Ways to Scale and Grow Your Organisation

As the business owner or leader in an organisation, you may be operating in a cut through macro environment, characterised by disruption that can change the course of the business. You may be compelled to take a fight or flights approach. Businesses that survive for decades do so not out of sheer luck but are likely to have particular common characteristics – adaptability and resilience.

The dynamic of business environment does not allow to always stop and attempt various methods or approaches, thus executives need to find ways to forge forward swiftly. To be at your best judgment state, you should have at your fingertips some tested and proven approaches that enterprises have used to scale and grow to success. 

There are ways you can sustain business growth to enable you to prepare for any potential disruption and succeed in turbulent times. Some of the approaches you can utilise for a successful growth trajectory include – practising agility, business process optimisation, automation, customer-centricity, and a people focus. 

Agility 

Agility in the business context is the ability of organisations to adapt fast to the dynamic business environment. An agile organisation builds its processes and operations to produce faster results and strives to be adaptive to change. The organisation can then respond to market changes and avoid disruption or cushion its effects. 

The Agile Business Consortium identifies the core elements that promote agility as leadership, strategy, governance, people, and culture. The five elements work in unison, and if one is a-miss, the agility intention falls apart. Top leadership buy-in is necessary to implement the governance structures & strategy to support agility. To realise the outcomes, you need a supportive culture & people in the organisation. 

Agility is becoming more critical to business growth and success because it is the antidote to the dynamic macro environment. The typical business deals with constant changes in consumer behaviour, legislation, inflation, etc. The more established the company, the more the effort is required to develop agile systems that promote growth and sustainability. However, such companies must adopt agility to sustain their operations and scale.  

Business Process Optimisation 

Business process optimisation involves re-designing operational procedures to enhance efficiencies in the organisation. Companies operating for several years may not realise their operations are not optimal until they assess them. There is a high likelihood that the assumptions used to build the old processes are no longer valid, leading to waste and inefficiency. 

There are tell-tale signs that your organisation is due for an optimisation process. Such indications include – over-reliance on paperwork for operations, lack of instant data retrieval, customer dissatisfaction, unintegrated systems, long waits between processes, etc. The situation begins as a minor hitch and gradually degenerates into a defunct operation. 

It is advisable to deal with the problem at its formative stages to avoid the resource investment associated with overhauling an entire business operation. To discover the need for process optimisation, you should periodically conduct a business process improvement (BPI) assessment. The assessment identifies improvement opportunities, and you re-design processes as you move along. Efficient systems support organisational growth. 

Digital Transformation 

In the modern business environment, organisations cannot avoid digitising their processes. Customers demand instant service, compelling companies to have automated back and front-end processes to deliver on customer expectations. Digital transformation goes beyond having a few automated processes in an organisation and focuses on the whole ecosystem including functional lifecycles.

The approach involves altering a business model to have responsive products, processes, and systems to the digital technology. In this approach, the business ought to harness value by transforming service to customers and impacting its bottom line. The journey also involves changing the employee mindsets to embrace the change to enhance its success. 

Digital transformation becomes increasingly relevant in the current business environment when many organisations suddenly have to provide remote services. The Gartner Survey 2021 reveals that 69 per cent of the board of directors in the US, EMEA, and APAC states accelerated their digital business initiatives during the COVID-19 disruption period. The role of digital transformation in the sustainability and growth of organisations cannot be over-emphasised.    

Customer Centricity 

Customers are the lifeline of businesses. For an organisation to be successful, all its processes, policies, products, and services need to be at the advantage of the customer. An organisation where even one process impedes customer service starts its downfall. Customer centricity demands that all organisation strategies and decision-making have the customer as the critical focus. 

A customer-centric organisation typically has a delighted and loyal customer base. Such a result is not by chance but comes through purposive actions in developing market-driven products delivered through excellent services to customers. The organisation has an inbuilt customer feedback mechanism to improve its processes to impact customer experience. 

Today’s customers are informed and spoilt for choice on products/services they can access. For a company to woo such customers, they have to display exemplary service. Having customer centricity at the core of your strategy means you attract more customers and keep the existing ones. The reward comes through revenue growth. 

People Focus 

People achieve results for an organisation. The best processes and systems fall flat on their faces without the right and sufficiently motivated people. A people focus is necessary for an organisation that wants to get the best out of its employees. Many organisations have people working in functions where they are underutilised because of a lack of recognition or career development opportunities. 

Staff development programs, welfare management, a conducive work environment, and an equal opportunity progression policy are necessary for a people-focused organisation. Develop a positive work culture that cultivates openness and sharing to get the best out of people. Employees are the catalyst to an organisation’s success, and it is imperative to invest in them to grow.  

Grow Your Organisation to its Highest Potential 

Organisational growth does not happen by chance. The most successful corporate owners attest to implementing purposive strategies to impact their business growth. Not all approaches work the same for all organisations, and you must assess your business before selecting the best course of action. 

The critical aspect is to know the growth strategy, evaluate your internal/external environment, and implement it. The transformation need not involve an overhaul of your business operation. You can apply the approach in phases and progressively reap the benefits of growth in your enterprise.