Spot the Hidden Resources

---

Where's the Help?
Are you under constraints at work and it’s taking a toll on you as the leader?  Do you have more work to do but no additional headcount? Perhaps there is a hiring freeze or you’ve been told you can’t bring in replacements when someone leaves your unit.  
 
Unfortunately, this is how a lot of big companies deal with shrinking market share or downturns in their industry.  But what if I told you there might be some resources available that you can’t see yet?  In fact, you may be able to recoup a full role or parts of a role, you just need to know where and how to look.   
 
Time to BRAG
There are a variety of strategies you can use to uncover hidden capacity. To help you get started, we’re going to have to BRAG a little bit:

• Blow it Up
• Retool
• Align the Boxes
• Get Nosey

 
Blow it Up – aka. Process Redesign
You can regain significant efficiencies by revisiting processes and there are many different approaches you can use to redesign them. Here are two methodologies I've found successful for uncovering wasted work efforts that can give you back some of your resource and time:

• Lean Six Sigma – An approach that focuses on eliminating inefficiency by using a defined systematic approach. It provides a framework that identifies how to simplify process and reduce rework. 
• The GE Work-Out – One of my personal favourites! This is a tremendous approach for very quickly uncovering work that is wasting precious resources. Check out the The GE Workout by Dave Ulrich and Ron Ashkenas.  

 
Retool
Focused at the role level, this step involves reviewing the scope and depth of each job in the team to determine what work is critical and what work may be less necessary or could be done differently.  Look for odd hand-offs or ‘busy’ work, eliminate this low value work and replace with work that provides a greater contribution for the team.  Expand accountabilities and give employees the opportunity to learn new skills; job expansion can also help with raising employee engagement, provided the person is not overworked.
 
Align the Boxes
Using tools to clarify team member accountabilities provides clarity of purpose and assists the team in fully understanding who does what.  Frequently team members are unclear as to each other’s roles, causing confusion, which results in rework or duplication of effort   The focus here should be to ensure the right work is being done at the appropriate level, using the skills and capabilities of the correct talent. This will push administrative work down, making for more efficient use of everyone’s skills.
 
Get Nosey
I’ve personally found this to be a rare gem when uncovering hidden talents, and the best part is it’s so simple! How well do you know the talents and passions of who you have working for you?  And what team member skills or experience might you be unaware of?
 
Frequently we find that employees are under-utilized.  Assumptions are often made based on job titles or what’s been seen to date, but most people have a kit bag of skills beyond what their job description specifies.  For example, some of the greatest Project Managers I know were once Executive Assistants. Think about it, juggling priorities, keeping everyone in the loop, scheduling, organizing…very similar skills!
 
Did you know, one of the most common reasons for employees to quit a job is the feeling of being under-valued and under-utilized?
 
Most people want meaningful work that provides an opportunity to grow; get to know what each of your team love to do, what they do in their spare time and what their previous experience is and then look at how you may retool and enrich their work to capitalize on their skill-set.  
 
A great place to start is to use self-assessment tools that will help you and your team understand their unique styles.  You never know, you may just find someone who is just itching to take on something more.
 
Call in Dots to Help!
If you need help crafting a solution to find hidden resources, or to discuss how to clarify team accountabilities, assess your team and design an efficient workflow, please feel free to Contact Us.  You can also learn more about Dots by checking out our About page.
 
What Worked For You?
We'd love to hear from you!  What strategies have worked for you to find hidden resources?

Photo used under Creative Commons from Animalparty