Tough measures or how to make adjustments to the work of the company
In response to this statement, one can object that the company is the people working in it, which means that changes should affect not only the top management, but also the rest of the links in this chain, tightly attached to the anchor going to the bottom.
The first step towards change begins with the very awareness of the problem and the need to break the habitual way of life or, as it is now fashionable to say, “get out of the comfort zone.” Often such a need arises against the background of an existing and theoretically working business plan, which, alas, does not bring the desired result. Such a production paradox is associated primarily with the structure of the organization of work, which is formed between the work cells that make up the final product.
Work in young companies
In young companies that are just trying their hand at a particular industry, a more flexible system for responding to requests, which means they are ready for changes that may be required in the process of work. Over time, each “link” develops for itself the simplest mechanism of action and all work proceeds “on the thumb”, bypassing production difficulties and practicing skills in one direction or another, forming a template for solving the problem. Further, this pattern of action spreads to adjacent work areas and eventually ossifies, forming an indestructible skeleton. The flexibility of the company’s employees is reduced, because why reinvent the wheel if there is a proven and trouble-free (albeit irrelevant) scheme, acting on which you can get the result (even if it is of dubious quality).
As you know, as soon as development in the chosen direction stops, regression is observed, which means that the company loses its ability to compete in the service market and gradually loses its position.
In this case, a completely new strategy of action is needed that will take the company to a new level and not let it lose its former influence, and at best will allow it to make a new round and take a higher position. However, new trends are often met with logical objections in the manner of “this strategy led us to what we have” or “why change something, we have always worked like this”, while parrying such statements is often not easy, but do not forget that if everything went smoothly, there would be no need for change.
Usually, at this stage, it is impossible to solve the problem by injecting “new blood” into the team, because even the most ambitious undertakings and non-standard approaches break down on the usual and well-established mechanism for doing business, and the team itself acts on the principle of a bucket of crabs, preventing initiative employees from leaving the usual , but limited, the range of activities and gain new experience that can lead to an increase in the rating indicators of the company.
This often applies to leaders as well. Such general resistance of the team, which is faced by a successful and highly productive manager, cannot but affect the general atmosphere in the working environment, and also contributes to negative sentiment, which further reduces the productivity and quality of the final product.
It seems that there is no way out, the vicious circle is closed, because neither the introduction of new employees, nor the change of leadership by themselves can change the established way of life, which invariably entails a steady downward trend in the company’s position. That is why this chain must be broken, and severely broken, not allowing half-measures, although the reinforced concrete mechanism of work, acquired over the years, can work in a plus, forcing the new strategy to move by inertia towards progress.
What is the mechanism of action aimed at correcting the movement of the company?
Despite the many individual nuances of work in each individual team, the main stages of interaction can be distinguished.
Be prepared for resistance.
Nobody likes changes, because it requires not only efforts, but also changes in the usual environment of professional activity, which means the search for new options for solving the tasks and moving in a different direction and sometimes even in a different direction. In this case, “forewarned” is a synonym for “armed”.
Put the question straight.
Form an action strategy and present it to all employees, showing a position from the point of view of which the work will take place either in the named key or not in this company. An offer to those who disagree to leave their workplace will be appropriate and will show a decisive attitude towards cardinal changes in work.
Stay on course.
Rarely does everything go smoothly, and even more so quickly. It is impossible to indicate the time period in which changes in the company will most likely occur, which means that you should be patient and in no case deviate from the intended path, despite the fact that difficulties will certainly arise. They will have to resist for a long time – from several months to a couple of years, and a small indulgence or a change in the route can lead to the destruction of everything acquired, so there is no room for error.