Als u zoveel uren in de week met elkaar optrekt en samen belangrijke beslissingen moet nemen, dan komt het weleens voor dat er een conflict tussen collega’s ontstaat. Dat er ergernis kan ontstaan tussen twee collega’s die nauw met elkaar samenwerken is niet vreemd. Dat is zelfs heel normaal. Het is echter de vraag hoe u met het conflict omgaat, om de gevolgen van het conflict op de werkvloer te beperken. En, wat als geen conflict meer is, maar het twee directe collega’s betreft die elkaar totaal niet liggen, of misschien zelfs wel haten. Hoe gaat u daar slim mee om? Enkele tips op een rij.

Een positief conflict op de werkvloer

Een conflict op de werkvloer is niet per definitie negatief. Integendeel zelfs, een goed conflict kan leiden tot een beter eindresultaat, omdat het zorgt voor discussie. En discussies zorgen vaak voor verbetering en vernieuwing. De kunst is echter wel om deze discussie op de werkvloer professioneel en zakelijk te houden; oftewel in het belang van de zaak.

Wanneer een discussie uitloopt in het uitdelen van persoonlijke sneren, dan is een conflict op de werkvloer allesbehalve positief te nemen. Blijft een discussie strikt zakelijk, dus met de focus op de zakelijke situatie waar het conflict over is ontstaan, dan kan het resulteren in een beter eindresultaat, verbetering en innovatie. Zoals een betere productlancering, betere verdeling van resources, vernieuwde overlegstructuur of misschien een betere deal met de klant.

TIP: Zorg voor een goede mentor

Een negatief conflict op de werkvloer

Deze collega’s kunnen wel een mediator gebruiken. Bron: Unsplash

Blijft het conflict op de werkvloer langer aanhouden en wordt het gekibbel alsmaar persoonlijker? Dan kunnen er vergaande gevolgen ontstaan. Niet alleen andere collega’s lijden onder de gespannen sfeer op de werkvloer, maar ook het bedrijfsresultaat heeft vaak te lijden onder langdurige conflicten en spanningen op de werkvloer. Het advies is dan om een mediator in te schakelen die tussen beide partijen bemiddelt. Deze mediator kan een interne collega zijn, wat vaak alleen mogelijk is binnen grote bedrijven, of een externe partij. Een mediator van buitenaf werkt vaak beter, omdat deze persoon niet persoonlijk betrokken is bij de situatie, beide personen niet kent en objectief vanaf gepaste afstand over de situatie kan oordelen.

Mediator nodig? Grouve Management adviseert u graag, met persoonlijk advies op maat! Neem vrijblijvend contact op voor meer informatie

Een mediator dient als bemiddelaar om het conflict op een zo’n goed mogelijke manier op te lossen en de gespannen werkrelatie tussen de twee collega’s opnieuw te verbeteren. Een belangrijke voorwaarde voor het inschakelen van een mediator en het succes van de bemiddeling van de mediator, is dat de betrokken collega’s bereid moeten zijn om te worden bemiddeld. Oftewel, ze moeten er zelf ook achter staan en gemotiveerd zijn om het conflict en de verstoorde werkrelatie op te lossen.

Wat als twee collega’s elkaar haten?

Verstoorde relatie op de werkvloer. Bron: Freepik

Een conflict op de werkvloer betreft altijd een situatie. Dat is tijdelijk. Als de situatie is opgelost, dan is het conflict in veel gevallen meteen weer over. Maar wat nu als twee personen op de werkvloer elkaar niet kunnen luchten of zien? Natuurlijk kunnen nooit alle collega’s op de werkvloer vrienden met elkaar zijn. Zeker binnen grote bedrijven is het begrijpelijk dat niet alle collega’s net zo goed met elkaar door een deur kunnen. Werken de collega’s op verschillende afdelingen en zien ze elkaar minimaal? Dan is er vaak niets aan de hand en heeft dit geen grote gevolgen voor de sfeer op de werkvloer en het bedrijfsresultaat. Zijn het echter twee collega’s die nauw met elkaar samenwerken en ook nog op een hoog niveau, zoals in het management of de directie? Dan zijn de gevolgen van deze verstoorde relatie vaak veel groter en complexer. Wat nu?

