things remain surprisingly constant. At Bourton Group we have been helping CEOs to improve their business performance for over 40 years. Whilst the areas of focus, organisational structures, systems and processes have changed beyond recognition over that time, we find that three over-riding requirements are as high on the agenda now as they ever were. More surprisingly these requirements remain constant irrespective of business sector:

• We want real, tangible business benefits.
• We need to engage our people in delivering them.
• We must be able to sustain the change long after the initial flush of activity has gone.

CEOs often have to settle for one or, at best, two of these objectives but we believe that to count any improvement programme a success all three must be carefully developed to ensure that real business transformation is achieved. How to do this in these troubled times when global pressures are challenging even the best Management Teams requires a committed, radical and systematic change of thinking throughout the organisation. This is very difficult to achieve without the help of experts from outside the company.

Bourton Group’s approach is proven to deliver what CEOs want but there are a number of management consulting firms you could approach for help. When it comes to implementing sustainable operational performance improvement programmes, Bourton Group may not be the most high profile management consultancy but our clients tell us we are the best.

How do we work with organisations to deliver benefits, engender people driven change and build sustainability? By the unique combination of hands-on consulting support and knowledge transfer of best practice process improvement.

Delivering benefits

Identifying, realising and measuring benefits resulting from a transformation programme is prime to ensuring its continuity. If the organisation can’t quantify the improvement in outcome as a result of the programme then why continue? Benefits are often difficult to measure but they must impact on what people ‘care about’. These ‘care abouts’ are highly interdependent and can be:

• Customer related – some form of cost (price), quality or time improvement as determined by voice of the customer analysis.
• Business related – eliminating waste and variation from internal processes to enable better delivery of core process performance by improved efficiency and effectiveness.

• Discrete to a specific project or issue.
• Early wins that gain credibility and fund the ongoing investment.
• Cultural change that underpins longer term improvement.

Working closely with individuals, teams and leadership stakeholders throughout the programme means that we never lose sight of the overall objective and the people in the business sign-off to the hard and soft benefits delivered.

Engaging with people

We view success as building capability within organisations to continue process improvement as a way of life, long after the initial programme has finished. By working closely with and transferring process improvement know-how in Lean Sigma and Change Management to an organisation, we help develop people’s capability. Whether this is helping top teams to design high performing organisations, coaching and mentoring individuals to manage through change or developing project based and intact work teams to implement Lean Sigma thinking as part of their DNA, we deliver the same user friendly, flexible support from our experienced consulting team.

Engaging with people is not a ‘nice to have’ it is fundamental to the success of transformation
programmes. It builds capability, ensures sustainability and motivates and mobilises an organisation’s resources around what management deems important.

Sustaining the change

Benefits and change that evaporates is not only expensive it damages the culture of an organisation and hardens it to future change requirements. ‘Failed change’ in the past is the biggest impediment to business transformation. We sometimes have to overcome negativity at the start of a programme because our client employees tell us ‘we did Lean, Six Sigma, process improvement once before and it didn’t work’. Creating and using best practice Lean Sigma methodologies and tools in an organisation is only part of the solution. What is really needed is the creation of an internal improvement engine within the organisation. The improvement engine is fuelled by highly capable and motivated people and uses the mechanics of proven Lean Sigma methodologies, supported by a well developed deployment
programme to direct and govern the change whilst maintaining pace and priority.

Key factors for success

There are no silver bullets, no quick fixes, and no magic formulas to achieve the optimal solution. There are some basic building blocks that will enable your organisation to improve performance in a sustainable way. Before embarking on such a programme, make sure you adopt an approach that ensures you:

• Understand the organisational ‘care abouts’.
• Work with stakeholders to agree and capture the benefits.
• Build commitment and capability at all levels within the organisation.
• Create a process improvement engine to sustain the momentum.
• Use best practice Lean Sigma methodologies and tools to deliver the improvement.
• Have a managed deployment programme to maintain pace and priority.

Next you need to set up the programme that engages and prepares the organisation for change. Outlined below is an example of the sort of programme we would recommend. Whilst a company can successfully execute significant change programmes that achieve sustainable performance themselves, our experience is that outside help from experts in this area significantly improves the scale and degree of success.

Looking to the future

Customer need and expectation are constantly changing and the pace of that change is always increasing. Whilst the requirement sought by CEOs may have remained constant for over 40 years, the means by which this is achieved and the scale of change that is required is evolving. However if you adopt proven tools and techniques, like the ones outlined in this article, and get experienced outside assistance from consultancies that specialise in this area, then we are confident it will be the single most important and successful project you will ever undertake.

About Six Sigma Group

The Six Sigma Group has an established track record for the provision of consultancy and training services to blue chip businesses stretching back more than 40 years. Today The Six Sigma Group is one of Europe's foremost experts in Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Sigma.

The Six Sigma Group offer a wide range of training ranging from Six Sigma awareness and Green Belt training through to Black Belt and Master Black Belt. Consultancy services are also available through our parent company Bourton Group.

Contact
info@sixsigmagroup.co.uk
Tel: + 44 (0) 1926 623888

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Six Sigma Awareness Sessions for Directors and Senior Managers - 26 March 2010

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The next session is Friday, 26 March 2010, at our offices in Bourton-on-Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9SD.

For further infomation contact us on sixsigmaseminar@sixsigmagroup.co.uk

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The course has been designed in accessible modular fashion and dovetails neatly into a Black Belt conversion course for those wishing to develop their improvement skills further.

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Do you have a corporate JOHARI window?

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“Most companies that need Lean and Six Sigma are too disorganised to do anything about it!” – anon.

Just as we all have an individual JOHARI window, so too has a company – and if as a company you don’t think you have a problem, then you are not likely to put any effort into changing! But it’s not what you think, but what your customers and suppliers know and think about you that will influence long-term success.

We all have to wake up to change, but getting started, making the first step is always the hardest and knowing which direction to take the most difficult decision. So why not let the Six Sigma Group help you? We specialise in upfront diagnostic work with your management team to help you identify performance gaps and the right improvement projects to close them.

Not sure if Six Sigma or Lean Sigma is right for you? Then why not make an easy no-strings-attached decision and come to our FREE awareness session at Bourton Hall near Rugby. Click here for details of the next awareness sessions .

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