The Shared Services environment as we know is a very process and transaction oriented system. This means that people who run such organizations have to be very adept in managing this ecosystem in order to ensure sustainable operations & continuous improvement for supporting and enabling business operations.
I have seen many Shared Services professionals being bogged down by the sheer weight of enormous transactions while trying to implement and operate a Shared Service Centre. A lot of work goes into transforming processes into the Shared Services Centre. But many projects forget to transform people who play vital roles in transforming the Shared Service Centre. It is important every person understands why certain things are being done in the way that they are being done in a Shared Services Framework. By understanding the Shared Services framework, a professional will be equipped to handle the voluminous transactions and issues that Shared Services Centers deal with.
This actually reminds me of a movie scene from the movie “The Matrix” , where Neo (Keanu Reeves) realizes that Agent Smith is actually a computer program, and that he needs to understand the codes to defeat him. When Neo understands the codes (in the movie he actually sees the agents as codes, instead of the people that they represent) he is able to defeat the agents with ease which till now was impossible.
So how do we understand the “Matrix” or “Codes” of Shared Services?
The Matrix of Shared Services actually is embedded in the concepts of Six Sigma and ITIL. However, is implementing ITIL and Six Sigma really that simple? It is easy to hear about ITIL concepts from a consultant or read from a blog or even attend an ITIL course, but the toughest part comes while implementing these processes in a dynamic Shared Services environment. Every organization is different and they vary with people, processes, environment, the type of support they provide, help desks and much more. ITIL and Six Sigma in itself cannot create wonders or magic for your service delivery.
So what is the right way?
Today, where running efficient & effective processes along with cost -effective service delivery are the key factors to keep your business agile, it is essential that each member of the Shared Services team has an evangelistic approach towards service delivery. In the competitive world that we are in, it’s essential that an individual is not just certified but should be able to practice and implement Six Sigma & ITIL concepts to the newer challenges that a shared services environment generates every day.
So how do you figure out if you have the right set of people in your Shared Services?
One of the easiest ways to do a dip stick check is to check how a Six Sigma or ITIL professional manage their physical workspace. One look will tell you on whether the person would fit in or not. Practicing core 5S is one of the ingrained traits that every Shared Services professional need to adapt.
A real practitioner of ITIL or Six Sigma would be an individual who believes and practices the concepts in every aspect of professional and personal life. They will then clearly understand the concepts of why systematic logging of issues are necessary, what it means to collect data over a period of time, what it takes to term repeated transactions as a problem, understand every bit of the RCA performed and decide when a change is needed. Whether, it is logging of simple issues like a broken chair, or major issues such as a server breakdown, the team or individual need to believe in the fact that a proper recording and systematic tracking is necessary to run a consistent Shared Services Delivery.
A Six Sigma practitioner for instance needs to apply the DMAIC principle in each walk of life. A certified practitioner may give you the right definition of DMAIC, but how much of the principle does S/he apply to everything that S/he does. For instance a person on a quest to lose weight should follow the DMAIC principle if S/he is a real practitioner. Define what S/he is set out to achieve, Measure the changes and improvements, Analyse if the results are satisfactory, Improve when and where needed, Control going forward when he/she has achieved what was initially defined. By doing this the individual is not simply reading and applying Six Sigma concepts at work, but is also improving his/her quality of personal life.
One such live example that I know of this is a case study of how one of the world’s leading lingerie brand implemented the culture of 5S amongst its employees in the manufacturing plant in Chennai(India). The company realized that 5S compliance amongst its employees was pretty low in the factory which resulted in lot of manufacturing defects. They then launched a ‘Take 5S to your Kitchen’ project, since most of the employees were women, to practice and experience the benefits of 5S. The drive was a huge success as women started experiencing the benefits of 5S at home and they realized the importance of applying it at the factory. Needless to say, the manufacturing defects drastically reduced.
It’s the same ‘Mantra’ with Shared Services. People who run Shared Services need to experience and practice Six Sigma and ITIL in their practical lives to apply them fruitfully in a Shared Services environment. Companies which set up Shared Services Centre need to run initiatives to ensure people believe and practice the concepts that they adopt in the professional lives to ensure that Shared Services deliver what they are set up for. Transformation of Shared Services process will be a lot easier if people are first transformed into “Shared Services Evangelists” practicing what they preach in the Shared Services Ecosystem.
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