Leveraging technology without leaving our people behind to build a culture of operational excellence

Leveraging technology without leaving our people behind to build a culture of operational excellence

Empowering your team for digital transformation success 

Our team recently took part in the OPEX Roadshow with Public Sector Network. It was wonderful to meet the leaders in local, state and federal government organisations across Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. These events were a melting pot of ideas, innovations, and industry insights.  

We spoke to Christine Georgey and Michelle Burnheim to find out their key insights from the Operational Excellence Roadshow.

Key takeaways from the roadshow 

In today’s multi-layered business environment, achieving operational excellence is not just desirable—it’s essential. A strong organisational culture, underpinned by continuous training and development, equips your team with the skills they need to thrive.   

Culture and Strategy – opponents or collaborators 

The roadshow’s keynote speakers echoed this sentiment from Peter Druckers famous adage ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’, emphasising that a strong organisational culture is the bedrock which successful strategies are built. Without a strong corporate culture, even the most well-crafted strategies are destined to falter. The absence of strategy or bad strategy can erode the most positive and collaborative of cultures. Both strategy and culture should be seen as equal participants. You can also apply that good culture is a strategy imperative. Empowering your team with training creates a collaborative and informed team to underpin a business strategy and creates an engaged culture.  

Amalgamation of minor returns 

The concept of “amalgamation of minor returns” was another hot topic. This principle underscores the importance of small, incremental improvements that collectively result in significant gains. Every little action matters, and when combined, they contribute to the broader goal of operational excellence. Training when applied to a group or team can accelerate learnings but more importantly applicability. How the training can be applied to an existing process or challenge can be assessed, discussed and resolutions can be agreed during the sessions. 

Cultivating change through digital evolution 

Digital evolution is a necessity for achieving operational excellence. By continuing to leverage digital tools and technologies, organisations can enhance program and service delivery, driving continuous improvement and innovation. This, in turn, fosters agility and enables effective change management. But most importantly how do you ensure the focus on technology doesn’t overshadow your team. Ensuring you have a training and communications plan to mirror the technology implementation plan is crucial to ensuring  the technology will be used as it was intended. 

Defining operational excellence 

Operational excellence was defined as achieving efficient, effective, and high-quality program and service delivery through continuous improvement, innovation, organisational agility, and change enablement. The key elements include: 

• Client-centric culture: Putting the customer at the heart of everything. 

• Process excellence and efficiency: Streamlining processes to eliminate waste and improve productivity. 

• Talent development and engagement: Investing in people to drive engagement and growth. 

• Cross-departmental collaboration: Breaking down silos and fostering teamwork across the organisation. 

• Matrix style organisation: Drawing on cross-departmental expertise to form project teams that drive initiatives forward. 

Professional training supports your team at every step of the transformation 

Professional training fuels the success of an organisation. It equips employees with the skills and knowledge they need to drive change, foster innovation, and continuously improve processes. 

Why professional training is essential for operational excellence 

• Operational excellence is not a one-time achievement; it’s an ongoing journey that requires continuous improvement. To ensure success on this journey, professional training plays a vital role in: 

• Developing skills: Professional training equips employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to drive process improvements effectively. 

• Building capabilities: By investing in employee development, organisations build their capabilities, ensuring they have the support and training needed to achieve operational excellence. 

The importance of professional training 

Building a solid structure 

Intertek SAI global is renowned for our auditor training, but our expertise extends far beyond that. We upskill your people at each stage of the business cycle, ensuring continuous improvement. Our partnership focuses on: 

• Identifying gaps: Understanding the current state and outlining the desired state. 

• Enhancing current processes: Optimising existing processes before considering new systems. 

• Building requirements and capabilities: Ensuring teams are well-equipped to enhance the success of new software engagements. 

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, achieving operational excellence is not just desirable—it’s essential. A strong organisational culture, underpinned by continuous training and development, equips your team with the skills they need to thrive. 

We are committed to partnering with organisations on this journey. Our comprehensive training programs ensure that your team is always prepared, no matter where you are in the transformation process.  

Book a consultation with us today to learn how we can help your organisation achieve operational excellence through targeted training and development programs.