The Value of Collaborative Process Improvement
Notes From Hobaica: We originally wrote this 4-part series to encourage and educate other local business owners on the value of building a positive company culture. We share this with you, our customers, because you ultimately benefit from the community involvement, teamwork, personal growth & industry expertise of our exceptional team of technicians and office staff. Find part one here.
Every team member at Hobaica Services has their own skill set and list of responsibilities they are expected to complete each day in order to keep things running smoothly. However, we are convinced the components of our organization that make us the most successful (besides the team members themselves) are our internal and external programs that feed off of our team member’s thoughts, ideas and experiences.
We previously discussed several internal benefit programs in Part 2 of our Positive Company Culture Series: The Impact of Internal & External Reward Programs but today we will be focusing on our I Got An Idea Program!
Since our valued team members are the ones going through the motions of all the processes and procedures that have been put into place over the years, it is imperative that we listen to their suggestions about what works and what doesn’t. Not only does this foster a sense of respect and inclusion among the team, it also opens the door for invaluable discussions with a variety of different perspectives and thought processes that might not be heard otherwise.
Thus, the I Got An Idea Program was born!
This this program utilizes submission forms and a board that hangs in a highly visible area of the office and invites our staff to give their opinions on internal business/property improvements that will potentially:
- Make Money
- Save Money
- Save Time
The Idea Submittal Process
It all starts when a team member has an idea on how to improve an existing program/process or recommend a new process altogether. For example, a customer service representative comes up with an idea on how to cross-promote a new service. They will submit their idea on an I Got An Idea form, available form fill or old fashion paper, then submit it to their manager. Once approved, the idea will be posted on the Parking Lot Idea Board which is visible to all. Each idea is considered for implementation. All approved ideas are qualified and entered into our monthly drawing for a spin on the Hobaica Wheel of Fortune, where they can win $5 to $100 in Hobaica Bucks. In addition, status on all approved ideas are communicated to our entire team during our next company meeting.
We find that this process allows all of our team members to be heard in a fair and timely fashion. We prefer this old school method of physically printing out the form and attaching it to the board for all to see, because when it is done virtually, it can go overlooked and become less of an open forum. Keeping the board front and center for all that come and go in the office, extends that invitation for all team members to voice their ideas and for all team members to offer their opinions on the ideas presented, and we feel that the best way to accomplish this currently.
New Employees
New employees are a fantastic resource for feedback! They have not become accustomed to the “old way” of doing things and are attempting to learn the processes for the first time. If they experience difficulty or confusion over any specific process, it may be a sign that that process could be improved. By encouraging their involvement and input, the new team members will instantly feel as though they are a valued member of the organization and will become increasing comfortable to contribute on a regular basis.
Keeping the Mission Alive
In short, the Hobaica I Got An Idea Program has allowed our team members to share theirs thoughts on a regular basis and provide them with an open forum to comfortably explore and share their creativity and competencies. Gleaning that knowledge and experience from our team is invaluable and has made a huge impact on our level of service and our bottom-line. As a result, we highly suggest this avenue when attempting to minimize costs and or streamline procedures as two heads are always better than one. Or in this case, an organization full of very different heads is without a doubt better than the heads of three brothers, when working to perpetuate our father, the company founder’s mission, in this new era of business.
If you’re interested in learning more about the quality services that we provide here at Hobaica Services or you would like to find out more about joining our team, give us a call today at (760) 360-2202.