1. Voorkom conflicten op de werkvloer

Een voor de hand liggende tip, maar toch een hele belangrijke. Door conflicten op de werkvloer te voorkomen, is ook de kans op een verstoorde relatie tussen collega’s aanzienlijk minder groot. Maar, hoe voorkom je conflicten op de werkvloer? Door een open bedrijfscultuur te creëren. Oftewel, een transparante werkomgeving waarin open wordt gecommuniceerd en gediscussieerd. Waarin medewerkers de ruimte krijgen om hun mening te geven en in gesprek te gaan, met elkaar, met het management en met de directie. Een open bedrijfscultuur voorkomt opgekropte frustraties die kunnen uitmonden in een conflict.

2. Erken het conflict op de werkvloer

Is er ondanks de open bedrijfscultuur toch een conflict ontstaan tussen twee directe collega’s? Schuif dit dan niet onder stoelen of banken, maar erken het conflict. “Ach, dat waait wel weer over”, denken veel mensen, die daarmee het conflict en de gevolgen van het conflict vermijden. Dit werkt echter averechts, omdat het conflict nu gaat sluimeren. Het gevolg is dat het conflict groter wordt en de kans is groot dat er meer mensen bij betrokken worden, met roddel en achterklap als gevolg. Vervolgens heeft het conflict op de werkvloer weerslag op de bedrijfscultuur die steeds angstiger wordt. Kortom, door het conflict niet te erkennen, wordt het alsmaar groter. Dus maak het conflict zichtbaar en erken het.

3. Onderzoek het conflict: ga in gesprek

Om een conflict tussen twee directe collega’s op te lossen, zul je eerst een goed beeld moeten hebben van het conflict dat gaande is. Ga in gesprek met de collega’s die een conflict met elkaar hebben. Los van elkaar, om zodoende je eigen mening op te maken over het conflict dat op de werkvloer gaande is.

4. Los het samen op: maak er iets positiefs van!

Hoe krijg je twee collega’s die elkaar niet mogen weer door dezelfde deur? Door er een gezamenlijke win-winsituatie van te maken. Zorg voor een gezamenlijke overeenstemming, waar beide partijen zich prettig bij voelen. Wees wel realistisch in de verwachtingen. De twee collega’s die elkaar tot gisteren niet konden uitstaan, zullen vandaag waarschijnlijk niet samen huppelend door de gang lopen.

Eerste hulp bij conflicthantering

Is er een gespannen sfeer op de werkvloer? Of is er misschien zelfs al een angstcultuur ontstaan? Of wilt u graag tips om conflicten te voorkomen? Wij adviseren u graag, met persoonlijk advies op maat!

Become a business leader by thinking like an Olympian

It is always exciting to watch the Olympics or a world championship. You see the best athletes in the world competing against each other. Powerful men and women who are the absolute best of the best in their sports, going head to head. The international marketplace is also an intense competition between talent, companies and ideas. If you want to reach for gold in business, there is a lot you can learn from these impressive athletes.

Dare to fail but don’t give up

You don’t start out by winning and being number one. No athlete ever reached the top without failures along the way. Sports are full of athletes who stumbled, had injuries and lost a major competition only to come back stronger. And who doesn’t love a great comeback?

Andre Agassi. Source: Flickr

Take Andre Agassi, the legendary tennis player. At one point, he was number one in the world. But due to personal turmoil, he tumbled down the world ranking list to a mere number 141. Others might have given up, but not Agassi. He dealt with his issues and didn’t stop there. He made a huge comeback, his game was better than ever, and he went on to become the first guy to win all four grand slams plus an Olympic gold medal.

Many of the greatest entrepreneurs have seen their first businesses fail, only to come back stronger. In the end, it is not about failing, but about learning to get up again and improving yourself. As Andre Agassi said:

If you don’t practice you don’t deserve to win.

