In our everyday lives, we usually perceive the notion of
change as something good and beneficial. The Obama campaign in 2008
epitomizes the example that Change is positive, and something to believe in.
For many, that feels slightly different as impending change
comes closer in time and to oneself. Examples of such differences can be
observed in established reactions like "Not Invented Here", "this
is how it's always been done", "it was better in the olden
days", and similar expressions.
The irony is of course that nothing is constant, but most
change occurs slowly enough for us to notice it mainly when looking back and
comparing facts. We’re like the proverbial frog in the pot who doesn’t
jump out of the water when it’s starting to heat up.
In our personal lives, this may be a funny observation and
triviality – but when it comes to business, it becomes a bit more
serious. We cannot allow ourselves to be the frog, we need to embrace
change and act proactively to improve the way we work, the way we review
results and our value
and offer to our Customers.
One of the most important things we can do in our respective
roles is to facilitate and support change and innovation in our organizations –
from the attitude and atmosphere amongst our colleagues to the framework
through which we drive our business.
Why, you ask? Because our competition does, and even
if a slight difference right now could be somehow affordable (though I’m fairly
certain your boss, and board, view it differently), catching up with 100
experience-based improvements your main competition has made, isn’t
accomplished instantly. Worse, even with unlimited budgets, it isn’t
something which can be remedied by throwing resources and money at the problem
– it’s a process which takes time, effort and engagement.
We see the LED light, the Tesla car, the iPad .. – but our
human nature loses focus on the long road of experimentation, burned out and
discarded filaments, generations of preceding models, thousands of iterations
which are required to progress – rather than a single burst of effort and
brilliance.
At Enfo,
we’re constantly looking to improve our offering, our value proposition to our
Customers, and the way we work internally to deliver services – it’s part of
our culture. We also offer our Customers to try out a similar approach in
their own business, to pick off some of the low-hanging fruit in terms of both
their ‘way of work’(ing) as well as business-specific improvements. We
have some great examples of how this can play out for Customers like Nordic Choice Hotels
(the hotel chain owned by tycoon & mogul Petter Stordalen you know) and ESAB
(world leading welding company) if you’d like to read more – but if you have a
moment to spare, an even better option is to get in touch with us at Enfo
Process Innovation and let us give you a breakdown of the highlights, and
point out a few possible areas for improvement and change in your
business. We’d be happy to come over for a short meeting, lunch or –
treat you to an ice-cream break!
