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Step 1
Develop a well-defined set of value policies. Organizational values help define a company and its culture, and give employees and leadership a framework to help them make decisions. A company that desires to make a commitment to excellence may consider developing its value policies to show what the company really stands for. Organizational leadership staff members may define the value and ethics policies they think are important and that will help support the company through prosperous and lean economic cycles. The organizational values should be longstanding policies which help define the company. Company leaders should think carefully about how the company is viewed from the outside and the inside. Value statements and policies these leaders define are a reflection on the character of the company as a whole. These policies and statements should help support the company’s desire to achieve a level of excellence.
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Step 2
Ensure value policies are in line with corporate culture. If value policies are incongruent with the organizational culture it may be difficult for the company employees to support the policies. This might have a negative effect on the company and may cause the value policy to undermine efforts to commit to and achieve a level of excellence. On the other hand, it may be possible to help reshape culture with new value policies to cope with changes in an industry. For example, if government policies force an organization to change its policies due to environmental regulations, the corporate values statements and policies may have to change to help change the culture within the organization. Any value changes should support the new direction of the company.
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Step 3
Commit to process improvement methods. Depending on the organization’s budget this may involve very formal methods, including International Standards Organization (ISO) certification, or informal process improvement methods. Even smaller companies can seek ways to improve processes within their organizations to improve their products, reduce waste, or increase efficiency. Business leaders may also consider taking some training in Lean or Six Sigma certification (see Resources below). Again, depending on their budget, this could be a very formal process, where an organization hires or trains 1 or more employees in the Lean/Six Sigma process, or it could be as simple as a manager taking a few classes in lean training and possibly getting certified as a Yellow or Green Belt.
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Step 4
Make sure leaders set the example. Organizations that truly desire to seek and obtain a level of excellence must consider how their leadership and managerial staff conduct themselves in the performance of their duties. One way employees can become frustrated, with a potential subsequent loss of creativity, is for leaders and managers to tell employees to follow policies which they do not follow themselves. Highly effective leaders and managers typically set the example for their subordinate employees and will be willing to help employees when they need assistance. Helping employees not only shows solid leadership, but it also shows that leaders care about their employees and that they can lead by doing.