Focus on your strengths

Focus! Source: Pixabay

Olympians are not Olympians in ten kinds of sport. No, they are really good in one thing. A world-class skier might be a worse swimmer than you are. And even within their respective sports, athletes specialize. For example, as a short distance runner or a long distance runner, a quarterback or a defender. What they have in common, is the focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses. Don’t try to be ok in everything. Focus instead on finding your strengths, absolutely excel in those and beat out your competition.

Communicate your strategy

Communicating strategy. Source: Pixabay

If a soccer team doesn’t have a strategy, they will lose. This goes for any team sport. But, only a great strategy is not enough to win. As a team coach and captain, you need to communicate the strategy to every member of your team. Make sure they understand it and support it. The best coaches in the world mold a set of individuals into a well-oiled machine, around one unified goal and strategy. As a manager, you make sure your team knows, understands and internalizes your company’s mission and your strategy. Make sure everybody stays the course and knows what you are working towards. Remember that a great plan is only as good as its execution.

Go to where the puck is – not where it has been

Wayne Gretzky. Source: AZ Quotes

This is a famous line from Wayne Gretzky, the legendary hockey player. It is also a popular business quote. It tells you to look to the future and not stay stuck doing what you are doing since this will make you fall behind. Of course, there is a logical truth to that. Yet, we want to focus on another aspect of this quote which is often overlooked.

TIP: Don’t let negativity kill your business! 5 simple ways to stay positive

The quote is not actually from Wayne Gretzky but from his dad. He was his son’s greatest coach. Our family and friends should be our greatest coaches. If a friend keeps putting you down with negativity, you should think twice about this friendship. At any competition you see people cheering their favorites on. A Tour de France cyclist tired from the grueling races, climbing a mountain, needs the audience to keep going and push him onwards and upwards. If you want to make it as a leader, you need people around you who are encouraging you along the way.

Be the captain your team wants to follow

When a game is not going well, the team will look to its captain. If they see their captain sulking, walking with his head down, it will bring down the spirit of the entire team. The same goes for taking shortcuts to win. Look at Lance Armstrong and the doping scandal. As a captain, he set the worst example and even encouraged team members to take doping. In the end, the truth came out, and it was his team who testified against him. He lost everything.

Whether you are a CEO or a middle manager, you need to set an example for your team to want to live up to. Winning is great, but do it fair and square. If you start cheating or bending the rules, your team will do the same. Therefore, trust in your leadership capacities. Build on these. Exude confidence and optimism, and you will inspire the whole team. Don’t take shortcuts but play fair and play hard. Show great leadership and your team will follow.

TIP: How to maximize the middle years and not be middling as a CEO?

Achieve maximum performance with passion

Michael Phelps, the famous swimmer and most decorated Olympian of all time, said: “I found something I love… And never gave up.” This feeling of passion and love drove him to his Herculean achievements. He didn’t do it for his family, friends or even coaches. No, he did it because he loved the sport. The same goes for truly successful CEOs. They are where they are because they have a genuine passion for what they are doing. You need this passion to reach the peak. Yet, being passionate doesn’t mean there isn’t some amount of pain and sacrifice involved. Which is why you must have self-discipline.

Self-discipline is the key strength for enduring success

In the end, all the above means nothing without self-discipline. The greatest sportsmen and -women became great through iron self-discipline. If you want to be the best, you need to go further than the rest. Athletes train for hours to perfect that one move that might give them a 0.01-second advantage. This takes a lot of grit, frustration and patience. It is not only physical endurance but tough mental self-discipline.

As Stephen Covey, the writer of the renowned ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, stated, you need to sometimes forego short-term happiness for long-term happiness. So get up early when you feel tired, but bring in that great deal for your company and get the promotion. A great way to practice self-discipline is to go exercising. In sports as in business, you set goals. You have to train and work hard and focus to achieve these objectives.

Do you want to maximize your performance and go for gold in your business and as a leader? Then get in touch in with us.

Why and how to introduce Agile successfully in your company?

