Some strategic decisions clash with corporate culture

The Complexity of Simplifying Processes

Context:

We were working with managers on the need to simplify processes.
The goal: to make advisors’ work smoother and to encourage initiative-taking as close to the customer as possible.

As part of this strategic initiative, the leadership team had clearly decided to move in that direction.
So far, so good, we were on the right track.

“Yes, but the road will be long,” one of them added.
“You must be joking,” he said to the group. He then shared an email he had just received from a Director the day before. It was addressed to all branch managers.

The email contained encouraging news: it announced the simplification of the procedure for setting up medium- to long-term business loan files.
It explained that several procedural steps once required would no longer be necessary. (A sigh of relief, no doubt, from those reading that famous email!)

And yet, the message went on to specify that, despite these changes, those very same procedural points would still be reviewed during managerial check-ins!

Well, well…

In other words: the procedure is lighter, but you may still have to justify how you use it.
In short, you can take the shortcut, but here’s a friendly piece of advice: don’t. 😊

Indeed, the road will be long.

Why the Decision Isn’t Enough

It would be easy to place the blame on the Directors. They are supposed to put the company’s strategic decisions into action.
But the issue with customer culture is that it stems from a whole set of beliefs and values. These are deeply rooted within the organization itself.
It goes far beyond any single person, in both space and time.

In the example above, we can clearly see that the company’s culture is so strong. It becomes nearly impossible to loosen the grip of procedures, even when the decision to do so has already been made.

Conclusion: Culture, once it’s got a hold on you, it’s hard to let go!

Author: Guillaume Antonietti