CEO Consultant Dialogue

CEO: I have the strategy, the products and the money – please get me the people to grow
Consultant: We will get you the right people but will you incentivize them and pay for talent
CEO: Yes definitely lets get started and do the needful

CEO: Hey we got the people you advised me and paid them high salaries but why are they not delivering as per my expectations
Consultant: I guess you need to get some systems in place – we recommend some software to link up the organization with your strategy
CEO: I heard about ERP, CRM, HR software – lets implement it at the earliest

CEO : We got the people and the systems but comparative sectoral business performance still eludes us – I have to spend more time in the office than ever before and feel that I am maintaining the business rather than growing the business. These petty trivial issues keep coming back to me.
Consultant : But your business performance has improved
CEO : You are right but have you seen how my competition has fared and guess what – to top it all – I have been finding it difficult to retain customers and acquire new customers
Consultant : Hasn't the systems been implemented and worked for you
CEO : Yes we have implemented them but the puzzling thing is that today more than ever before I find that we are dependent more on people than on systems and practices in the organization
Consultant : I think there is a strategy-organization alignment gap – lets create a performance management system and a people development plan

CEO : How do we integrate the company in an effective manner? I want the functions to start thinking about the customer and the business and not about their own jobs and functions
Consultant : You see we have to move away from being a PEOPLE CENTRIC organization to a PROCESS CENTRIC organization
CEO : What does Process Centric mean and why don't we say Customer Centric organization
Consultant : That's what I also meant – process centric organization provides the output that is aligned with the customer expectations – as the customer is sideways to the organization structure – we thereby ensure that the VERTICAL cascade of the Strategy-Organization is supplemented by HORIZONTAL alignment of the Customer-Functions-Suppliers. It is this VERTICAL-HORIZONTAL integration that leads to an END TO END INTEGRATED organization – which is the answer to your needs

CEO : Wait a minute – but haven't we defined roles and responsibilities and developed comprehensive manuals and procedures for each function – then why are the functions and people not following those functions and make life simpler for them and for other functions
Consultant : This is because your company's policy and manuals are outdated and they were designed for a certain business environment, a certain customer and a certain supplier and dispatch environment
1. the customer needs are evolving and with each passing day the customer is getting more choosy and demanding
2. the customer wants something new, with far greater variety and features
3. the customer's value for money equation is increasing by the day
4. the business environment is becoming more competitive
5. the manuals were functional in nature and made from a rigid assumption about a static customer