Agile is no longer confined to just the IT companies or departments but is now spreading its wings. It opens up opportunities and possibilities for companies across the board, since agile is excellent for innovation. Innovation, change, and your customer are at the center of the agile method. In a customer-centric world where changes come rapidly, and the competition is getting increasingly dynamic and innovative, agile might be your solution. Companies that embrace Agile see a direct effect on their numbers and innovate faster than those who don’t. Just take a look at these numbers:

• 10% increase in productivity
• 13% decrease in workforce costs
• 40% increase in customer inquiries
• 50% increase in new-product introductions

These are not just estimates, but real results that real companies and departments achieved.

The opportunities that agile can bring to your business are significant. Start making the switch to agile and reap the rewards. But, make sure you do it right.

However, for agile to be a success, you need to know you’re doing when you’re introducing it. So before you start looking for a scrum master, first discover how to launch agile in your organization.

What is Agile?

Agile started as a management method very suitable for software development. However, in today’s increasingly digital world, the usefulness of agile is quickly being discovered outside it’s old IT confines. But what exactly is agile?

Agile is a term that’s used increasingly within management, while many don’t correctly understand what agile is and does. Find out its true meaning.

Agile Manifesto: Born in 2001, Snowbird.

Agile Manifesto. Source: Study.com

It all started in 2001 in a small town called Snowbird in the mountains of Utah. Seventeen software developers met who were no longer content with the then dominant waterfall method. Its detailed plans and outlines upfront limited their ability to respond to change. The software sector was moving faster and faster with rapid switches in customer needs. With the existing waterfall method, the software was already outdated and not in line with customer needs once it hit the shelves. Developers required a new approach that would solve these problems.

After a few days full of talks and skiing, the so-called Agile Alliance came up with the Agile ‘Software Development’ Manifesto. Today it’s still the main Agile framework. It consists of 4 fundamental values.

Agile means, according to the Oxford dictionary, ‘able to move or think quickly and easily.’ In the basis, the agile method is about being able to adapt swiftly to change.  

The 4 core values of agile

Source: Quickscum

Agile rests on 4 values. We describe them here briefly to give you a clear idea of what agile entails and aims to do:

1. People and interactions over processes and tools

You organize projects around motivated employees who get the support they need, and whom you trust to deliver the goods. Teams work together in an enjoyable and fun way to solve problems. Managers are there to clear obstacles that inhibit smooth collaboration. Face to face communication is preferred.

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation

Before, projects could be bogged down in lots of documentation like technical specifications, test plans and so on. Agile does not eliminate documentation but streamlines it and explicitly connects it to customer value. Any work in agile is always rated based on its contribution to customer value.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Instead of focusing on iron-clad contracts, pre-development requirements and protracted talks before the project even starts, agile emphasizes the development process itself. During development, the team actively collaborates with the customer. They use an iterative process and experiment with small parts of the product. The customer is directly involved. If the end-user is unhappy with the iteration, the team fixes it or discards it and moves on. This way, the end-result truly meets the changing wishes of the customer.

4. Responding to change over strictly following a plan

Change used to be a thing to be avoided during a project. It was an annoyance that killed project plans and derailed deadlines. Instead, agile embraces change. Change is an opportunity to improve the product. Because agile works with small iterations, it responds flexibly and quickly to ever-evolving requirements. Properties can be adjusted and new features added to a next iteration. The agile team does have a plan, but this is limited to the tasks that won’t change until they get to them.

As you can see, agile is an excellent method for organizations who need to have a flexible response to change and want to keep on improving their products and innovating.

Furthermore, it offers other proven benefits such as:

• Increasing team productivity
• Increasing employee satisfaction
• Reducing time in meetings and on planning
• Reducing excessive documentation and bureaucracy
• Eliminating unpopular and low value product features rapidly
• Managers don’t have to micromanage and can focus on strategy and vision
• Improves customer engagement by actively involving them in the product development
• Increases customer satisfaction since your customer is a part of the development process

Now that you’ve got a clearer picture of agile and its benefits, let’s discover how you can introduce agile in your company.

Define your business needs before introducing agile

Before you jump on the agile bandwagon, let’s first identify your business objectives and see if agile matches with these.

You need to discover if your company can indeed profit from the agile principles. Ask yourself the question: Why should we change and what do we gain from it?

