Transparency and Communication Enable You to Inspect What You Expect!

Wrapping up our series on our IMPACT Methodology ™ for small business development, the sixth and final step focuses on Transition and Transparency. To this point, you have taken action to implement an improvement within your organization. This may have involved tools, processes, and possibly organizational changes. In a safe and controlled testing environment the solutions have proven they meet the original requirements, however now the improvement is going to be released to the “Production” / “Real World” environment.  Once the improvement is implemented into the “live” environment, it is also critical to continue to measure its actual performance against the expected results. You must consistently inspect what you expect and make the necessary adjustments to ultimately reach your target performance consistently. 

For these improvements to have the impact and effect they were designed to produce, the communication and training to the end user community of expectations and execution procedures must be clear and comprehensive. Many companies, in my experience, shortchange this step thinking it is “intuitive enough’ or that a quick demo and email will be sufficient. For simple discrete improvements, this may be true, but complex improvements require more thorough communication, training, and performance monitoring. To put this in a general life perspective, you wouldn’t give the car keys to your teenage kid without ensuring that they have been properly trained and provided the opportunity to implement those skills or procedures without a period of supervised execution. The same approach applies to introducing new improvements into your business. When you are creating the plan for releasing your new improvement to your team or customers, make sure you have developed communications that provide the person(s) responsible for the ongoing successful performance of the new improvement with all the information and resources they will need for the initial and subsequent ongoing training of new team members. This should include: 

• Why the new improvement is necessary to the success of the organization. It should align to your company’s purpose, mission, and objectives.   

• Who is involved and what the roles and responsibilities of the various team members are. 

• When the improvement is to go into effect. 

• What the new improvement requires of them. This includes execution procedures, and expectations regarding communication and performance improvement recommendations. You want them to take ownership of the successful performance. 

• How are the performance of the improvement will be measures and communicated. 

At a minimum, you want to create operational documentation (Standard Operating Procedures to be included in your Operations Manual and Training Manuals) so you have a foundation to build upon, however below are some other effective tools and approaches to consider: 

• Train-The-Trainer – This distributes responsibility across larger organizations to enable training to be conducted in small groups. 

• Videos - Comprehensive or broken down into small segments, they provide consistent and repeatable messaging with visual references, and they can be repeatably reviewed and absorbed at the user’s convenience and speed. 

• Easy Accessed Information – You can create FAQ references, or build in information / help screens into the user app. 

• Periodic Team Meetings / Check-ins – These could be at any cadence (daily, weekly, etc.) to review the performance, communicate risks identified and/or challenges encountered, and collect ideas for mitigation / resolution of the risk / issues communicated.  

Once your team has bought into and trained on the new improvement, it is time to focus on ongoing transparency. There are many factors that can contribute to the actual performance not meeting the expected results, so ensuring that you include time and resources to regularly evaluate, measure, and communicate the actual performance against the target/ expected performance to all contributors (from accountable leaders through supporting entities and ground level execution) to the successful performance result is vital. This includes regular communications of performance observations (positive and opportunities for improvement) and feedback collection on improvement recommendations. Many times, the best solutions come from those closest to the process / problem. 

Creating a transparent and inclusive environment that fosters trust, accountability, and mutual respect sets the foundation for ongoing success. Transparency isn’t just about sharing information; it’s about creating an open culture where everyone feels valued and informed. Below are some options to consider incorporating into your business or team: 

• Set clear expectations by defining clear objectives and performance metrics. 

• • Clearly outline business goals and individual employee objectives.  

• • Ensure everyone understands their role in achieving these goals. 

• • Establish and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure success. 

• Establish regular reporting cadences that incorporate open communication and financial transparency. 

• • Regularly share updates on business performance with all employees through meetings, newsletters, or internal dashboards. 

• • Provide insights into the company's financial performance  

• Make performance data accessible and ensure team members know how to access and interpret the data provided. 

• • Use collaborative tools and platforms where employees can access relevant performance data. This could be through shared drives, project management tools, or dedicated performance dashboards. 

• Conduct periodic open forums where employees can voice their ideas or concerns. 

• • Hold regular “town hall meetings” where employees can ask questions and express their concerns. This encourages open dialogue and transparency. 

• • Provide anonymous suggestion boxes where employees can voice their ideas or concerns without fear of retribution. 

• Establish transparent decision-making processes that involve employees and document decisions. 

• • When possible, involve employees in decision-making processes. Explain the reasoning behind major business decisions to help them understand the bigger picture. 

• • Keep a record of key decisions and the factors that influenced them. This can be shared with employees to provide context. 

Establishing and improving communication and transparency in small businesses comes with many benefits. Some of the key ones include: 

• Improves Decision-Making: Ensures that all stakeholders and participants have access to the same information. This can lead to better, more informed decision-making and problem-solving and collecting feedback and solution ideas from various perspectives. 

• Facilitates Compliance: Makes it easier to ensure the organization and supporting processes are continually in compliance with regulatory requirements and avoid legal issues. Failure in this area can have catastrophic financial and reputational consequences and potentially shut your business down completely. 

• Builds Trust: Being open about how your business operates fosters trust among employees, customers, and partners. People appreciate honesty and are more likely to remain loyal to a transparent company. 

• Enhances Employee Engagement: When employees understand the company's goals, strategies, and challenges, they feel more involved and motivated. This can lead to increased job satisfaction and productivity. 

• Boosts Reputation: A transparent company is often seen as authentic, ethical and credible, which can enhance its reputation in the market and attract more customers and top talent. 

• Encourages Accountability: When everything is out in the open, it’s easier to hold everyone accountable for their actions. This can lead to higher standards of performance and ethical behavior. 

• Strengthens Customer and Vendor Relationships: Customers and Vendors appreciate businesses that are open about their processes and policies. Transparency can lead to stronger relationships and greater loyalty. 

As a business owner / leader we are addressing a multitude of objectives and challenges, but our people are our greatest asset. We must take the time to reflect and make sure we are investing in them and contributing to their success. Below are some questions you can reflect on to see if there are opportunities for improvement in the areas of knowledge transition / training, communications and overall transparency. 

• Training 
  • How relevant and up to date are the training resources? 

• • Are there any gaps in the current training programs that need addressing?
     
• Communications 
  • Are my messages to employees clear, concise, and consistent? 

• • Do I encourage open and honest communication among team members? 

• • Am I using the most effective communication channels (e.g., meetings, emails, instant messaging)? 

• • Are there regular opportunities for employees to provide feedback and ask questions? 

• • As a leader, do I actively listen to my employees' concerns and suggestions? 
    
    
• Transparency 
  • In what ways do I ensure that employees feel informed and aligned with the company's direction? 

• • Do I provide regular updates on company performance, changes, and future plans? 

• • Am I communicating important information in a timely manner? 

• • Are there tools available that could enhance communication, such as collaboration software? 

• • Are there any specific areas where I feel transparency could be improved in your business? 

If you would like to engage in further discussion on these topics or supporting tools you might be able to use/ develop, our team at Origamic Solutions is here to help.