How to create a customer experience strategy across the full lifecycle

 

Discover how a customer experience strategy that enhances digital experiences across all touchpoints can help build brand loyalty and improve ROI

In today’s fast-paced digital world, providing a seamless customer experience strategy is no longer a luxury but a necessity. As consumers have more options than ever on where, when, and how to interact with brands, ensuring a consistent and positive digital experience can significantly impact your business's growth and competitiveness. 

It’s easy to forget just how many touchpoints your business may have. The Smart Insights customer lifecycle visual highlights just some of the many paid, owned, and earned media omnichannel options available today to communicate with prospects and customers. There’s a lot! 

The diverse array of channels highlights the amount of avenues we need to effectively manage to create effective customer experience, no matter where or how a customer interacts with us. 

However, due to the speed at which our industry moves and the amount of changes we have to regularly adapt to, it can be easy to neglect implementing a customer experience strategy. In doing so, you may be losing potential customers to competitors at various stages of the lifecycle, without even knowing.

What do we mean by customer experience?

Customer experience refers to the cumulative impact of all interactions a customer has with a brand throughout their entire journey. This includes every touchpoint, from initial awareness and engagement to post-purchase support and advocacy. A positive customer experience is characterized by ease of use, personalized interactions, and consistent satisfaction across all channels.

Integrating customer experience into your marketing strategy is essential because it not only influences customer retention and loyalty but also enhances brand reputation and drives revenue growth. By prioritizing customer experience strategy, businesses can differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace and create lasting relationships with their customers.

Why does customer experience matter?

Customers form opinions about your brand through various digital touchpoints, whether it’s via social media, your website, or email campaigns. We need to go beyond customer actions here and really consider their emotions and feelings to truly understand sentiment. As TechTarget summarizes:

“Managing customer experience isn't just about how people perceive their experience with a brand or the actions a company takes, but how customers feel when engaging with a brand.”

If these interactions are not optimized, you risk losing customers to competitors who offer a more engaging and satisfying experience. A well-structured customer experience strategy can be the decisive factor between thriving in your market or lagging behind competitors. 

Top Tip: Think ‘consistency’. You want your customers to feel comfortable that they know what to expect when interacting with you at any stage of their journey, at any touchpoint. This is why brand messaging and experience needs to be consistent across all channels, to help build brand trust and reliability.

What does good customer experience look like?

This will vary depending on your business, industry and product/service. However, there are some key fundamentals that apply to any business, which Hojar has succinctly summarized.

"In short, good customer experience can be achieved when you:

• Make listening to customers a top priority across the business
• Use customer feedback to develop an in-depth understanding of your customers
• Implement a system to help you regularly collect, analyze, and act on feedback
• Reduce friction and solve your customers' specific problems and unique challenges"

Benchmarking your customer experience

When diving into any marketing optimization, we first need to consider - where are we now? And what are we basing that on? 

Customer experience of all brand interactions is often based on Voice of Customer (VoC) tools, like customer ratings and surveys of satisfaction that are benchmarked, but often these don’t drill down into satisfaction with online channels which account for a high proportion of interactions. There are also behavioural measures of satisfaction with experience that with digital you can assess directly and aim to improve. 

Top Tip: A great way to better understand your customers’ pyschographic motivators, is to work on your personas and customer journey maps. For more advice on this, read our How to create an actionable customer journey map using RACE blog.

Our Digital Customer Experience review (shown below) enables you to review your capabilities for managing digital experiences too. Where does your business currently sit?

Looking at the benchmarking visual, it’s likely that you can already see areas you can improve to take you to the ‘Optimized’ stage consistently across channels. Now you have identified where you need to improve, it’s important to build these key activities into your customer experience strategy.

Key elements of a robust customer experience strategy using RACE

To effectively manage and improve customer experience, we can split up areas to optimize effectively using Smart Insights RACE Planning Framework. Our newly launched customer experience playbook is built using RACE, providing a detailed roadmap to enhance your digital customer interactions. RACE can support you in delivering an exceptional customer experience strategy by splitting out activities across the full customer lifecycle:

1. Plan: Set clear objectives and measurement criteria. Define the scope of customer experience, focusing on online interactions which often form a high proportion of customer engagements.
2. Reach: Increase your brand's visibility and demand through effective use of digital media. This involves improving your SEO, integrating social media strategies, and ensuring your content reaches the right audience.
3. Act: Encourage digital interactions that lead to increased subscribers and leads. By enhancing your website’s customer journeys and providing relevant, engaging content, you can significantly boost user engagement.
4. Convert: Turn your prospects into customers by optimizing conversion rates through an omnichannel approach. This includes both online and offline tactics to ensure a smooth transition from lead to customer.
5. Engage: Build long-term customer loyalty and advocacy by maintaining consistent communication through email marketing, social media, and other digital channels. Engaging your customers beyond the initial purchase is key to fostering lasting relationships.