To help you answer this question, many times it’s helpful to hire an experienced agile consultant. The right consultant brings in-depth knowledge of agile so you can make a well-informed decision. Together with the consultant, you can clarify where and what your market advantage would be by introducing agile. However, don’t only look at the market advantage, since agile also improves the internal dynamics of many organizations.  

An excellent way to start introducing agile is to identify a limited number of business processes you’d like to improve that can make a real impact on your company.

TIP: Your business needs to be able to drive its strategy

Learn agile and how it works

We already have given a brief description of agile and its core values. However, there are more layers and complexities to it.

Spend time on really learning agile, since the introduction of agile in too many organizations failed due to a limited understanding of it by management.

A limited understanding of agile often results in a mix of the old management methods and the flexible, agile approach. As a consequence, agile teams will grow frustrated and are unable to truly function and deliver the hoped-for results. You can avoid this.

Agile requires a change in mindset

Source: Pixabay

Understand that agile is more than just a change in practices, it’s also a change in mindset and ways of thinking. So make sure senior management understands what agile is and why you’re introducing it to your organization. Set up orientations session with senior management and other influencers within departments across your business.

Even if they don’t immediately start working with agile, you want them to comprehend what it is and support it fundamentally. Furthermore, they’ll probably have to collaborate with the future agile teams. To make this go as smooth as possible, it helps when they have a good understanding of agile. You want to get them onboard and ideally become agile champions themselves.

TIP: Go big or go home: 6 steps to scale Agile up in your company

Decide where agile works and where it doesn’t

Agile is perfect for a dynamic environment where you need to respond rapidly to changes and where you can interact with your customer. Nowadays, companies are making a switch across the board to a customer-centric approach in their business units. As such, agile is increasingly applicable to functions like marketing, supply-chain management, product development and human resources. Be aware though, that agile is not always the perfect match for more routine operations such as maintenance or accounting.

But, besides checking if the environment is dynamic or more routine, you also want to take the possible payoffs into account. Introducing agile takes an initial investment in training, new software and time in accommodating the cultural shift. That’s why you want to make sure to introduce agile in parts of your business where its economic impact will be the most positive. What will be the estimated ROI?

And lastly, agile is formed around groups of motivated individuals. It certainly helps if a team or department has a lot of passionate early adopters and volunteers who can’t wait to try out this new method of work. For many companies, the IT department is the most natural place, to begin with agile.

Agile starts small, bottom-up and then grows.

Avoid introducing agile as an imposed top-down organizational change. With agile, one size doesn’t fit all. Furthermore, a big top-down introduction squarely goes against the agile iterative process, with lots of room for experimentation and change.

Instead of big bang introduction of agile, use an iterative process. Be agile when introducing agile.

By starting small, you’ll also limit the initial culture shock and have the opportunity to learn from the experience. Measure the benefits and communicate them to help grow support for agile. Also, take into account the bumps on the road and learn from these. Once the team members have agile down to an art form, you can start dividing the initial team and let it spread to new agile teams. The experienced agile team members will act both as champions of agile and help the new teams with making the switch to agile.

Your senior management should encourage and nurture the process. Because they are already familiar with agile, due to the earlier orientation sessions, there will be less resistance and tension between the ‘traditional’ units and the new agile teams.

Create stable teams who gain agile experience

Create stable teams to introduce Agile. Source: Pixabay

When you start with Agile, you first want to create stable teams and immerse the members full time in working with agile. Data shows that these type of stable teams are 60 percent more productive and responsive to input from customers than teams that alternate members or where members are only involved part-time.

Give the team training on how agile works from an experienced agile practitioner Don’t only give them a 2-day boot camp and then let them work it out themselves. Support the team throughout the transformation process from a waterfall approach to agile. Let the team practice with established agile practices, already successfully used by thousands of other businesses. Familiarize the team members with agile methods such as Kanban, SAFe and Scrum. Give them insights on why and when these are effective practices and how they relate to the 4 fundamental agile values.

Make sure, that when starting out, to give your team time and space to play with agile. A recommended process is by assigning the agile team an exciting project but without a very tight deadline and with a customer who likes to get involved. This way your agile team gets to learn and understand agile on a deeper level.

