R-r-rev Up the RPM’s of Your Organization: Part 4

Part 4: Everyone Sustains an RPM Climate of Interaction for customer-focused success.

In parts 1 through 3 you were introduced to key components of the Organizational Unity of Effort frameworks. Part 1 discussed how the entire organization can know where to concentrate its efforts. Part 2 explained that an organizational vision statement is essential for unifying everyone in the same direction, toward the customer. Part 3 showed that Consistent Positive Direction can assure forward movement and forward improvement.

Part 4 discusses sustainability for everyone to function for the customer. Over the years, I have been associated with a number of great organizations and I have had many experiences in business and industry and in life. I learned what it takes to sustain a marriage, as well as to build and sustain a business. I learned a lot about being the best and wishing that I was the best. I also learned that, just when you think you ‘passed the test’, you will be tested again and again. I learned that on any given day a person will have differences and agreements about someone or something. Sometimes, just when you think you have things all figured out, they change.

One of the most rewarding experiences that I have had with Unity of Effort and Consistent Positive Direction is the realization that “We can do something about things!” and “We can make things work!” The next level then, is sustainability. How do we make it last? The answer; put a Climate of Interaction into place that makes it easier for everyone to function for the customer. Here are ten factors to include in that Climate. They are called the CI Factors.

They include:
o Communication and Information – Talking to each other; sharing knowledge
o Creativity and Innovation – Allowing new/old ideas to build toward the required reality
o Consistency and Inclusiveness – Reliable, uniform daily effort and everyone’s perception that he/she is a valuable participant in the organization’s function and success
o Collaborative Involvement – Participating by combining work and ideas; everyone partnering for success, including collaboration with customers
o Continuous Improvement – Building on the progress that has already occurred; being as good as we are and better than we were
o Cooperative Interdependence – Managing, understanding and coordinating the dependence and the impact of our actions on one another and being open to listen and learn and to share similarities and differences, to sustain success
o Cultural Infusion – Establishing key interactions, relationships and processes as organizational standards, policies, procedures and/or practices
o Cost Inducement – Streamlining efforts, and resources to concentrate most efficiently and effectively on supporting frontline performance and delivery, in ways that financial stability and growth increasingly and inherently contribute to relationships, performance and morale working together in the direction of the customer
o Customer Inclusion – Gaining a clear understanding of your customer’s experience with the services and/or products you deliver
o Capacity Increase – In addition to learning the skills and approaches, use the skills and approaches. That increases your capacity to accelerate forward movement and forward improvement. Growth creates more growth; possibilities create more possibilities.

Before I realized that it took all ten factors that are listed here for an organization to sustain a Climate of Interaction for success, I thought that Cultural Infusion was all that was needed. However, when the other factors exist in an organization, the chances of successful sustainability are increased.

The combination of Positioning in a Consistent Positive Direction and Sustaining a Climate of Interaction for Success takes us to the next level called Unity of Effort II: Empowered Learning Communities. This extension of Unity of Effort expands the mastery and capacity of an organization to practice minute-to-minute customer-focused excellence and direction. Leaders become adept at enabling customer-focused climates of interaction that help the CI Factors grow and thrive. Leaders learn and use organizational skills and approaches of Consistent Positive Direction that accelerate progress for forward movement. Leadership teams can increasingly enable a climate of trust in an environment of differences. Attitudinizing is a team effort as well as an individual effort. The workforce becomes increasingly self-directed in sustaining customer-focused climates of interaction that empower success.

With the RPM frameworks, organizations become focused and flexible. The entire organization concentrates on its frontline’s performance and delivery so that the customer will have the very best experience. The customer will always be the reason why. The skills and approaches of the RPM frameworks also provide the flexibility needed for day-to-day, minute-to-minute functioning of the organization as well as implementing and executing strategic plans. Sometimes you may have to put more of the day’s energy into either one of relationships, performance or morale. As highly effective performers in the workplace, you will instinctively know where to put your energy. In a highly effective organization, all three work together using the Unity of Effort and Unity of Effort II frameworks – keeping your RPM CUPS full.

Keep your organization in high gear by r-r-revving up your RPM’s for Customer/Client/Student Success.

Copyright J. Bert Freeman 2007. All rights reserved.

talkassociates@UnityofEffort.com
302-292-8633
www.positivedirection.net

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