Benefits of focusing on customer experience

Although it may never feel ‘top of the list’, optimizing your digital customer experience can really help support your overall business goals by creating:

• Increased Customer Loyalty: Satisfied customers are more likely to return and recommend your brand to others.
• Improved Brand Reputation: Positive experiences lead to positive reviews and word-of-mouth marketing
• Higher Conversion Rates: Optimized customer journeys reduce friction and increase the likelihood of conversions.
• Enhanced Customer Insights: Understanding customer behaviour helps refine marketing strategies and product offerings.

https://tinyurl.com/msespkms

Negotiations according to Tracy

 

Well, being a good marketer means being an even better negotiator. Good negotiation skills is not a must have for sales personnel, this is a must have for marketers as well. In 10 years I took part in over 100 big negotiations, very emotional and not, prepared and not, and I must say, that if this is something new for you, there is no better theory than book by Brian Tracy. His “Negotiation” is a must read for everyone in marketing and sales. If you’re planning on some business meeting very soon, you need to read it asap. This is a classic book in negotiations. And as usual I’ve prepared a short book review for you to to have a brief idea of it.

This book is all about the art of negotiating. Many people are afraid of negotiations, because they do not want to be rejected. The author suggests not take it personally. The partner says “no” not to you personally, but to the conditions offered by you. Brian Tracy gives many good advices and describes lot of cases he had during his practice.

In the beginning of the book Brian describes his classification of negotiations splitting them in two:

1. One-time – this type means that you want to have only one deal with the most favorable conditions and price, right here and right now.
2. Chinese agreement – this kind means that you want long-term relations, you sign the contract with business partners, but the conditions may vary depending on environment.

The author also describes 6 negotiation models:

1. “Win-Lose” model – A gets what he or she wants. B does not.
2. “Lose-Win” model – B gets what he or she wants. A does not.
3. “Lose-Lose” model – Neither party gets anything he or she wants from the negotiation.
4. “Compromise” model – Some wants of each party are fulfilled. Others are not.
5. “No Deal” model – Both parties agree to disagree.
6. “Win-Win” model – The parties work together to discover a third alternative that satisfies the needs of both.

Then Brian describes several methods to support your position in negotiations. This is preliminary work, authority, knowledge of the opponent, empathy, remuneration/punishment and investments. The author also investigates the effect of influence and perception during the negotiations. Here are some of the effects:

• Deficiency effect – it is necessary to create the feeling that you possess a very rare product, which other customers want to urgently buy.
• The effect of indifference – you need to create the feeling that you do not care about buying/selling goods.
• Confidence effect – you need to create the feeling that you are absolutely sure of what you are doing, in this case, partners often provide you with more favorable conditions or price.

One of the major things influencing the negotiations are emotions. The less you are emotional during the meeting, the better conditions you can get.

Brian Tracy lists some of the mandatory conditions for effective negotiations like timing (take a time-out, experienced negotiators often postpone decision-making), preparation for negotiations (it is necessary to learn as much as possible about business partners, the state of the market, etc., about all those factors that may affect the conclusion of a successful deal) etc.

The author tells about the “law of four”. He is sure that there will always be a primary question and three less important ones, which are also significant, but not so much. If in the process of negotiations, the partners have different primary questions, it will be much easier for them to agree.

The book considers the power of persuasion as another factor that influences the negotiation process, and gives several variants of persuasion methods:

• “Persuasion of reciprocity” implies that if you have done something for a person, then he subconsciously feels obligated to reciprocate you and, in turn, do something for you.
• Deviation by the method of “social proof” implies that a person always pays attention to how other people acted in the same situation.

Brian Tracy also talks about strategies for negotiating prices:

1. Disappointment (whatever price a partner calls you, you must always take it as something unpleasant for you)
2. Question (when the partner announces the price, it is necessary to ask the counter question: “Is this the best you can offer?” )
3. Simple approval (in this case it is necessary to say that you can find cheaper)
4. Reduction of the price (always necessary to reduce the price and offer something in return)
5. “Bite a little bit” (you can agree on all the main points of the contract, and then add additional conditions)

In conclusion, the author advises not to go to negotiations, if you are not ready to abandon this deal, and considers the negotiation process as uninterrupted. If circumstances arise that change your situation, then you must ask for a review of the terms of the contract, but, nevertheless, be prepared to offer something in return. He calls the “four whales”, on which the success of the negotiations stands.

1. Collect information and prepare in advance.
2. Ask for what you want to receive.
3. Look for mutually beneficial solutions.
4. Practice, practice and practice again.

People participate in negotiations constantly, this applies to both everyday life and business. The information and advice given by the author in this book are applicable in practice in any field of activity. The structure of the book is clear and logical. The author starts with the classification and models of deals and ends with methods and strategies for conducting successful negotiations. The book, in general, leaves positive impressions.