4 steps to getting your organization in line with agile

Because the introduction of agile in your company is an iterative process, you’ll have agile teams working in a non-agile waterfall environment. It’s almost unavoidable. However, there are many things you can do to get your organization more accommodating to agile, and it’s important you do.

For example, your agile team comes up with a new product, but then it has to go through a long, complicated internal bureaucratic process for approval. It will destroy any improvements in responding to fast-changing customer needs or disruptions in your external environment.

Here are 4 steps you can take get your organization in line with your agile team:

1. Get on the same page

Agile innovations need to be a priority also outside of the agile team. If not, there will be delays when introducing them to the broader organization. Your senior management needs to ensure this.

2. Create an Agile leadership team

Form an agile leadership team from a group of senior managers and influencers. The leadership team works with agile and is there to fix issues and smooth tensions between the agile teams and the traditional organization.

3. Get emotional

To get managers to stop acting like the traditional boss and get onboard with agile, you need to reach them at a deeper emotional level. Instead of giving instructions, you’ll use real experiences and leadership storytelling to change their perspective, attitudes, and values.

4. Ask questions, don’t give orders

As a leader in a company switching to agile, you’ll have to give the right example. Start to lead by asking questions instead of handing out orders and instructions.

Agile is changing the world of business

Agile spurred innovation in the software sector and is now doing the same for other areas and industries. Companies can reap enormous benefits from introducing agile in their organization. However, to do agile right, you need to understand what agile can achieve for your organization and how you can best make it work.

We have broad experience and expertise in successfully transforming traditional organizations into agile and innovative enterprises. Contact us and discover what we can do for you.

The 2 words that strike fear into the hearts of many executives are ‘digital disruption’. And for a good reason. Digital disruption has lead to the downfall of businesses, which until a few years ago, were successful. It has left a trail of debris of bankrupt Blockbusters, angry taxi drivers, and empty malls. And if you think you are safe, forget it.

Of today’s leading brands, 75% will not exist anymore within a decade, according to research by professor Richard Foster of Yale University. They will be replaced by new firms. A wave of disruption is coming for your industry. Instead of being wiped out by it, let us show you how to ride these waves of digital disruption to success.

Don’t wait until digital disruption happens, prepare

Instead of waiting, start preparing and get innovative. Let management think about how your business can be disrupted. Think outside of existing business models, your current markets and the ways in which you are operating. Dismiss any assumptions you have about your industry, market, and customers. Start thinking like a disruptor.

Become the disruptor

Once you discover how disruption can hit your shores, you’ll start doing some disrupting yourself. By for example:

• Developing fresh value propositions
• Collecting and using your data in smarter ways
• Digitizing as much as possible
• Entering new markets
• Expanding your customer base
• Getting better at what you’re good at
• Shutting down parts you won’t need any more

Even disruptors disrupt themselves. Netflix started with sending DVDs by mail to people’s homes. Yet, it completely disrupted itself when it switched to online streaming. Go and disrupt yourself.

Don’t be a Nokia

History is full of examples of businesses who underestimated the arrival of new technology. Take Nokia when Apple was developing the iPhone. Nokia’s Chief Strategy Officer Anssi Vanjoki said the following in an interview: “The development of mobile phones will be similar to PCs. Even with the Mac, Apple has attracted much attention at first, but they have remained a niche manufacturer. That will be on mobile phones as well.” We all know what happened. Never underestimate a possible disruptor. Don’t ever be a Nokia.

Disruptors exist for a reason

There is a reason your disruptive competitor started its business. It sees market potential by being smarter and turning things upside down. The fact that there is a disruptor in your industry means your ways are outdated. You need to figure out new ones, now. Start by studying your competitor and doing away with an incumbents arrogance. Don’t hesitate to copy their business model if needed; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all.

Speed up to become a leader in innovation

Digital disruption comes at you at a breakneck speed. And speed is what you need to navigate the waters. Become more like a startup. Move away from long planning and execution phases. Nurture a company culture where people experiment and new ideas are instantly tried and tested. Develop and invest in digital technologies which enable this.

