Having managed large companies (national entities) over the years I can confidently say that “the” single most difficult challenge where the setting and implementation of strategic direction is concerned is to get all internal stakeholders singing from the same song sheet.
As many may know, the less inclined stakeholders are to not only sing from the same song sheet, but sing in the same tune/ key also, the less commercial effect/ penetration (brand presence/awareness and market share) the brand is likely to have.
In the world of franchising one tangible vehicle I used to influence more franchisees singing the same song in the same key was to introduce what is termed a “Charter of Minimum Participation Standards” – which in turn was connected to the given Franchise Agreement.
This charter featured a range of specific activities that each and every franchisee was required to implement in their respective retail store environment. For example:
* Prepare and implement specific local marketing initiatives (e.g. newspaper advertisement/ radio jingle, etc) in support of programmed national level marketing campaigns.
* Perform employee training using customised industry-specific training resources.
* Participate in a customer rewards programme.
The most important purpose of this Charter document was to influence widespread practice of commercial behaviours that were supportive of the company’s desired brand positioning.
Presently in New Zealand we have a large number of organisations – from small scale consultancy practices to large organisations such as Chambers of Commerce, the central government led Regional Business Partner programme, the Employers and Manufacturers Association and even tertiary providers/ institutes (to name but a few) – that are orientated towards the worthy pursuit of providing guidance and support to businesses. And now the prospect of a “Small Business Institute” is on the horizon, an initiative being developed and advocated by the Small Business Council.
Whilst there may well be some overlaps between these organisations in terms of the scope and nature of information that comprises their respective core value propositions, currently each organisation (by virtue of the fact that they are each separate legal entities and therefore understandably have differing mandates where the delivery of customer services is concerned) is providing at least some commercially-orientated information that differs from organisation to organisation.
Result ? Different stakeholders (in the field/ arena/ realm of imparting commercial knowledge) singing from different song sheets and in different keys. Customer (business owner/ manager/ student) experience ? Confusion as to what source of information can be relied upon and to what extent, and which purported/ advocated principles/ practices offered by each organisation are most relevant/ proven/ useful to adopt and apply.
With the advent of the Small Business Institution looking probable isn’t it time that the New Zealand business community “guidance and support” organisations got their heads together to develop a common knowledge base that serves as “The New Zealand Universal Business Principles and Practices Knowledge Base” (for want of a more suitable programme title) ?
Why isn’t it a possibility to combine “the best of the best” proven business principles and practices into a single “Charter” of a sort, for then each organisation that operates in the “guidance and support” space to use as the “backbone” of their service delivery ?
Foreseeable consequences of going down this path include New Zealand businesses enjoying a greater chance of surviving and remaining sustainable – and possibly even thriving and growing – due to the same messages being imparted and reinforced across a myriad of “guidance and support” organisations.
Implications for society as a whole ? More employment opportunities created with more Kiwis being gainfully employed – and therefore fewer people feeling valueless with idle minds that then have the propensity to wander to perform undesirable/ unwanted behaviours such as crime and violence. And an overall improvement in the sense of well-being felt by more New Zealanders.
I am a huge fan of seeing New Zealand achieve greater/ better alignments between organisations that clearly display synergistic traits/ characteristics. What do others feel about this pursuit ?