Alexey Cherkasov

https://tinyurl.com/324393ur

RoundMap® : Framework 1 System

 

A Unified Approach to Systemic Change: Building Future-Fit Organizations

For years, our pivotal question has been: ‘What if we could shatter the traditional barriers of silos that limit our collective potential?’ After seven years of rigorous research and introspection, we’ve forged a groundbreaking understanding. Our mission transcends merely dismantling silos; it’s about nurturing a collaborative ecosystem where stakeholders are empowered to co-create and invest in a mutually desired future. It’s a commitment to collectively envision, craft with precision, and passionately chase a unified vision. This method evolves our collaboration into a potent force, marching us toward a future we all yearn to shape.

Breaking Silos with Visionary Dialogue

Silos within organizations create barriers to communication and collaboration, often stifling innovation. These silos persist not just due to organizational structure but also due to the cultural comfort they offer to individuals. People cling to silos because they provide a sense of security, recognition, and community. However, enforcing change is rarely effective, as it doesn’t address the underlying emotional and cultural ties that bind people to these silos.

A more effective strategy is to offer individuals compelling reasons to venture beyond their siloed environments. This involves initiating an open dialogue about the organization’s future—a vision that is co-created by involving everyone in the system. Through this inclusive conversation, individuals can collectively imagine the future they desire and contribute to designing the journey towards it.

When people are part of crafting a future that promises greater fulfillment, excitement, and alignment with their passions, they become more open to re-evaluating their current allegiances. This openness is crucial for questioning their present values and behaviors. It creates a space for new cultural norms to emerge, facilitating the dismantling of outdated structures and the formation of new, more collaborative, and innovative ways of working.

By ensuring that the envisioned future is more appealing and rewarding than the present, organizations can inspire their people to embrace change willingly. In doing so, they not only break down silos but also foster a culture that is agile, interconnected, and primed for continuous innovation.

One System: Building Resilient Organizations

Navigating away from the limitations of siloed structures, we adopt the Future-Fit Organization approach, centered around four critical components integral to sculpting organizations poised for systemic success in the future. The first two are what we refer to as the twin vectors of ethical prosperity, and the final two are critical learnings taken from ‘Team of Teams’ and ‘One Mission’ to build truly responsive organizations (see the figure below): 

1. Equitable Distribution of Profit: This step involves ensuring that profits generated by the organization are distributed in a fair and just manner among all stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, suppliers, and the community. By prioritizing equity in profit distribution, organizations can foster trust, loyalty, and collaboration among stakeholders, breaking down silo barriers by aligning everyone’s interests towards a common goal.
2. Striving for Responsible Growth: This step emphasizes pursuing growth in a manner that is sustainable, ethical, and considerate of social and environmental impacts. Instead of prioritizing short-term gains at the expense of long-term sustainability, organizations commit to responsible growth practices that balance economic prosperity with social and environmental responsibility. This approach unifies siloed departments by fostering shared values and objectives while bolstering the organization’s reputation and resilience.
3. Sharing Collective Insights: By encouraging open communication channels and platforms for sharing ideas, data, and best practices, organizations enable employees at all levels to contribute their insights and expertise. This not only fosters a sense of belonging, empowerment, and ownership but also breaks down silos by promoting cross-functional collaboration and innovation based on a collective understanding of challenges and opportunities.
4. Empowering Action: This step focuses on empowering employees with the autonomy, resources, and support they need to take initiative and drive positive organizational change. By fostering a culture of empowerment and accountability, organizations enable employees to break free from silo mentalities and hierarchies, encouraging collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving across departments and teams. Empowered employees feel motivated to work towards common goals, leading to greater agility, resilience, and success for the organization.

By embracing these principles, we envision an organization that is not just surviving but thriving—one that is equipped to face the future with resilience, innovation, and a deep sense of purpose. This is the essence of the Systemic Future-Fit Organization approach, a roadmap to success in a world that demands we think and act not just for today but for the sustainable future we all share.

Systemic Future-Fit Organizations

Systemic Future-Fit Organizations (SFOs) are conceptualized as inherently designed for longevity and prosperity in a rapidly evolving business ecosystem. These organizations adhere to:

