Imagine being on a sailing ship in a storm. Or underwater and one of your scuba divers has a serious problem. Alternatively: Your department or even the whole company threatens to fall into economic slump. And now ask yourself:
What is more important? The processes of reporting or the processes that keep customers satisfied and money flowing into the register?
These questions may seem terse, but they are not. Most organizations are cluttered and overloaded. Dozens of processes, clearance routines and an exploding set of rules need to be considered. When the fear of the crisis is added, many are clinging to these presumed security founders. The fear of making a mistake and then being terminated, forces the employees not infrequently in the shock.
Crisis situations are moments of scarcity. It’s about everything, about survival. In most cases, the situation is confusing and time, the time to act and react, remains limited. Also, there is often a lack of resources. It is important to make clear decisions. In the crisis, this requires the ability to recognize what really matters. If we look at sales & distribution, you realize very quickly that it depends on a few, lubricated central processes of sales and distribution.
Do you have time in the crisis to concentrate on the nonessential? Which key processes will provide you with satisfied customers and prompt receipt of money?
Crisis situations are moments of concerns and anxiety. When it comes down to the business and the bones, we feel stress and fears can overpower us. Many of us will never or rarely have experienced such a situation, we lack the experience of having survived the situation. Not surprising, the question is raised, which processes out of the large number of processes must be classified as key.
Here I have a clear opinion. It’s about making the customer happy quickly and satisfying his needs. It is important to offer the customer a benefit that is measurable and, best case!, higher than the products of the competition can offer. Furthermore, at provider´s site there must be a benefit too.
Processes that generate a high level of benefit for us and for the customer are in focus and key. We must concentrate on these processes of mutual benefit.
In the crisis, double binds are to be avoided and the decision as to whether support processes or benefit-making processes are more important is a clear predicament. And we cannot use these in the crisis, we must get rid of such time-consuming benefit-killing questions, because it is here to tackle bravely.
Therefore, for me, in the crisis, primacy is to be given to those processes where there is a mutual benefit generated, a benefit for the customers and the provider.
I look forward to your contributions and the discussion with you.
