The last two week’s articles have defined and discussed Organization Resource Management (ORM). Like CRM, ORM focuses on the cognitive and interpersonal skills rather than technical skills and knowledge. It encompasses a wide range of human behaviors and attitudes that include culture & values, strategy & goals, communication, team-work, decision making, problem solving and service. Importantly, ORM starts with leadership. If effective ORM practices are in place, effective CRM is sure to follow.
Teamwork and Communication - People must work together if organizational goals are to be met, but leaders know that this is much easier said than done. True team work is achieved when the result produced by the group is greater than the sum of what is accomplished by the individual contributors working in isolation. This only happens when goals, roles and responsibilities are well understood. And it requires empowerment in an environment of trust, respect and shared information–communication.
Problem Solving and Decisions - Much of daily business activity is devoted to problem solving at all levels. That includes providing solutions for a customer’s problem or need, or solving internal issues that stand between the team (or leadership and the organizational goals. Arriving at the right solution, quickly, requires a shared framework for defining, measuring, analyzing, implementing and controlling the process. It need not be complex, but for larger organizations, databases and systems support are often needed tools.
Service - Customer service is a cornerstone for competiveness and a primary differentiator in any given market. Most everyone seems to know this, but few ever truly use it their maximum advantage. That’s because the challenges of providing excellent customer service are formidable. One major challenge is that various people and organizations define service differently. Another, perhaps greater challenge is that many businesses think they know what customer service is and that they are doing a good job of delivering it. They are often surprised to discover that they do not, and are not, because it is much more complex than they realized.
In fact, customer service is a culture. A culture takes time to build, and the right tools are needed. A service culture does not occur after a one-day seminar. A service culture requires an individual and an organizational commitment to concepts, and a process that must be sustained over time. Serving others effectively is an ongoing effort; it is not a destination, but a journey.
The concepts of ORM are similar to, and an extension of, CRM. They focus on cognitive and interpersonal skills, rather than simply technical knowledge. And, they are applied much more comprehensively to overall organizational issues rather than to safety only. ServiceElements uses ORM to assist leadership in understanding the issues, solving problems and making good decisions. Most significantly, the tenets of ORM enable the creation of positive working relationships based upon service, core values, common goals and shared information. The outcome is consistent high performance and sustainable results.