1. Forward-Thinking: These organizations are characterized by their proactive approach to envisioning and preparing for the future. They anticipate trends, challenges, and opportunities, positioning themselves ahead of the curve to shape the future rather than react to it.
2. Business Vitality: These organizations prioritize building enduring vitality—beyond mere fitness to thrive in the current environment. They focus on creating a resilient and dynamic foundation that supports long-term growth, adaptability, and innovation.
3. Systems Thinking: They deeply comprehend their operational environment’s intricate and dynamic interplay, recognizing that every decision can ripple across the entire system.
4. Adaptability: They are nimble, capable of weathering and embracing the winds of change, constantly evolving to meet the shifting tides of market demands and global challenges.
5. Sustainability: Their strategies are rooted in the pursuit of enduring success, prioritizing the well-being of the environment, society, and the economy for generations to come.
6. Collaboration: They practice inclusive engagement, valuing the contributions of all stakeholders and actively working to unite diverse perspectives and skills in a common quest for excellence.
7. Empowerment: Empowering individuals across the organization is central to their ethos. By distributing authority and decision-making, these organizations cultivate a culture of trust and accountability, enabling every member to contribute to their full potential and drive collective success.
8. Purpose and Impact: Guided by a visionary purpose, they drive towards creating significant and positive change, ensuring their actions resonate with profound and lasting effects.
9. Aligning Strengths: These organizations understand how to leverage their inherent strengths and the positive core underpinning their past successes, using it as a springboard for future innovations and growth.
10. Innovation: A perpetual quest for breakthroughs characterizes their ethos as they seek out and implement novel solutions that redefine what’s possible.

This refined definition emphasizes a holistic, integrated approach to business, sustainable, adaptable, and forward-thinking, resonating with RoundMap’s ethos of promoting transformative, collaborative, and innovative practices for a sustainable and prosperous future.

Achieving Operational Excellence

In the heart of RoundMap’s philosophy lies the bedrock of enduring success: the Four Pillars that underpin the operational excellence of future-fit organizations. These pillars are not mere guidelines but the strategic cornerstones that organizations must internalize to navigate the complexities of tomorrow’s business landscape. 

Each pillar represents a fundamental aspect of our Unified System Approach ─ bolstering business vitality, designing for impact, harmonizing strengths, and cultivating empowerment ─ fostering a robust foundation for sustainable and resilient growth. Together, they form a coherent blueprint for companies aspiring to adapt to change and lead it. 

We invite you to explore these pillars, detailed comprehensively on our website, as they are instrumental in steering organizations toward a prosperous, interconnected, and innovative future.

Fostering Responsible Growth

Why should organizations adopt sustainable leadership?

1. Addressing Global Challenges: Adopting sustainable leadership allows organizations to directly contribute to solving global challenges such as climate change, inequality, and resource depletion. By integrating sustainability into their core strategies, businesses can innovate to reduce environmental impact, enhance social equity, and drive economic growth without harm. This proactive approach addresses pressing global issues and positions organizations as leaders in sustainability, attracting support from consumers, investors, and employees who prioritize ethical and sustainable practices.
2. Stakeholder Expectations: Meeting stakeholder expectations is crucial in today’s context where individuals and investors alike seek organizations with firm ethical, environmental, and social commitments. Sustainable leadership signals a commitment to these values, making organizations more attractive to prospective employees who prioritize purpose in their work. This alignment with broader societal values not only helps in attracting talent but also in retaining employees who are motivated by meaningful work and a positive organizational impact on global challenges. It meets the rising demand for corporate responsibility and sustainability, enhancing the organization’s reputation and competitive edge.
3. Long-Term Viability: Adopting sustainable leadership enhances an organization’s long-term viability by ensuring its operations are environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable. This approach helps mitigate risks associated with sustainability challenges, such as regulatory changes, environmental disasters, and shifts in consumer preferences. By prioritizing long-term over short-term gains, organizations can adapt to market changes, innovate sustainably, and secure their future in a rapidly evolving global landscape, ensuring resilience and continued relevance in their industry.
4. Innovation and Competitive Advantage: Adopting sustainable leadership drives innovation and competitive advantage by encouraging organizations to develop new products, services, and processes that are both profitable and environmentally friendly. This approach fosters a culture of creativity focused on sustainability, attracting customers and partners interested in ethical and responsible business practices. It differentiates companies in the marketplace, making them more attractive to investors and consumers who prioritize sustainability, thereby securing a leading position in the transition towards a more sustainable economy.
5. Regulatory Compliance: Adopting sustainable leadership for regulatory compliance means aligning with current and anticipating future sustainability laws and standards, reducing legal risks, and avoiding fines. It positions organizations as industry leaders in compliance, enhancing their reputation and trust among stakeholders. This proactive stance can also lead to influencing policy developments, ensuring that the organization not only meets but shapes the standards of sustainable practices within its industry.

Embracing Equitable Profit Distribution

Organizations should consider an equitable distribution of profits among stakeholders for several reasons that resonate with sustainability, innovation, and whole-system thinking, akin to those espoused by RoundMap®. Here’s why equitable profit distribution is essential:

1. Sustainability: Equitable profit distribution aligns with sustainable business practices by ensuring that the organization’s success benefits not just its shareholders but all stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. This broader focus helps build a resilient business model that can sustain long-term growth and stability.

2. Stakeholder Engagement and Loyalty: Fairly sharing profits helps build stronger stakeholder relationships. It can mean better wages and benefits for employees, leading to increased engagement and productivity. For customers and suppliers, it can foster loyalty and long-term partnerships. Engaged stakeholders are more likely to support the organization through ups and downs, contributing to its resilience.

