Support Functions as a Business driving force: why not?

It is becoming increasingly critical to improve productivity, particularly that of the so-called "support" functions. This priority is all the more compelling because it is possible to combine efficiency, cost and headcount reductions with business acceleration through better use and effectiveness of these support functions – even if they are already diminished.

A security portal that unleashes customer enthusiasm

"I'm walking out of the department store where I just bought a device I need for an urgent job. I am running late, so the sounding of the security gate’s alarm adds anger to the stress I am already feeling. I therefore show rather grudgingly my receipt and the device to the security guard. He thanks me politely after having checked that everything is in order. To vent my frustration, I ask the security guard how the device could possibly trigger the alarm even though I duly paid for it. Always calm and friendly, the security guard replies: "It's probably because this device wanted to show you that it is eager to work for you". With that, all my anger dissipates, I burst out laughing and I thank the agent. Far from turning me away from this store, I enjoy returning to it."

A function that is often a bit obscure and unqualified, disliked outside the company, often held in low regard inside the company and performed by external providers, has been able to act as an excellent ambassador and promoter of the company.

Is it not reasonable to expect even more from the Finance, IT, Purchasing, HR and other support functions, which are much more qualified and closer to business development initiatives?

Luck and goodwill alone won’t do

The goodwill of the people involved is not enough: we need a systematic and well-constructed action, over time, with method and focus, to help the targeted function become aware of its potential impact and to realize it. To do this, let's start by selecting a specific support function. We will then bring to bear our full suit of tools, without exception, to devise an effective action (LEAN, Leadership Development, Performance Management, etc.). And all of this without neglecting to include this initiative in the transformation of the company's culture.

But making this transformation credible is not always easy. We are quickly faced with inevitable contradictions. How can we reconcile downsizing with increasing the department's impact on the business? Or how can we instil a sense of initiative when a transformation is dictated from on high without consulting the base? And how do you ensure continuity over time for this transformative action? The answer is difficult, but simple: you have to dare. Dare and persevere, even when new priorities emerge. Hence the importance of embedding such an action into the daily work of the department.

Also, for many managers, a real feeling of helplessness can arise. Do we have the necessary experience to implement the wide range of actions required by a consistent and sustainable approach in the department? Do we have the credibility to instil cultural change in my company? Do we have the necessary time to carry out this action? Will our management give us that time?

How do we get around the obstacles of "it's too big a transformation", "it's a pharaonic vision"? The advantage of a complicated system such as a company is that it is a system, with all its interactions between components: a limited, targeted but intensive action on this or that Support function allows this function to appropriate and implement its business performance levers, but it will also stimulate a development engine, resulting in a "positive contagion" that will reach beyond the targeted function.

Finally, it is logical, feasible, and compatible with existing priorities: why don't we do it?

Once again, the tools, methods and approaches exist, we just have to do it! Let's start at the top, with the management of the selected support function, to build a pilot case with direct relevance for a business initiative of the company, to generate concrete results, inspire the other functions, and trigger a positive chain reaction.

And to do this, it is advisable to get help from outside experts...

Thierry Robert

Visit our Web-conferences “Turning Support Functions into a Business Driver”

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