I was going through some old notes as I often do to reflect on what I’ve learned, and I found "The Characteristics of an Excellent Organization" by The Tremblay Group, Phoenix, Arizona. These were some of the things that interested me, even back in 1993! It’s really interesting to see in an ever-changing world, some things remain the same. These characteristics are vitally important to survive and thrive in the “new economy”.
NOTE: For all the doctors/dentists reading this post, just replace the word “customers” with “patients”.
Considering today’s economic times and our educated, demanding customers (patients), it becomes more important to separate yourself from your competitors and make it really well known to your customers that you subscribe to the following characteristics of an excellent organization:
- A Compelling Sense of Mission. A powerful sense of purpose, shared and understood by all.
- User-Friendly and Helpful systems and structures. Internal policies and procedures, systems and hierarchical structures are directly related to quality, customer service, and employee morale. Ineffective systems also result in the loss of billions of dollars annually because of low value, no value, and duplicated activities.
- A Strong Customer Focus. We must realize that as customers we have become very sophisticated and demanding. Customers also have “transferable loyalties.” They will shift their loyalty to whoever provides the best quality service. This characteristic is without doubt the most important one. It means that everything we do must be done with the customer in mind. Everything we do must be measured by how well we are serving our customers, both internally and externally.
- A High Trust Culture. A high trust culture means a place where people are considered the most valuable assets the organization has. As such, they must be treated as investments to be retained and developed. In a high trust culture, managers have been transformed into leaders who model behavior and inspire their followers. Leaders make and keep commitments, instill confidence and care about each and everyone in the organization. Everyone is aware of and motivated by the understanding of “shared fate.”
- An Empowered Work Force. An empowered work force is one where employees have knowledge and skills to do the job and the responsibility to do it. Emphasis on “response ability.” This means that everyone is given the ability to solve problems and to respond to the needs of the customer. Employees are involved in decision making and participative management becomes the norm.
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