​That’s a good question. Is Organisational Transformation just a buzzword? Actually, there’s more to it and it’s important that we should know what is it all about. More so if you’re in the corporate world.
 
Before we establish why Organisational Transformation is needed, let’s first define it. From the name itself, we can infer that we are dealing with changes.
 
In Organisational Transformation, it’s not just the way business is done is changed – it’s also about evolving the company culture to keep up with the times and current challenges. 
 
There are many ways to transform a business. It can be about improving the current operations of the company, taking a closer look on the strategies implemented, and making the organisation ready for changes.  
 
So how can a company benefit from Organisational Transformation then?
 
Flexibility – Companies have established ways of doing things. They have put in place processes to accomplish tasks. However, it’s inevitable that things do change through the years. Even in months – change can be quite unpredictable.
 
When things remain as is and we ignore the changes, sometimes the processes of a company become just too rigid. It can no longer cater to a wider option of parameters. The processes involved can’t adapt to the changes. It no longer works.
 
This lack of flexibility totally limits the company’s capability. It also limits the company’s ability to compete. Without flexibility, the company might get left behind in the industry.
 
Looking at the current processes and transforming them to be more flexible is a much-needed change for the company.
 
Being more customer-focused – Times are changing, that we have to admit. The way we do business really changes over the years. It’s important to adapt to changes – that includes how you do your business as well.
 
What’s your focus? These days it about being focused on your brand’s customers. It’s about being customer-centric. What are your customers’ needs? What are they looking for? It’s no longer about releasing a product and expecting people to need it.
 
Customers notice when they are being listened to. Customers notice when their needs are addressed. And if you have been doing it differently through the years, of course a change is necessary. Transform the company’s focus.
 
Company Culture – This is also another important aspect of work that should be given attention to. Company culture defines the working environment. What does your company emulate? A company’s culture affects how people work. It’s what they have to deal with everyday.
 
Is it a culture where people are motivated to work? It is a culture that enhances the talents of those who are within it? Is it a culture where good working relationships are developed?
 
If it doesn’t motivate people to do better, then there is obviously something wrong with it. If the current company culture is not in line with the organisation’s mission, vision and direction, probably it’s time for a transformation.
 
Maximising talent – Employees belonging in the organisation have different talents, we recognise that. Another employee’s skillset may differ from the other and that’s great – it’s good to know that there’s diversity in skills in one company. 
 
However, a bigger concern is – are their talents maximised? They may have all the best skills, but are they used for the best purposes? It’s just a shame when talents are underutilised. When the skills are present but not used for the right activities – it’s just a waste. 
 
It’s unfortunate if they are not living up to their potential. This is where Organisational Transformation becomes more useful.
 
Transforming the company in a way that the talents of the people are highlighted and put into good use. It’s knowing their strengths and using it to the advantage of everyone.
 
Information Technology – Integrating information technology is an important innovation in your business. Through the years we can see how technology is taking a bigger role in our businesses and improving the way we do things.
 
Integrating technology means incorporating more efficiency and also definitely changing what has usually been the process. Transformation should be in order to cope with the changes brought by technology.
 
Getting left behind in the business was mentioned earlier – and not recognizing the benefits of technology will contribute to that situation.
 
Competitive Advantage – In the business, there will always be competitors – that’s a given. Even if you are the top seller today, that can change with the blink of an eye. Bottom line is, you won’t be on top forever without hard work.
 
Of course, hard work placed your company on top but the work doesn’t stop when you become number one. The work doesn’t stop when you have achieved the goals you have set for the company.
 
The thing with success, you can’t be complacent. The industry won’t stop for you. Your competitors won’t stop for you. In fact, they will find ways to get ahead in the market.
 
It’s up to you to retain your status in the industry. Or if you want a better position, it’s up to you to change that. It’s up to you to find that competitive advantage. And one of the ways to achieve this is through Organizational Transformation.
 
Transforming the company to give them the competitive advantage in the business.
 
Summary
 
To wrap this up, it’s never good to remain status quo as an organisation. As cliché as it sounds, the only thing permanent in this world is change. Your company should continuously adapt. You always have to be on your toes.
 
There’s no time for complacency in the business. Competitions come and go and it’s up to you how you can survive. Organisational Transformation is one of the keys in staying afloat in the industry.
 
Changes can be uncomfortable but think about the bigger picture. Organisational Transformation changes your company in a way that is enduring.  However, do take note that the change should not just remain a vision.
 
