Process. Depending on past experiences, that one word can elicit very different reactions. Engineers and manufacturers believe process provides the foundation upon which a building, a product, or a company is built. Entrepreneurs often prefer to focus on moving fast, not wanting “process” to slow them down. But what happens when business growth starts to slow?
In service-oriented companies like professional services, marketing agencies, and even engineering consulting firms, internal business processes – that is, operations – often become an afterthought. While client needs should take priority – they are the ones paying after all – it should not be to the detriment of the company or its talent. Yet, this is typically the area that gets pushed down the list to make room for the latest business development meeting or urgent client call.
Most small and mid-size businesses want to grow. They want to help more clients. They want to innovate. If the focus is on creating efficiency by adding process, won’t that stunt innovation? Force the team to work more “mechanically” versus “creatively”?
Not exactly.
Whether you find comfort in process or try to avoid it at all costs, there comes at least one time – often many – in the life of a growing business that implementing or refining business processes becomes necessary.
Here are three key times when establishing processes can enable business growth.
1 – You have more work than you know what to do with.
This is the problem every business hopes to have – right? However, how you handle this expected or unexpected influx of work can make or break your company.
Your first instinct might be to go on a hiring binge. While you very well may need to supplement your existing team, you also need to be strategic about those hires. Or, be prepared to let your workforce rise and fall based on your business's ebbs and flows.
Alternately you may fall back on asking your current team to work longer hours or do more with less. This is also not sustainable, as it will eventually lead to burn-out, affecting both your team and your clients who may receive sub-par work.
What if you could create efficiencies for your current talent, while also focusing on adding “the right” new members to the team? Process can help you do exactly that. You already know your team isn’t afraid of hard work. However, they are more aware of and averse to situations that result in burnout and have an increased desire for balance. Even with the apparent slowing of “the great resignation,” the 2022 Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org shows that 43% of women leaders are burned out, as compared to 31% of men at their level. While this report focuses on women specifically, neither of these “burnout” numbers is desirable.
Create processes that streamline your team’s efforts and help them to achieve the desired result faster or in a less-taxing way. Not only will you be poised to support continued business growth, but your talent will also be excited about this growth, not worried about how they’ll manage it.
2 – You have a mostly flat organization with many people doing similar tasks.
This often happens when you have a small company that has organically and consistently doubled or tripled its size. Originally, there was a need for senior, more experienced folks to play a variety of roles. That model makes a lot of sense for smaller companies. Unfortunately, what that can create is multiple teams with members at similar levels who perform similar tasks albeit sometimes for different clients.
Maybe this is ok, or even purposeful, because your company has different divisions or some employees have distinct skill sets. That said, it’s worth challenging that assumption to make sure that the original intent still serves the current situation. Often these cases may need both process and business structure or hierarchy definition. Defining clear roles and responsibilities is key. Just as important is determining how these new roles and teams will work together. After that, the focus should be clear communication to the company at large, supporting employees through the transition, and sticking to the implementation plan even if things get a little rocky with a few clients.
Change can be hard and may not immediately create the intended efficiencies, but before they know it, your team will be in a groove and feeling empowered to deliver top-notch service to your current – and future – clients.
3 – You’ve acquired a company and need to integrate.
As the acquiring organization, you’re likely the larger party from both a people perspective and a revenue standpoint. So, you may have a tendency to force-fit these new people and their clients into your existing model and processes.
Don’t fall into this trap. On the surface, it may seem like the easier route, and maybe this is true. But likely, it is not. Instead, look at this as an opportunity to evaluate how well your processes are working and how well your acquisition’s processes are working.
Why make this effort? It’s simple. Your company size and client base are not the same as they were a month or even a week ago. Whether or not you incorporate some of your acquisition’s processes, it’s likely that you will need to update yours to continue to operate efficiently. Then, you can switch your attention back to the company’s growth. Plus, you get the added benefit of using this exercise to bring your teams together and create a cohesive company.
Process – when designed and implemented correctly – can create the ability for your company to focus on sustained growth into the future.
Spot on. People and businesses thrive when implementing repeatable and scalable processes. But strategically identifying, outlining and staying committed to these processes are very difficult. That's why we need consultants like you!