The Final Answer to Operations/Sales Issues

The heart of the matter really becomes apparent with the consultant conducting non-manager employee interviews. The focus here needs to be with the field sales representatives, & Customer service people, as well as representatives from Operations & Finance. The emphasis is on what helps & hinders them getting their job done.

In a motivated workforce, much will come out here. It is not simply a gripe session, but neither should the feedback be discouraged. The more passionately they respond, the more they want their challenges understood, the more likely they will be able to ultimately see how their counterparts in other areas of the organization are frustrated. Guided in a positive way, which is done best by a neutral & fair third party, empathy is created, as is the importance of being a team.

The consultant next gathers the data, and "scrubs" it only to create anonymity. Otherwise it should not be touched, and allow for the importance and passion to come through.

These findings are then presented to the President and his/her management team that were first assembled. This is the time for real understanding and acceptance of the situation, even if it's fraught with negativity. There should be discussion, debate, and final consensus. Led by the President, the managers need to accept the challenge of bringing the organization together.

Then, facilitated by & with the consultant at first, & later by the managers, individuals are brought together to listen, and hear, what their counterparts have felt and said. From this frank exchange will come a list of "To Do's" for each of the 2 person teams. It might be spending a half-day with the other to witness what each person's job is like. it might be reviewing together certain past jobs that were particularly troublesome, and coming to a joint conclusion as to what could have been done differently.

Finally, each 2 person team will eventually report back to the President & Management team with its findings and recommendation for changes. The solutions become real, personal, and meaningful in this manner.

As time goes by, and with a competent consultant, you should find that your folks will do more and more of this on their own, and without the consultant and management. They will create via the process, the culture you've been looking for.