Consultancy
Overbrug De Kloof Tussen Primaire Proces En OndersteuningHow well do we really know our ‘internal customer’? Do we truly understand what they want and what matters to them? The relationship between support departments and core operations, the internal customer, is often under pressure. On the one hand, core operations cannot function without support, while on the other, support functions have no reason to exist without core operations. It is a challenge for organisations to connect primary and support processes effectively. How can we bring the internal customer back into clear focus and properly value the expertise of support teams? How wide is the gap, how did it arise, and what can be done about it?
The gap
Where core operations exist to deliver the final product or service, support processes are designed to enable and facilitate those core activities. The gap between core operations and support services manifests as a lack of mutual understanding. Support teams are often criticised for not understanding what happens in core operations and for failing to fulfil their purpose of being supportive. At the same time, support functions frequently feel misunderstood and believe there is insufficient appreciation for the expertise their work requires.
Ultimately, this gap causes processes to run less smoothly. Processes could be faster, cheaper or better. For example, the organisation may fail to recruit the right people on time. Equipment may not be maintained to the required standard. Or it may take excessive effort and coordination to create rosters or production plans. All of these are signs that the distance between support functions and core operations has become too great.
Causes of the gap
The gap between teams can be explained by the ingroup–outgroup phenomenon. This suggests that we tend to favour our own group, the ingroup, and to view other groups, the outgroup, less positively (Balliet et al., 2014). This is an important cause of the ‘departmental silos’ often found in organisations. It can arise when teams are structured around functional specialisation such as HR, technical services or administration, creating a strong internal bond within those teams. The stronger the social cohesion within a team, the weaker the connection often becomes with other teams or functional groups. When an excessive sense of competition develops and the focus shifts mainly to differences between teams, a form of polarisation can occur. This dynamic often runs counter to a process-oriented mindset and leads to barriers within the process flow (Bakker, 2013).
In addition to the general phenomenon of ‘departmental silos’, there are several other factors that make collaboration between core operations and support processes more difficult:
- Physical distance. There is often a physical separation between core operations and support teams. The ‘back office’ may be located at a different site or in another part or floor of the building. This literally creates distance between the two.
- Out of sight, out of mind. If you do not know each other well, you are less aware of what the other is dealing with and lack insight into one another’s knowledge and expertise. This ultimately leads to less understanding when something goes wrong in the process. The attitude of “they can sort it out themselves” quickly emerges.
- Lack of process insight. People tend to focus mainly on carrying out their own tasks and less on how these tasks connect with others. No one has a clear view of the entire process, resulting in uncertainty about roles and responsibilities. This is a recipe for errors in handovers, which in turn leads to mutual frustration.
- Insufficient understanding of customer needs. How well do we actually know what the internal customer values? There is not always a shared understanding of what good support to core operations looks like. At the same time, organisations often invest heavily in measuring external customer satisfaction. It is just as essential internally to understand what the (internal) customer needs and what they do not.
- Lack of agreed results. When expectations are not clearly defined, they can drift apart significantly. To prevent this, organisations make agreements with customers or suppliers, for example by drawing up a Service Level Agreement (SLA), in which expectations are made explicit. In internal supplier relationships, this is far less common. Often, no clear agreements are in place, leading to mismatched expectations.
To bridge the gap
Bridging the gap requires a renewed appreciation of the expertise within support functions and a sharper focus on internal customer needs. To align expectations, clear and well-defined result agreements are essential.
How can you bring the internal customer and their needs back into clear focus? Engage with each other and jointly identify the root causes of the gap. Is it due to departmental silos, physical separation, or simply because customer needs have not been made explicit?
To strengthen the connection with the internal customer, a process walk is an effective approach. Give each other a look behind the scenes and show the challenges each team faces. This fosters better mutual understanding and greater appreciation of the expertise within support processes. A further step is to organise temporary staff exchanges between support functions and core operations, or vice versa. A brown paper workshop can provide valuable insight into the flow of the entire process, as well as everyone’s roles and responsibilities within it. It is also an effective way to establish clearer agreements on who does what. Greater insight ultimately leads to greater understanding.
You get to know your customer better by engaging in direct discussions about their exact needs. What do they really want, and what requirements must be met? The task for support functions is to use their expertise to meet these needs. A key factor here is the trust that core operations have in the expertise of support teams. Together, concrete result agreements can be made, making it possible to actively manage performance. It is also important to regularly gather customer feedback and to jointly evaluate and improve the process.
Closing the gap cannot be done alone. It is something you achieve together, and in doing so, a whole new world opens up for everyone involved.