Take calculated risks and start small-scale trials. Learning from and rewarding these. Don’t be afraid to fail but understand why, make modifications accordingly, and test again and get to the right solution. Or kill the project. You’ll sooner discover what works and what doesn’t. Process all the feedback. By testing new ideas now, gathering data, and doing lots of analytics, you’ll be more flexible and innovate quicker.

Get your price right

The most successful disruptors offer services at a better price. Look at Uber and how it undercut the prices of traditional taxis. For IKEA, lower pricing is an integral part of their product design. If the price is too high, the designer has to return to the drawing board. Make better pricing part of your DNA. Keep on testing and trying until your price is better than that of your competitors.

Breaking down the walls

To foster an environment of creativity and experimentation, destroy the walls between your departments. You want a solution which is technologically possible, strategically sound and something your customer wants. Have diverse teams of, for example, marketers, software developers, sociologists and logistic managers, to develop together. Involve people from all levels so that there is the ability to enact change. Nurture both a detailed view and a helicopter view. These 2 visions should directly interact and feed off each other.

Mind the capability gap

To make this all happen, you need to hire people from all walks of life. People who are open to new ideas and know how to collaborate with others, but aren’t afraid to speak their mind. And if you see that your business lacks certain talents, fill the gap by attracting new people.

Define your objectives to collect data

The digital revolution has made it much easier for companies to interact and listen to their customers. Collect data from these interactions, analyze it and act on it. Teach all your employees, from your CEO to your mailroom clerk, how essential data is, how to collect it, read it and use it. Make sure you not only collect a lot of data but that you collect the right data. Define your various objectives. For example, do you want to:

• Increase revenues
• Create greater customer loyalty
• Offer better services
• Attract new customers

Unify the data coming in from sales, marketing, logistics, social media and other customer touchpoints, and make sense of it. By using advanced analytics, you’ll better understand your customer, their needs and anticipate them. Knowing what your customers want before they do, is the goal.

Customer preferences change, always

The waves and the currents of the sea change continuously, so do your customers preferences. To notice these often subtle changes, give your customers lots of opportunities to interact with you. You want to have an omnichannel presence. Integrate your app, real-life shopping experience, customer service and social media in such a way they are easy to navigate and move between them.

Innovation with customer feedback

When customers take time to give you feedback, this is an opportunity to innovate. Use an automated closed-loop feedback system. A version of this:

• Receive Feedback

1. 1. 1. The customer shares feedback with you.
      2. The system receives and processes the feedback and alerts the right person.

• Learn and Listen

1. 1. 1. Get in touch with the customer and ask what happened.
      2. Listen to the feedback and learn from it.
      3. Learn at a deeper level how to improve and innovate your business.

• Fix it and make changes

1. 1. 1. Fix the direct problem for your customer.
      2. Fix the root cause in your company.
      3. Make innovative changes.

• Share

1. 1. Share the feedback and the lesson learned within your company.
   2. Hold regular feedback meetings with(in) teams. 

From now on, you’ll act on feedback and use it to improve, not only your customer’s experience, but also to innovate your company, products, and its services.

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Niemand kan de toekomst voorspellen met een glazen bol, helaas. Toch kunnen we voorzichtige voorspellingen doen over ontwikkelingen in de toekomst, gebaseerd op de huidige trends en ontwikkelingen. Digitalisering is één van die belangrijke ontwikkelingen. Het digitale tijdperk brengt niet alleen een scala aan nieuwe producten en diensten met zich mee, ook uw organisatiestructuur en customer experience veranderen door digitalisering. De vraag is niet of u meegaat in de veranderende digitale wereld, maar hoe. Is uw bedrijf klaar voor de toekomst?

De organisatiestructuur van de toekomst

Posities verschuiven en rollen veranderen, door slimme softwareprogramma’s en applicaties die werk uit handen nemen. Dit wordt vaak als een bedreiging gezien, vooral door werknemers die bang zijn om hun baan te verliezen. Echter, hier liggen juist grote kansen en uitdagingen voor uw bedrijf én voor uw werknemers, als u bereid bent om mee te bewegen met de digitale invloeden op uw bedrijf. Houdt u hardnekkig vast aan uw vertrouwde productenaanbod en organisatiestructuur? Dan is de kans groot dat u wordt ingehaald door de concurrentie en uw bedrijf niet het eeuwige leven heeft. Alleen de bedrijven die durven te veranderen, zijn klaar voor de toekomst.

