Motivating employees to develop a sense of ownership over the business processes they deal with every day can be hugely beneficial to your organisation, increasing efficiency and staff morale.
However, like all good business concepts, it’s easier said that done. We’ve put together this short guide to provide some practical tips on fostering a culture of process ownership within your company.
What is a business process owner?
A business process owner is the person responsible for managing and continually improving a process to deliver the desired outcomes.
Who should own a business process?
A process owner is someone who has the most expertise, or a very high level of expertise, in the relevant area of the business. They need to have visibility over the entire process so they can identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement in order to implement change.
While business process owners are usually key decision-makers such as the Chief Financial Officer or the Head of HR, senior leaders may delegate ownership to experienced people within their departments who are more involved with the day-to-day management of a specific process.
Why is process ownership important?
Process ownership improves accountability and employee engagement, as decisions are being made by the people who are going to be directly impacted. It’s especially important when businesses need to overcome cultural resistance to change when introducing new business processes or workflows.
10 Benefits of business process ownership for enterprise organisations
- Continuous improvement
- More efficient processes
- Improved productivity
- Better collaboration
- Higher customer satisfaction
- Scalability
- Standardisation
- Cost savings
- Reduced Waste
- Improved Compliance
5 ways to encourage process ownership within your organisation
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Set aside structured time for process mapping and improvement
If you know there are inefficiencies but nothing has been done to fix them because the process is working (sort of), then it’s only a matter of time before small glitches create bigger problems. Instead of waiting for this to happen, set aside structured time to examine how your processes are working and how they can be optimised to deal with new challenges. Making this a priority, rather than an after-thought, will save time and resources.
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Provide relevant training and education
You’re relying on your process owners to constantly identify issues and work out solutions. Ensure they are equipped with the right training and resources to fulfil their responsibilities. As your workflows will continue to evolve to meet new challenges, your training should also be an ongoing process.
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Facilitate genuine two-way communication
You’re relying on your process owners to constantly identify issues and work out solutions. Ensure they are equipped with the right training and resources to fulfil their responsibilities. As your workflows will continue to evolve to meet new challenges, your training should also be an ongoing process.
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Encourage innovation
If you’ve ever worked in an organisation with a deeply entrenched blame culture, then you’re aware of how much it discourages people from raising fresh ideas. Build a business culture where experimentation and innovative thinking are welcomed, and where failures are viewed as opportunities to learn.
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Choose your process management tools carefully
It’s typical for businesses to invest in a shiny new process management system, then spend a lot of time and effort mapping processes, only for the results to be filed away and seldom referred to again.
To get maximum value from workflow management software, ensure it’s:
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- user-friendly: employees should be able to design and improve their own processes
- intuitive: once a staff member completes a task, the system should automatically identify the next step and alert the next person in the chain what they need to do
- easily integrated: the technology should integrate with your other business software systems such as CRMs, HR and finance software
At Demeter, we’ve developed an AI-friendly, flexible process mapping and management tool that provides detailed reporting insights and ROI measurement. Watch our short video about how it works.
Read our guide on how to improve your business processes in three minutes.
We make process flow, so your business grows.
To take the first step towards improving business processes at your organisation, get in touch.