3. Social Responsibility: Businesses have a role in the broader social fabric. By distributing profits equitably, organizations reduce income inequality and support community development. This approach can enhance the organization’s reputation and brand image, aligning with consumers’ growing expectations for businesses to act responsibly.

4. Innovation and Continuous Improvement: When profits are reinvested into the organization for R&D, employee training, and other areas, it can spur innovation and continuous improvement. Equitable distribution can also mean allocating resources to initiatives that drive innovation rather than focusing solely on dividends and executive compensation.

5. Adaptability: An equitable approach to profit distribution can make organizations more adaptable. By ensuring that profits are used to bolster the organization’s foundation—through investment in technology, people, and processes—businesses can better navigate changes in the market and emerging challenges.

6. Brand Differentiation: In a competitive market, how a company treats its stakeholders can be a significant differentiator. Organizations known for fair and equitable profit-sharing can attract customers and talent who prioritize ethical considerations in their decisions.

7. Legal and Regulatory Compliance: In some regions, there are increasing legal and regulatory expectations for corporate social responsibility and equitable treatment of stakeholders. Proactively adopting equitable profit distribution practices can help organizations stay ahead of these requirements and avoid potential legal issues.

8. Collective Success: Ultimately, equitable profit distribution embodies the principle of collective success. It recognizes that the contributions of all stakeholders are vital to the organization’s achievements and seeks to reward them in a manner that reflects their value. This holistic approach to business success fosters a more cohesive, motivated, and committed stakeholder base.

By considering the equitable distribution of profits, organizations can align their operations with a model that promotes long-term success, stakeholder well-being, and a positive societal impact, resonating with the transformative and holistic principles advocated by RoundMap®.

Cultivating Customer Excellence

Why should organizations cultivate customer excellence?

Organizations should cultivate customer excellence for several compelling reasons, which align closely with the principles of sustainability, innovation, and whole-system thinking inherent in RoundMap’s vision. Here’s why focusing on customer excellence is crucial:

1. Enhanced Customer Loyalty: Customer excellence leads to higher satisfaction rates, fostering loyalty. Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, provide valuable feedback, and advocate for the brand through word-of-mouth. This loyalty is a sustainable source of revenue and organic growth.

2. Differentiation in Competitive Markets: Customer excellence can be a significant differentiator in crowded marketplaces. Organizations dedicated to understanding and meeting their customers’ needs can stand out from competitors, attracting more business and establishing a stronger market position.

3. Increased Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): By focusing on customer excellence, organizations can enhance the lifetime value of their customers. Satisfied customers are more likely to purchase additional products or services and less likely to switch to competitors, increasing the overall value they bring to the organization over time.

4. Improved Feedback and Innovation: Engaging with customers and striving for excellence provides valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. This feedback loop can drive innovation, helping organizations to adapt their offerings and develop new products or services that better meet customer demands.

5. Risk Mitigation: Excellent customer service can also mitigate risk. By effectively addressing complaints and turning negative experiences into positive ones, organizations can prevent escalations that might otherwise damage their reputation and financial health.

6. Employee Satisfaction and Engagement: Cultivating customer excellence often requires empowered, engaged employees who understand the value of the customer experience. This focus can improve employee satisfaction and engagement, as team members feel part of a purpose-driven effort to deliver outstanding service.

7. Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Customer excellence aligns with the broader goals of sustainability and social responsibility. Satisfied customers are likelier to engage with brands that demonstrate ethical practices, environmental stewardship, and community involvement, furthering the organization’s impact beyond its immediate customer base.

In summary, cultivating customer excellence is not just about improving transactions or solving immediate problems; it’s about building a sustainable, adaptive, and innovative organization that thrives by putting the customer at the center of its strategy. This approach aligns with RoundMap’s holistic, system-thinking philosophy, driving long-term success and differentiation in a competitive landscape.

The Biggest Challenge for Corporates

The biggest challenge of the corporate world is scaling for efficiency and maintaining the agility to innovate and adapt. Many corporations are initially designed for scale, leveraging efficiencies to drive down costs and capture market share. While effective for achieving rapid growth and competitive advantage, this strategy can become a double-edged sword, especially in rapidly changing markets. 

Here’s a deeper look into the issues associated with this scale-focused design:

1. Loss of Flexibility: As corporations scale, their processes and structures become more rigid. This rigidity can limit their ability to respond quickly to market changes, technological advancements, or shifts in consumer preferences. The focus on efficiency can inadvertently suppress creativity and innovation.

2. Innovation Paradox: Large corporations might find innovating within their existing operational frameworks challenging. The systems and processes that enable them to operate at scale can create barriers to exploring new ideas and approaches, leading to an innovation paradox where maintaining operational efficiency comes at the expense of adaptability and creative problem-solving.

