Find out why it matters to strive for relevance on 4 different levels more than ever before.
If we take a close look at what makes an organisation; we can identify 4 main categories which represent the 4 pillars of relevance for an organisation. We can then notice the relationship and interdependence of these 4 pillars in the path for organisational success.
Round 1
The first pillar of relevance applies to your team members. Why that? Because they are the face of your organisation in front of your prospects and customers. They are also the eyes and ears that notice first hand the needs and issues that need addressing. When actively engaged by your company vision and mission, your team members become the lifeblood of your system.
As an organisation, it is therefore important to keep this lifeblood as healthy as possible. That means taking good care of your staff and being relevant to them.
How to do that? Management will need to know its team members well enough on both a professional and personal level and aim for genuine interactions and relationships.
Let's not forget that the person you hired 2-3 years ago is no longer the same person today, because of life circumstances and/or changing aspirations. It then becomes essential to maintain a regular communication flow with your teams, so you can gage at any time if you are still relevant to them and vice-versa. The reward for the organisation is no less than increased staff retention and engagement.
I believe that Richard Branson's quote illustrates quite well this 1st pillar: "If you look after your staff, they will look after your company. It's that simple."
Round 2
The second pillar applies to your customers. Needless to say that anticipating and managing customers' expectations and providing a great customer experience has become the new quest if not the new norm.
The combination of: numerous services available on the go (via Smartphones), the level of customisation available on products and services and the power of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence applied to customer service; have all pushed the bar higher on customers' expectations. These elements taken together have partly redefined what it takes to get customers' loyalty. Customers are now more tech savvy and aware. As a result, they expect great service and relevant solutions in return for sharing their data with your organisation.
Their custom and loyalty has come at a price - it is your relevance towards them. For your customer, being relevant means to receive the right product or service at the right: price, moment, place and through the right channel while be listened at.
Round 3
The third pillar of relevance applies to your partners. And when I say partners, I include all the actors along the way which contribute in satisfying your end customers. To make this a reality, your partners (suppliers, shareholders and/or business angels) should share one common characteristic with your organisation. And that is being aligned with your vision and mission.
In addition; the relationship model that applies between your organisation and your partners should enable you to fulfill your end customers' needs and goals.
Transformational relationship over Transactional relationship
The former one implies: long term vision, purpose driven, mutual understanding, flexibility, customer oriented.
The latter one implies: short term vision and reward, over-powering relationship, little customer interaction, self-centred oriented.
Last but not least, you need to ensure that your culture is well known and integrated with your partners. So they know which difference you are trying to make in the world or at least in the world of your customers. Your partners need to be relevant to your organisation because you choose them.
Round 4
The fourth and last pillar applies to your environment. What I mean by environment includes a tangible selection of both macro and micro environments with their respective requirements for an organisation:
Technological: ability to serve customers through the most relevant tools and platforms while staying alert on the upcoming trends.
Regulatory: ability to change swiftly when a new regulation gets introduced thanks to a good awareness of its internal processes.
Competition: foster an agile culture in order to respond faster to new market entrants and also handle pure player competitors.
Corporate Social Responsibility: ability to conduct business in an ethical way while impacting positively its employees, society and natural surrounding. CSR has become a real criterion of attraction for the most recent generations of workers and should not be underestimated when it comes to attracting and retaining talents.
Our final round
To conclude, we can notice that the fight for relevance is not an easy one because the organisation needs to be alert and aligned throughout the entire value chain at the same time.
With many interactions and stakeholders to handle simultaneously; ticking the 4 pillar boxes of relevance can be achieved by constantly monitoring and cultivating a specific mindset, behaviour and above all a common vision and mission. Managers play an important role in this mission, because their behaviour will set the tone with employees, customers, partners and ultimately the environment. The transformational relationship model becomes the cornerstone of this organisational relevance and success.
Thank you for reading me.
Rudi - Your Transformation Couturier