International Business

Posts Tagged ‘Audience’

Recognize this: the external consultant is using a language you no longer understand. We first have to look at the “Business process.” Right, you think, but what is it and why is it important?

As defined before – The secret weapon of the consultant, slang is part of its repertoire. Sales people have their own jargon (closing the deal), so have accountants (budget, margins) and why not.. consultants: business process, functions, base qualities, …They are needed.

But the consultant should be able to make clear why you need it, what is it for and perhaps he should educate its audience sometimes. It is all part of the job.

So,

A business process: what is it?

A business process is what your company’s main activities are, at a high level. For example.
In a hospital the main activities are: cure and care. There are a few more main activities but these are the most visible and define the impact on the organization. But about that later.

For a translator the main business process is not to translate, but to intermediate. The intermediation however is not specific enough. That’s why a process is only a first part of understanding a company.

The next thing to know is the function.

Again for a hospital the functions are: surgery, radiology, gynecology or dental surgery. In the area of translation the functions are the languages to which to translate (English-Spanish, French-German, etc) These functions make the process specific and show how the business is focused. The process on itself cannot offer a goal to the company (cure many people), the additional function (offering the best surgery in the region) is specific enough to set a goal.

Then there “things” like base qualities. For example, “availability.” They do not tell anything about the process nor the function but all about who it is used. For a hospital it is important not only to cure clients, but also to do so when they are ill, and not when some specialist is available (from nine to five during the week and not in the weekends…)

Having these three defined it is possible to tell something about the organization; Who is going to do WHAT? Now you need not only one surgeon, but a backup “to be available.” This is when organizing comes in the picture. And management will follow…

People and foremost those that are specialized in a field have little knowledge about these abstractions. But when setting-up a (change) project you need to know about some basics in order to make the change. Make sure you involve people by explaining these terms and why they are needed. If there is a lack of involvement it could be just because of this slang, that leads its own life in the organization.

It is the responsibility of the consultant and advisor to educate people in this area and to explain why it is needed. It is all part of the job.

For those who are not familiar they should pose questions, starting with the basic, “what do you mean by that, or I don’t understand.”

Likewise, where there is a presentation about business, functions and more slang and … there is no feedback, no question from the audience, than probably there is no contact.

H.J.B.