We often wonder why some businesses are so much better than others, even though they sell similar products and services. Why is this the case?
The study of businesses indicates that rather than simply being a little better than their competitors, the top firms are often three or four times more successful.
Research into the reasons for success concluded that such levels of superior performance were not an accident.
There are thirteen factors that characterise the highly successful organisation:
- A strong sense of identity felt throughout the organisation.
- An openness to change.
- Authority diffused broadly throughout the organisation.
- Ideas evaluated more on their merit than on their origin.
- A strong sense of support of the employees for the organisation, the organisation for its employees, and of the employees for each other.
- Flexible organisation structure.
- Orientation to achieve, more than to procedures or to ritual.
- Open communications throughout the organisation: up, down and across.
- Commonly held understanding of organisation’s objectives and values.
- Emphasis on a program for the development of people.
- Meetings devoted more to problem solving rather than win-lose propositions/decisions.
- Broad content in individual jobs.
- High performance standards.
On a scale of 1 to 10 rate your business on how good you are NOW in addressing each factor. Be realistic. Then rate WHERE it should be, and highlight the area with the biggest gap.
Develop strategies and actions to lift your performance in the areas with the biggest gap.
While not all these factors are practical for all organisations at any given time, they are definitely worthwhile objectives to be striving for. Success is not an accident.