When you start a business, you do not expect it to run smoothly right away. But refinements and improvements will eventually come, and your latest iteration will be your best yet. Take CNC laser cutter manufacturers as an example. They make pieces of equipment that have high-grade lasers that can cut through metal sheets. Their earliest models have that heavy, industrial look. Now, they have sleeker and more modern designs. The angular and metallic look is now replaced with smooth curves and painted finish. That is a result of the development of better design and engineering as a result of all the lessons learned from previous work.
Business processes never stay the same. People will always see room for improvement. If you are on a leadership role, you should expect to listen to all kinds of feedback and suggestion from the employees. Handling them can be a challenge, but it is an important job because these could help shape the future of your operations.
Explain the Merits of the Process
When you have an established process that you have been using for a long time, that means it is doing something right. If someone tries to challenge it or finds fault in it, you want to make sure that they have the right reasons for doing so. Listen to what they have to say and assess if they have valid reasons or suggestions. Regardless of that, it is best to explain the merits of your current process. They might be overlooking something and that might be the reason why they think some things are lacking.
Acknowledge Feedback
It is important to acknowledge people’s intentions and ideas when they send their feedback. This will make them feel that their voices are heard. People like it when they feel that what they say is given some importance.
Launch an Official Survey
If you have been getting more than a fair share of complaints about the processes, you can launch a survey if you want to gather more information. This way, you will have a general idea of what people want. While it is indeed true that you cannot please anyone, catering to the majority will make sure that you get ample support in case you implement changes to your processes.
Set Proper Expectations
While it is good for people to voice out their opinions and suggestions, that does not mean that changes will be implemented. They still have to be analyzed for their feasibility and risks, and there is the chance that they will be disregarded too. You need to get this message across however you can. People need to have the expectation that there is a process to it, and they may or may not see their ideas come to fruition.
When employees have something to say about what is going on in the business, the higher-ups should listen. This could be information that can be used to streamline or improve the internal processes of the various departments in the organization. If anything gets past the approval stage and gets implemented, it can only spell good things for everyone because you just made something that is already established better.
