Getting Support from Support Functions

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"Everyone here has a customer.  And if he doesn't know who it is and what constitutes the needs of the customer . . . then he does not understand his job."  - W. Edwards Deming

One of the most difficult jobs of a leader is getting everyone in the organization to work toward the same objectives.  The issue is especially difficult in support functions where team members are generally isolated from customers, which makes it harder to create a connection between work performed and the success of the business.

The problem is magnified even more when the company utilizes a shared services model (i.e., decentralized business units with centralized support functions).  I've heard many business unit leaders over the years complain about poor quality service and lack of support from corporate functions.  In many cases, business units hire their own support people - even if it results in the company doubling up in some positions - in an effort to have more control over these functions.

With the focus and pressure on reducing costs these days, more companies are implementing the shared services concept and combining support functions into a single team in an effort to reduce the company's costs of providing support.  If not done correctly, though, this concept can actually increase costs due to poor quality service or slow response to operating units.

Establishing and communicating the company's purpose can help, but it's not enough.  It is also important to show people how their roles align with the purpose and, without a systems thinking mindset, this can be very difficult, if not impossible.

It's About Value for the Customer

The key to reducing the total cost without sacrificing the quality of support is to continually focus on value.  Focusing on value to the customer is what keeps everyone aligned on what is truly important, and helps make decisions regarding where to invest and where to cut much easier.

It is the entire company's responsibility to serve the customer, and doing it effectively requires a systems thinking mindset by those in leadership positions.  But merely telling people to be systems thinkers is not going to make it happen.  Increasing understanding of the company's high-level system requires education and coaching on a continual basis . . . and the value stream map is a great place to start.

A company's value stream is the chain of events that the transforms knowledge, information, and materials into goods or services to customers.  The value stream is how the company serves its markets and makes its money.  In theory, a company should not do anything that is not directly related to the value stream because it does not provide value to customers or bring in revenue.  Even those functions that exist for purely regulatory reasons should be oriented directly toward supporting the value stream's efforts to serve the customer.

The better people understand the company's value stream (i.e., the high-level system), the better they will understand their jobs.  It will become much clearer to everyone why their job exists, who they serve, and where improvement efforts need to be focused.

The Value Stream Map and Shared Services

Once developed, the value stream map (a diagram, or flowchart of the value stream) becomes the foundation to implementing an effective shared services function.  The internal service providers are just as critical to the company's success as the operations functions.  Without an understanding of the value stream, however, it is difficult to know exactly what value service functions provide to the organization, and particularly how to improve quality and reduce costs.

With this in mind, implementing an effective shared services function requires addressing the following:

• Clarifying expectations that serving customers is everyone's responsibility, and those who do not directly serve external customers are responsible to support those who do (i.e., their internal customers);
• Develop the purpose of the shared services function.  Since this is most likely a new approach for the company, it is important to bring support team leaders together to develop the purpose and assure that, once developed, the purpose is clearly communicated throughout the company;
• Map the company's value stream.  Develop the high-level value stream map for the company and clarify how the shared services functions fit into the system.  Follow up with more detailed maps to show how each support function serves the value stream, keeping in mind that support functions can also serve each other;
• Understand the barriers to effective teamwork.  There are likely obstacles that will interfere with getting people to focus completely on serving the value stream.  These obstacles (e.g., fear, or objectives and rewards that discourage serving internal customers) need to be clearly identified and addressed.

Outsourcing services or cutting support budgets will not, by themselves, result in improving company performance.  It is critical to clearly understand the interactions between functions that exist and how these relationships contribute to serving the external customer.  It is only with this level of understanding that costs can be reduced while service to customers is improved.

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