A Customer Focused Culture

Posted by on Jan 8, 2011 in Lean Six Sigma | 0 comments

A culture is defined as “a pattern of shared beliefs and values that provide members of an organization with rules of behavior or accepted norms for conducting operations.”  It is the philosophies, ideologies, values, assumptions, beliefs, expectations, attitudes, and norms that knit an organization together.
In a Lean Six Sigma organization, the philosophies, ideologies, values, assumptions, beliefs, expectations, attitudes, and norms are focused on providing value for their customers.  By practicing and supporting the desired culture daily, the leadership of the organization aligns the expectation at three levels:  the overall organizational goals and objectives, the organization’s processes, and the performance of individuals during their daily activities. 

The leaders define systems and standards that support the overall organizational goals and objectives.  Leaders get people to do what they have not done before therefore making the organization more successful.  Within this framework, employees work to create value for the organization’s customers.
Today the current global business environment is extremely competitive.  Consumers are more than willing to switch from supplier to supplier in search of better services, availability, courtesy, features, or for any variety of reasons.  Organizations must focus on determining and providing what their customers want and value.  A customer-focused culture therefore must listen to what their customers say and translate what they learn into appropriate actions.  They must also align their key business processes to support what their customers want.

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