It’s important to put down a road map for the transformation so everyone knows the direction and are aware of the timelines. This way, the progress towards the goal can be tracked and measured. 

There’s so much discussion on human resources and process mapping lately. What do we need to know about them? What’s the deal? Why do we need to talk about these topics?
 
When you are in the corporate world, you need things to be put into order. You need organisation. You need your Human Resources group to be on top of this. When you enter a company, they are the first division that you meet.
 
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s get down to the basics first and understand all these definitions.
 
What is a Human Resource? The Human Resource is a person or a group within an organisation who is/are responsible for hiring people for the positions in the company.
 
Other than that, Human Resources also deal with but not limited to administrative concerns, compensation, performance measure, and employee training. You see, they do have a lot of functions within the organisation.
 
It’s not just about hiring people for the job – they do an assortment of tasks other than that as well. Their function is very essential as it’s important to fill in the vacancies and they also look out for the current employees’ welfare.
 
We go to the next term, what is process mapping? We begin by identifying what a process is first - a process is composed of the steps undertaken to accomplish an activity.  There is a start and a finish, an input resulting to an output.
 
A process map is an activity where the steps of the process are identified and represented in a diagram form. In the process map, the direction of documents, information, and materials can be seen.
 
If there are several tasks involved in the process – it is identified as well. And from the definition of a process, you can see in the mapping how the input is transformed into an output. And if a decision is necessary along the process, it is represented in the diagram also.
 
With the graphic representation, we can also see the relationships of the steps within the process mapping. It’s easier to check which step is dependent on the other and so. There are several ways to do process mapping – good old-fashioned drawings.
 
However, keeping up with technology – there are several softwares available that we can use to make our life easier. After all, generally there are common shapes used for the diagrams (activity, connectors, external activity, external deliverable, decision, deliverable, off-page connectors, start/end deliverable).
 
Just to give you an idea, here are the brief descriptions for each of them:
 
Activity – Describes the task. Described in verb form.
Connectors – Arrows that connect the shapes in the map. The direction of the arrow indicates also the flow of the process.
External activity – Activity done outside the organisation but nonetheless must be indicated in the process flow.
External deliverable – Output or result on an activity that is not part of the overall process. It can be produced outside the organisation.
Decision – Activity where there is a choice. It is described in a question.
Deliverable – Result of the process, the output.
Off-page connectors – Indicates flow is continued to another page.
Start/end deliverable – Shapes that signify the start and end of the process
 
Along with this, Noun-Verb Process Mapping Method is used. These are a set of rules to govern the process mapping: 

1. Input / Output – described with a noun
2. Activity -  described with a verb
3. Don’t connect two verbs / two nouns
4. Each separate page should have at least one page of input and at least one page of output

 
These concepts behind process mapping may seem a lot at this point but don’t worry – they are easy to remember and you’ll get the hang of it no time. Actually, they are simple enough to use and make the process easier to understand.
 
Going back, how can we relate Human Resources and Process Mapping? As said earlier, Human Resources have a lot of functions in the organisation – meaning they have a lot of processes to deal with.
 
Why is process mapping important to Human Resources?
 
Identify work responsibilities – With a process map in place for the tasks, it’s easier for Human Resources to identify work responsibilities. The task of each person is clearly defined making accountability easier to trace.
 
Easier job turnover – People come, some people go. People move to other tasks and another will take over. Changing roles is inevitable. With an established process map, the transfer of knowledge and activities can be facilitated better. 
 
The process map indicates how the task is performed so job turnover is done more efficiently. Human resource doesn’t have to train people from scratch because of the process map.
 
Standardised process – Even with the same desired output, people may have different ways of accomplishing the task. And this is not really ideal when you want the job to be consistent.
 
You want to get the same results within the same parameters. Process mapping enables HR to standardise the tasks.
 
Measurement of performance – A process map enables Human Resource to know if they are getting the desired results. Because of the clear definitions, the output can be measured. There is a basis for measurement.
 
Compliance – There are work standards in place such as ISO and process maps are great ways to check if the organisation is being compliant. Process maps are excellent resources for audits.
 
Manage Risks – Vulnerabilities and chances of risk can be checked from a process map. This way Human Resources can train people to be pro-active because of the risks that may happen.
 
Process improvement – The nature of a particular activity may change through time. Some tasks have to evolve due to the changes in the organisation or even due to external factors. Some tasks need to be improved as well.
 