3. Cultural Challenges: Scaling often leads to a more hierarchical and departmentalized organizational structure. This can dilute the entrepreneurial spirit and culture of collaboration that often drives effective solution development in smaller, more agile organizations. As a result, corporations might struggle to cultivate the internal dynamism needed for continuous innovation.

4. Overemphasis on Short-term Gains: A focus on scaling for efficiency frequently aligns with emphasizing short-term financial performance. This can divert attention and resources from investing in longer-term, potentially riskier initiatives that could drive sustainable growth and adaptability.

5. Market Disruption Vulnerability: Corporations optimized for efficiency are particularly vulnerable to disruption from more agile competitors who can introduce innovative solutions that better meet changing customer needs. These disruptors often prioritize effectiveness and customer value over operational efficiency, at least in their early stages.

6. Reversibility Challenge: As you’ve noted, the path to scaling for efficiency does not easily allow for a return to a more flexible, innovative posture without significant restructuring. Transforming a highly efficient operation into one that prioritizes adaptability and effectiveness requires a fundamental shift in corporate strategy, culture, and processes.

Addressing these challenges requires a balanced approach, as encapsulated in RoundMap’s principles of fostering business vitality, designing for impact, harmonizing strengths, and cultivating empowerment. Corporations must design systems and cultures that maintain operational efficiencies while enabling flexibility, encouraging innovation, and staying responsive to the evolving needs of customers and markets. 

This might involve adopting more fluid organizational structures, investing in continuous learning and development, and fostering a culture that values experimentation and accepts failure as part of the innovation process. By doing so, corporations can strive to navigate the complexities of scaling for efficiency without sacrificing their ability to create effective, adaptive solutions.

https://tinyurl.com/3nxe9h9v

Кризис — это время расставить все по своим местам

 

КОНСТАНТИН ЗИМИН

Пять тезисов о кризисе

Нам часто кажется, что кризис — это хаос; это время, когда всё, что разумный и рациональный человек построил, разваливается, всё, на что рассчитывал, — меняется самым неожиданным образом. Но это лишь на первый, поверхностный взгляд. Всё как раз наоборот: кризис — это инструмент созидания; это время переосмыслить, куда мы идем и что мы хотим делать, время проявления сути людей, время научиться «производить» доверие и заботится о своих сотрудниках. Это время расставить всё по своим местам. В этой заметке — пять тезисов о том, чем нам полезен кризис.

Кризис — время для трудных и «забытых» вопросов. Если вдуматься, то есть много важных вопросов, о которых в «благополучные» времена не вспоминается. Когда всё хорошо, они как-то не приходят в голову. Кризис — это призыв задуматься над «забытыми» вопросами.

1. Кризис — это время переосмыслить, куда мы идем и что мы хотим сделать

Что мы хотим сделать или построить? Зачем существует наша компания и что случится, если ее не будет? Для чего, для кого и даже, если хотите, во имя чего я и наша компания работаем? Ответы на эти вопросы не так просты. Приведу цитату из книги Александра Долгорукого «От замысла к действию»:

<…>, от первых лиц частных компаний можно услышать, что «главная цель их компании – получение прибыли». Приходится их огорчать, объясняя, что серьезный бизнес не может «написать на своем знамени» такую цель, если, конечно, не хочет проиграть в борьбе с конкурентами в долгосрочной перспективе. В такой «свежей» и модной формулировке цели российским предпринимателям видится некоторая деловая энергия, но, по сути, это ложная и иногда даже разрушительная установка.

Деньги не должны быть целью (если хотите — единственной целью) работы компании. Слишком часто неуклонный прогресс и рост доходов и прибыли компании представляются нам незыблемым законом мироздания. Как часто мы думаем, что мир неуклонно и непреодолимо движется в сторону все большей устроенности и благополучия, причем чем дальше, тем всё будет лучше и лучше… И нам кажется, что компания также неуклонно движется к новым рыночным высотам, к прибыли и процветанию.

Увы, это совсем не так, и постоянные кризисы хорошо это показывают. Стандарт взаимоотношений, называющийся развитым рынком, совсем не стремится к разумности и благополучию. Как правило, он совершенно не ценит то, что построил разумный и рациональный человек. Он оказывается холодным, жестким и циничным. В условиях рынка большая часть игроков выступает сама за себя и занята «продвижением» собственных интересов. Самосознание людей определяется экономическим успехом, соотношением «цена/выигрыш». Для таких людей ввели даже отдельное название: не «человек разумный», а «человек экономический» (homo economicus).

Это действительно то, во что мы вкладывали усилия и хотели построить? Для этого мы работали? Кризис обостряет вопрос о гуманитарных основаниях деятельности в негуманитарных сферах технологии и производства. Если вы не знаете ответов на эти вопросы, самое время начать их искать.