TIP: 8 Essential steps for your business to lead the digital revolution

De customer experience van de toekomst

De klant van nu is veeleisender dan ooit. We zijn verwend; met service en met beschikbare informatie. Uw klant anno 2018/2019 eist hoge kwaliteit, uitmuntende service en transparantie. Door alle informatie op internet is uw klant volledig op de hoogte, weet precies wat hij wilt en is daardoor veeleisender en mondiger. Vakkennis, professionele communicatie en een serviceverlenende houding zijn essentiële capaciteiten van bedrijven die klaar zijn voor de toekomst.

Verschillende paden naar de toekomst

Bedrijven die klaar zijn voor de toekomst, zijn bedrijven die streven naar een betere customer experience en tegelijkertijd in staat zijn om kosten verlagen. Het doel van deze bedrijven is het tevredenstellen van klanten en niet het pushen van producten. De veranderingen die uw bedrijf moet ondergaan om niet alleen te overleven, maar ook te excelleren op lange termijn, zijn dus zowel intern gericht op de organisatiestructuur, als extern op de customer experience. Er zijn grofweg vier paden te bewandelen om uw bedrijf klaar te maken voor de toekomst.

1. Focus eerst intern, dan extern

Hoe efficiënt is uw organisatie ingericht? Zit iedereen nog wel op de juiste plek? Sluit uw huidige productaanbod nog aan bij de huidige en toekomstige vraag in de markt? Bij dit pad ligt de focus eerst op uw organisatiestructuur, voordat u naar de customer experience kijkt.

2. Focus eerst extern, dan intern

Verbeter eerst de customer experience van uw bedrijf en kijk daarna pas naar de interne organisatiestructuur. Zijn uw klanten optimaal tevreden? Wat gaat er goed en wat kan er beter? En sluit uw huidige productaanbod nog aan bij de huidige en toekomstige wensen van uw klanten?

3. Focus intern en extern tegelijkertijd

Om en om verlegt u de focus van intern naar extern, van uw organisatiestructuur naar uw customer experience. Stap voor stap, om en om, bewandelt u het pad naar de optimale formule waarbij uw bedrijf klaar is voor de toekomst.

4. Creëer een compleet nieuwe organisatie

Zonder te kijken naar de huidige organisatiestructuur en customer experience, gaat u bijna direct aan de slag met het bouwen van een nieuw bedrijf dat klaar is voor de toekomst. Neem uw gewenste situatie als uitgangspunt en creëer op basis daarvan uw ideale organisatiestructuur, productaanbod en customer experience.

Welk pad past bij uw bedrijf?

Het klaarmaken van uw bedrijf voor de toekomst begint bij een nulmeting. Waar staat uw bedrijf vandaag de dag? Kijk vervolgens naar de trends en ontwikkelingen in uw specifieke sector. Formuleer daarna een langetermijndoelstelling: waar wilt u over 5, 10 en 20 jaar zijn? Wat is uw gewenste situatie? Deze doelstelling is bijzonder belangrijk; het is het uitgangspunt voor de door te voeren veranderingen om uw bedrijf klaar te maken voor de toekomst.

6 tips om organisatieveranderingen te vertellen

Een frisse blik op de toekomst

Innoveren is leuk, maar veranderen is ook voor veel bedrijven doodeng. Vasthouden aan het bestaande is vaak makkelijker dan het doorvoeren van veranderingen, waarvan de uitkomst nog onzeker is. Als ondernemer of directeur bent u bovendien emotioneel betrokken bij uw bedrijf. Dat maakt het soms lastig om kritisch met een frisse blik naar uw bedrijf te kijken.

Wilt u uw bedrijf klaarmaken voor de toekomst, maar weet u niet waar te beginnen? Grouve Management helpt u bij het maken van de juiste keuzes. We maken de keuzes niet voor u, maar staan naast u in het proces, met vakkundig advies en professionele begeleiding.

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