The beauty of process maps, you can tweak them to adapt with the current situation. There’s no need to redo the process mapping when the existing map can be modified.
 
Summary
 
In this article, we hope we gave you a better picture of how process mapping plays an important role in the organisation. Process mapping has been proving its usefulness to Human Resources. It’s an excellent tool to help this division put into order the tasks they are responsible of in the business.

Are you an entrepreneur in Newcastle? How long have you been in the business? If you have been in the industry for quite some time, you may have observed that the way business has been done has evolved through the years.
 
It’s not really a bad thing as change is a constant in this world – including business. However, what is your strategy to address this situation? How does your organisation cope?
 
We can’t deny how doing business in Newcastle has become more competitive through the years. Because we can’t prevent this flow, you will need to adapt.
 
Today we talk about what people in the business have been talking about– Organisational Transformation. It’s a topic often mentioned in business circles and it’s about time you get to know more of it too.
 
If you want your business to stay afloat in Newcastle, why not consider Organisational Transformation?
 
What is Organisational Transformation?
 
First order of business – defining what Organisational Transformation is. Actually, it’s already easy to deduce what’s going to happen from the term itself. It’s about change. It’s about transformation.
 
Change in the business can happen in several ways – it could be changing the strategies, the company culture, and even the operations.
 
Understandably, people will have an aversion to change. The word itself can be met with skepticism and reluctance to take part in change. Change could be scary for some but the only thing scary about change is not knowing what happens next if it’s enforced.
 
The thing is – Organisational Transformation comes with benefits, which brings us to the next topic.
 
What are the advantages of undergoing Organisational Transformation?
 
Efficiency – What’s the state of your current processes? Has it been a long time since you’ve reviewed them? With your processes in operations, what worked before may not necessarily mean it will work well through the years.
 
There’s a chance that what you’ve been doing is nearly outdated or it’s no longer efficient. It may have yielded the best results before but can you say the same for now? Your processes need to be reviewed periodically.
If it no longer works or it’s not coming up with optimal results, it may be time for a transformation. If you want to be on top of your business, your operations need to be efficient. Transform to bring back efficiency.
 
Highlighting Strengths – Employees within a company have varied strengths. However, a skill is just a skill if it’s not highlighted. Organisational Transformation is a great way to bring out those strengths and apply them.  
 
Integrating Information Technology - Technology has made us more productive in our work. It has made things more streamlined and efficient. However, technology will always advance. We cannot be stuck with the first technology that was implemented in the business.
 
It is necessary to integrate information technology into your business and updating it is as important.
 
Keeping up with your competition – Your business will never run out of competitors. You may be a pioneer, a groundbreaker, or the lone provider for a time – but businesses around you will innovate.
 
You can’t remain where you are. You need to regain your competitive advantage. You need to transform.
 
Changing Focus – Nowadays it’s all about the customers. What do they want? What’s valuable to them? Products and services are created with the customers in mind. Businesses nowadays have become customer-centric.
 
And that’s something you should think about as well. Review your business’ focus. Change your strategy to adapt.
 
What does an organisation need to do to implement transformation?
 
Set the direction – The first thing to do of course is set the mission and vision. What are the objectives now? That sets the new direction of the company. You can’t go forward with change if you do not know which direction you are going to.
 
Design the process – This is the part where the vision is transformed into processes that will help achieve the goals that has been laid out in the direction setting stage.
 
The objectives are broken down into more specific statements, eliminating vagueness and pushing for clarity. The people need to understand what they are aiming for.
 
With specific objectives, the performance is easier to measure as well. The employees would know how near or far they are from achieving the goal.
 
Performance – With objectives and processes in place, it’s time to work on performance. Everyone in the organisation will work together to work on the targets.
 
Alignment – Since new processes, new capabilities emerged from the transformation – it’s time to realign the system. This way, the change is better enforced into the organisation. It’s setting the new standards within the company.
 
What key principles should be present?
 
Core values – Do not forget about core values. These drives the behavior of the organisation. In what everyone does, it should support the company core values. Decisions made should be consistent with the company beliefs.
 
Learning – Although there’s a road map prepared for the Organisational Transformation where every detail to achieving it is noted – there should always be room for improvement.
 
It’s tempting to follow the map to the exact detail but it’s important to take note of the lessons along the way and learn from it. Do not be afraid to improve where it is needed. 
 
