[Article on SPMCC – Newsletter Q4’2018]
Business expansions may be exciting but, to a CEO, there are often many operational issues and execution gaps across the organization which can be inherent barriers to support the growth.
The Company – RSF, a manufacturing company that serves several global retail and other brands, was led by an Entrepreneur Award-winning CEO.
The Advisor – Silver Link Management & Consultancy LLP (herein SLMC), led by its Leadership Coach Mr Boon Khee Ng, a Senior PMC and CIPM (Data Protection).
Opening Scenario – RSF’s CEO has the vision and plans to attract more globally leading retail brands. The business outlook has been optimistic and, in anticipation, the company had recently expanded both manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and China, by adding on some latest state-of-the-art machinery and production systems.
The Challenges – The CEO’s main concerns were on how his organization can bridge the gaps, be shaped up to quickly transform, and if the facilities can better address the added challenges confronting internal functions and their operational efficiency.
This Case –
Given these varied challenges, RSF’s CEO was very particular about getting the right consultant to advise and conceive the most suitable solutions for the company as well as seek one who can also guide them to gain good momentum into the execution stages.
Finally, after considering several recommendations, and evaluating the suitability of these options, RSF again engaged SLMC and B K Ng, its consultant for several different projects previously, all implemented successfully. A couple of these projects were also supported by grants from the Singapore Government.
RSF’s CEO, on why they’ve chosen the certified senior management consultant: “Mr Ng is not just a highly professional and experienced consultant with the integrity and resourcefulness to conceive viable solutions and to get things done”. He added: “BK is also a strong coach with broad/deep skills, know-how and one who can effectively devise plans and mentor my whole team, across functions, levels and from different cultures. These are important attributes to garner the respect, facilitate action teams set up and to put comprehensive structures in place for smoother, more effective implementations”.
Consultancy at Work –
Although a company’s DNA often starts from the top, its employees are the working ambassadors who represent and translate such values throughout the organization and more.
SLMC understands this and, in applying its “LINKS Development Model” for RSF, first assembled the senior management teams in a 2-day workshop, with a systematic yet thoughts-provoking brainstorming process, to collectively work out and derive sets of short to mid and longer-term strategic goals which were then translated into key tactical plans.
Figure 1 – LINKS DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL (Courtesy & Copyright of SLMC)
Its process then assessed the various management units and functional teams to identify the major gaps (where the DNA links were weak or not well aligned) as well as to sieve out the personnel and younger potentials who can be the company’s drivers of change.
Connecting the dots was next, where SLMC help structure the business and strategic sets of demand expectations into clearer tactical and operating objectives for each facilities and organizational functions. Then, small teams were formed to focus on each of these goals with specially chosen team leaders and members across different departments and levels.
Execution Underway –
The results from these exercises gave birth to a framework of very conspicuous objectives and clearly defined actionable plans in standardized but simple formats for each and every team and its members to execute. It’s a combination of both top-down and bottom-up effort.
To better shape mindsets, unite the organization and bridge mindset gaps, SLMC introduced and explained this working motto and the six driving forces behind it to the FSF management and the teams through further coaching clinics:
“The future belongs to those who can re-invent themselves”,
…we must keep re-learning and believing! (Copyright: SLMC 2016)
Each team charter was simply about the “goal-focusing and how to make my customer successful” mindset as the core driver. Customer here refers to both internal and external ones. These “shared-purpose teams” worked to innovate solutions for each identified major barriers or root-cause and crafted in a list of “what/how” action plans for proper execution.
The leaders and teams were empowered by the CEO directly and coached by the SLMC consultants, themselves seasoned hands-on practitioners. Corporate in Singapore as well as both facilities overseas had participated fully, each with their own or mixed task force teams and, with the shared platforms, were also freely exchanging ideas (as everyone understands what others were doing or may need) while being committed and focused themselves.
Such small task force teams, besides being more agile and driven, communicates and act quicker while bridging across functions with clearer shared-goals where each member can contribute and drive forward together. These were the added advantages. What’s crucial is the structure, a “shared-fate” attitude with clear processes for the teams.
Figure 2 – Task Force’s Team Sandbox (Courtesy & Copyright of SLMC)
To ensure that things make solid progress, measurements such as action item tracking forms, scheduled regular updates and a comprehensive but easy to apply scorecard system were designed by SLMC for adoption and utilization by the RSF teams. Reporting and records sharing became much easier and do not become barriers instead.
These motivated team members, working in parallel, helped overcome the cited challenges of RSF; grew in confidence with positive mindsets; and more importantly, generated the “waves” of more cohesive execution via the many small but more well-equipped teams.
Post-Implementations –
RSF’s CEO sums up the great progress and success achieved by his company’s teams encompassing Singapore, Malaysia and China: “I am very pleased with the re-shaping of our people’s mindset, the well-meshed framework of clear action plans and how this whole developmental model from SLMC has helped us change and develop a strong action-team culture which were very goal-focused and dynamically driven”. He added: “Getting the right consultants does matter. This is the crucial step forward for organizations in their capabilities development and transformation endeavours.”
Now, here’s a happy customer, pleased with the very positive outcomes from the consultancy projects. Working along closely and tailoring the whole transformation process is a happy consultant, also pleased that the solutions and adaptive coaching they provided had helped re-developed the organizations and up-skilled its people.
Next, going forward and according to RSF, this transformation and developmental model has attracted even their own ultimate customers and partners, who came to know about it. One leading client of theirs is already requesting for the extension of this working model to bridge the improvement plans between RSF and them in gearing up for their new year’s objectives …
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About Boon Khee Ng, Consulting Partner of Silver Link Management & Consultancy
Senior PMC, MBA, CIPM (Data Protection Mgmt)
BK’s career development spanned many industry sectors in senior regional and global roles, including with Mitsubishi, Becton Dickinson and McDonald’s, where he had set up and transformed businesses and improved many partnering company’s operations.
His entrepreneur side saw BK co-founding Silicon Illusions, a digital media technology company, and Sidefx Studios, a leading VR technology platform developer. He also helped Singapore’s government to set up Caring Fleet Services, a specialty transport charity for the less-abled and helmed RSVP Proguide, a social enterprise for getting veteran PMETs back as trainers and consultants to reinforce the talent shortages.
BK feels that while consultants aim to help solve major problems for clients, it is the better ones who can really provide wholesome solutions and facilitate viable options to effectively develop, shape changes and make their clients even more successful.
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Mr B K Ng can be contacted at :
Email : bkng@silverlink.com.sg
Website : www.silverlink.com.sg