An overwhelming majority of businesses in North America would fit into the category of small to medium size enterprises. There is nothing wrong with being in that category. Every large business started out that way.
The question is how to move your business to the next level. Generally, as a business grows so does the number of individuals involved in the day to day operations. This is in itself a good thing. However, growth if not carefully managed it can spell disaster for a venture.
Take for example the business that starts out with three people involved. Between them they share roles perhaps as below:
- Vice President Marketing & Sales - Individual Number 1
- Vice President Accounting & Finance - Individual Number 2
- Vice President Research & Development - Individual Number 3
- Vice President Human Resources - Individual Number 1
- Vice President Public Relations - Individual Number 2
- Chief Executive Officer - Individual Number 3
- Chief Operating Officer - Individual Number 3
Perhaps the positions held were selected by the group because of the experience that person had in the respective area of responsibility. However, as the business grows it becomes clearly evident that the roles need to be assigned to new individuals. Unfortunately, the new person handling the position does not do things in the same manner, clients become dissatisfied, product quality suffers, business is lost, etc.
The issue can be as simple as not having a clearly defined organization structure and documented processes to follow. True, at the beginning the names on your organization chart may be repeated but as the business grows and new people come on board, the names can change while the duties and responsibilities stay the same.
Is your organization ready for growth, perhaps through the addition of a family member to the firm?
- Do you have a clearly identified organization structure?
- Do you have clearly documented position descriptions for each role?
- Do you have documented processes for each roles' activities?
If the answer to the three questions above is a clear Yes, then congratulations, you are ready for positive growth. However, if the answer is No, then it is time to take a hard look at your business' future and clearly identify Who does What When and How then document the process.
Gordon J. H. Newman, CPT Gordon is President of The Newman Learning Group Inc. an organization dedicated to providing value add solutions to improve the bottom line performance of organization and individuals. Gordon may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 905-790-2944 http://www.newmanlearning.com
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