Team players – Organisational transformation is a group effort. It needs a large-scale effort to attain it. Each role in the company is important. That’s why you should provide support to teams. If there are skill gaps, provide training as necessary. If the teams are motivated, expect higher performance levels.
 
Strategy – Even with earnest efforts and a diligent team, things won’t work out without a sound strategy. The change should be backed up by a good strategy.
 
Structure – Similar to strategy, if the company’s structure does not support the change needed – the transformation will not happen. Think about the transformation as a whole and not just on few, select aspects of the business.
 
Summary
​In this fast-paced world of business, your company will truly benefit in transformation. If your business is in Newcastle, the more you should think about it. More businesses are coming up and the current ones are innovating as well.
 
The way business is conducted will always change and no one can stop that. The good news is – your business will not be left behind if you take action. Here’s to hoping that this guide helped you understand Organisational Transformation more.
 
 
 

​​What makes our work easier? It’s when we establish the process. It shows the journey of the input through output. A process shows how it’s done from start to finish.
 
Although some may argue, why not just do things the way you want it without following a process? Why follow a process when you can get things done anyway? Okay, that’s a fair argument but let’s talk about how having a process is more advantageous.
 
Duplicatable – The thing with work, it’s fairly common that you have to do it all over again. You have to repeat the task. When you establish a process in place, the work can be duplicated with ease. You don’t have to backtrack to check how you have done it before – you just refer back to the process.
 
And if the job needs to be transferred to another person, all you have to do is endorse the process for that task. As simple as that, a documented process makes work duplicatable.
 
Consistency – If the same task is performed by several people, it’s easier to have a process. You can say that the result is more consistent because the people are following the same process. You yield similar outcomes because of the step by step instruction that has been put into place.
 
Deviations – And if the results differ from what is expected, one can immediately turn to the process to investigate where the deviation happened. It’s easier to pinpoint where the error originated when there is a standard process that is being followed.
 
Performance Metric – With having a process, it’s easier to decide the performance metric. It makes the activities uniform and easy to measure.
 
Improvement – Some aspects of the task may change and it’s necessary to adapt, having a process enables you to identify which part to modify. Sometimes you don’t need to redo the entire process, you just have to redesign some parts.
 
Responsibility – Knowing the process would define the responsibilities of the people involved. It’s easier to identify the activity owners and the separation of each task. Process maps make accountability easier to define.
 
Now that we have established that having a process makes our lives easier – is there also a process in creating the process? Sounds confusing, but it’s a question that makes sense.
 
How do you draw your process? How do you make your process universal? How to you make it understandable to anyone who sees it? The good news is - this can be done.
 
You can do process mapping. The process and the decisions are all identified in diagram form. It’s a graphic representation where you can see the flow from start to end.
 
There are many tools you can use in creating your processes. You can manually draw it, use word processing tools – but that’s just too much work. Not really effective as doing the process alone takes up so much time already. It defeats your purpose, because you want efficiency in the first place.
 
An advantage we have now is that we live in the age of technology. And we say - take advantage of it. One of the tools we recommend is the MS VISIO. It’s a software where you can draw a diagram for your process map. It’s quite easy to use, and you just need a little know how.
 
Understand first the commonly used process mapping terms and shapes and what do they represent.
 
It is recommended that you should also learn the Noun-Verb Process Mapping Method. Familiarise yourself with the commonly used shapes such as: activity, deliverable, inputs, outputs, suppliers, and customers.
 
Here are the rules of Noun-Verb Process Mapping Method:

• Input / Output – described with a noun
• Activity  -  described with a verb
• Don’t connect two verbs / two nouns
• Each separate page should have at least one page of input and at least one page of output

 
It’s easier to draw your process map when you have all the shapes and the functions figured out. You would do your process map faster when you know how to use the shapes. When you look less at the reference, the more efficient you’ll be in VISIO.
 
Familiarise yourself with VISIO commands. Like any other software, you have to understand how it works. It can get pretty intimidating at first because everything’s new but do not be afraid to explore.
 
Practice creating process maps. You only get better if you spend time studying how VISIO works. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes or it takes you long to build a process map. If you do it over and over again, you’ll get the hang of it.
 
One thing you could do also is to learn the keyboard shortcuts. Know the frequent actions you do in process mapping and check their corresponding shortcuts. You don’t know where to look for them? Don’t fret, we have compiled some useful VISIO shortcuts here:
 
New Process Map - Ctrl + N
Save the Process Map - Ctrl + S