2. Кризис — это универсальный
проявитель людей и компаний

Каких друзей и партнеров мы приобрели, кто работает рядом с нами? Кризис — это время более яркого проявления всего – и зла, которое всегда есть в мире, но не всегда нас касается, и добра. В любые трудные моменты становится понятно, каков человек. Все его лучшие и худшие черты проявляются достаточно быстро и явно. Это же можно отнести и к компаниям: в кризисные моменты становится понятно, кто ваши партнеры и чего стоит их дружба и обещания. И этим надо воспользоваться, надо понять, с кем рядом мы работаем и с кем поддерживаем дружеские и партнерские отношения.

Стандарт взаимоотношений, называющийся развитым рынком, не стремится к разумности и благополучию, не ценит то, что построил разумный и рациональный человек. Он оказывается холодным, жестким и циничным.

Это важно не только для конкретного человека, но и для всей компании. Ведь сила компании не в заработанных деньгах, не в бренде и не в близости к «трубе». Хотя это всё важные факторы, сила компании в том, кто ее составляет – в людях. Генри Форд однажды образно обозначил это: «Отберите у меня все мои заводы, отберите фабрики и активы, но оставьте мою команду, и вы увидите, я очень скоро опять стану долларовым миллионером». А вот обменять заводы, фабрики, бренд и деньги на команду не получится. Купить сильных профессионалов, конечно, можно, но это еще не команда, да и лояльны к вам они будут только до тех пор, пока вы им платите.

3. Кризис — это время дефицита
не денег, а доверия

Не деньги двигатель экономики и не реклама. Двигатель экономики — такая совершено гуманитарная категория, как «доверие». Сredit (лат.) —  буквально означает «он верит». Не стоит говорить, какое значение кредитование имеет для современного бизнеса. Но это касается отнюдь не только банковского кредитования — в основе любой сделки в бизнесе лежит доверие. Процитирую немецкого социолога Фердинанда Тённиса:

Мы не знаем машиниста поезда, на котором едем, капитана и штурмана корабля, на котором плывем; в большинстве случаев мы не знаем врача, с которым не только консультируемся, но которому доверяем наши тело и жизнь при хирургическом вмешательстве; зачастую мы не знаем адвоката, которому поручаем вести наше дело, а тем более судью, который принимает решение в нашу или не в нашу пользу. Во всех этих случаях мы полагаемся на то, что человек, пользующийся нашим доверием, 1) может и 2) хочет нам помочь.

В нынешнем мире люди и компании становятся все более связаны между собой экономическими и партнерскими (или конкурирующими) связями. Эту же мысль проводит Мэтью Стюарт в книге «Миф о менеджменте»:

Мы неверно понимаем источники материальных благ. Мы думаем, что они имеют своей причиной технологию или профессиональный опыт. Но главный источник — это то, что мы называем доверием. Готовность людей довериться друг другу в экономических делах — вот самый важный источник богатства в современном обществе.

Кризисные времена всегда опасны тем, что порождают дефицит доверия. Все думают только о себе. Компании начинают уходить от обязательств и обещаний как перед своими партнерами, так и перед сотрудниками. Порою рушатся взаимоотношения друзей и даже семей.

«Все задолжали всем» — это сжатая формула не кризиса долгов, а кризиса доверия. Если удастся остановить падение доверия, восстановить его, то удастся остановить и кризис долгов. Этот сугубо гуманитарный фактор, по сути, определяет то, как экономика выйдет из кризиса.

Кризисные времена всегда опасны тем, что порождают дефицит доверия. «Все задолжали всем» – это сжатая формула не кризиса долгов, а кризиса доверия.

Отсюда и цель работы компании в кризисный (и я думаю, не только кризисный) период: производство доверия, восстановление его на всех уровнях — от взаимоотношений между топ-менеджерами и с ключевыми партнерами до рядовых сотрудников и самых незначительных клиентов. Самое время задаться вопросом: а мы «производим» доверие?

4. Кризис — это время увидеть личности

В кризисные времена многие компании меняют подход к управлению. Очень часто компании — прежде всего российские, но не только — переходят в режим ручного управления. Причина тому, как правило, психологического характера: попросту «страх» руководителей и владельцев за судьбу бизнеса. Плюс описанный выше кризис доверия. Однако, помимо этого, есть еще один фактор, который играет очень важную роль при переходе к ручному управлению. И в целом ряде ситуаций он оправдывает такой переход, невзирая на все сложности и «побочные эффекты».

Подход к управлению компанией, как цепочкой бизнес-процессов или формализованных активностей,  слишком анонимен и обезличен. Ключевое значение имеет «рабочее место», а не сам работник; человеческий фактор при таком подходе постепенно отходит на второй план, даже несмотря на то, что об этом так много говорят. Большинство сотрудников при таком подходе выступают не как личности и мастера своего дела, а как приложение к формальным процессам и регламентированным обязанностям.

Но такой сотрудник мало чем может помочь компании в кризисные времена. Он поставлен в рамки, ограничен и задавлен правилами и регламентами. Постоянно пребывая в опасении сделать что-то лишнее, ошибиться и сделать не так, этот сотрудник не столько работает, сколько ищет, как бы побыстрее сделать эту всю «тягомотину» (или передать кому-то) и уйти домой. В трудные времена такие сотрудники не могут «вытянуть» компанию, ведь они приучены быть «винтиками», а неспособны к свободной инициативной деятельности.  

В кризисные времена требуются не «винтики», а личности. Активная позиция, инициативность и личное желание – это неформализованные элементы компетенций, без которых компания не сможет преодолеть трудности и выйти на новый виток (по крайней мере, это весьма маловероятно). Александр Суворов во второй половине 18 века в своей «Науке побеждать» опирался на солдата. Сильная человеческая душа — это, по его мнению, главная действующая сила. На вопрос как он побеждает отвечал: «люби солдата, и он тебя любить будет — в этом вся тайна». Хотя в то время в моде была прусская палочная система, считавшая, что солдат — это «винтик» в механизме и главное, чтобы он, не думая точно выполнял полученные команды и указания. А Суворов превратил этого «винтика» в сильного духом воина. А над прусской палочной системой смеялся: «Русские прусских всегда бивали, что же тут перенять?»

В кризисные времена требуются не «винтики», а личности. Не формализованные процессы вытянут компанию из сложной ситуации, а «правильные» люди.

В каждой компании есть люди, которые в силу личностных качеств противостоят кризису. Они говорят: «Теперь начинается настоящая жизнь! Жизнь сложная, которая потребует новых решений, потребует пересмотреть наши проекты, возможно, сэкономить на чем-то, но где-то утроить усилия». Этих сотрудников надо вовремя увидеть, ибо именно они и выведут компанию. И таким сотрудникам надо дать возможность проявить свою инициативу. А значит, чем быстрее руководитель сменить свой формально-регламентный подход на личностный, чем быстрее за «рабочими местами» увидит личности людей, тем быстрее проснутся в компании ее скрытые резервы. 

Для адептов процессного управления выскажусь несколько мягче: необходимо соблюдать баланс формального и личностного управления. Но, думаю, понятно, что в кризисные времена должно быть на первом месте, а что – на втором. Не формализованные процессы вытянут компанию из сложной ситуации, а «правильные» люди.

5. Кризис — это время думать о сотрудниках
и об атмосфере в компании

В кризис надо заботиться не только об инициативных и сильных личностях, надо думать обо всех сотрудниках без исключения. В компании кризис доверия выражается, как правило, ухудшением положения сотрудников. Ужесточение требований, снижение зарплат и увольнения — это стандартная реакция руководителей российских компаний на кризисные времена. Доходит до того, что руководители не боятся нарушать законы и Трудовой кодекс. Против такого произвола сотрудники, как правило, оказываются бессильны, а руководители компании, совершенно не боясь угрызений совести, пользуются своей властью.

К чему это приводит? Сотрудники, естественно, переживают и волнуются — какая уж тут работа и лояльность к компании. Какой смысл в призывах помочь компании пережить трудные времена?

Нельзя «переехать» кризис за счет сотрудников. Руководители забывают, что «прижать» и даже уволить они могут нескольких, пусть даже заметную часть, сотрудников. Но при этом они лишатся доверия всех 100 % сотрудников (ну может быть 99%, за исключением личных друзей директора). У компании есть обязательства не перед какой-то частью своих сотрудников, а перед всеми без исключения. И доверие к компании основывается на том, что эти обязательства выполняются по отношению ко всем, а не только к избранным.

Если руководитель хочет сохранить доверие коллектива и в конце концов компанию, он должен думать обо всех сотрудниках. Именно поэтому в кризисные времена советуют сохранять персонал и культуру компании. Компания, в которой «убита» атмосфера доверия, обречена: возможно, не на коротком промежутке, но на дальнем горизонте у нее нет перспектив.

Нельзя «переехать» кризис за счет сотрудников. Доверие к компании основывается на том, что эти обязательства выполняются по отношению ко всем, а не только к избранным.

И закончить хочется цитатой для тех, кто готовится к очень плохим временам:

Тупик. Казалось бы, что может быть безнадежнее этого? Но именно заходя в тупик, человек-то и находит выход. Тупик страшен, но в тупике собираешь все силы свои, весь запас их, и почти нечеловеческой волей выходишь из тупика. Тупик — осознание своего бедственного положения. В тупике особенно должна быть сильна вера. Если веры нет, человек теряется и погибает… Тупик — это завершение неправильного начала, запутанности жизни… Выходя из тупика, человек принимает другое направление жизни, как бы воскресает из мертвых… Пожалуй, выход из тупика – это выход в вечность.

Дмитрий Дудко «Тупик». 

https://tinyurl.com/3jpx96fy