The Challenge
A company specializing in the production and export of food additives, was experiencing
growth and needed more structured systems. While teams were actively working, the lack of
role definitions, well-structured goals, and proper performance monitoring made most efforts
misdirected.
The company was run on experience and ad hoc decisions. There was ambiguity in roles, no
process-based goal setting, and processes were ad hoc. The owner-led management was
hands-on with their work, making it difficult to introduce any structured system.
"Earlier, there were no clear roles or targets. Once responsibilities were defined, people knew
exactly what they were accountable for."
— Leadership Team
The Approach
GatewaysGlobal’s started the journey with the company during pandemic. It is worth noting
that this was an unusual moment in time when leadership had time to concentrate on the
business internally. This time was used efficiently to transform the company within a period
of four years.
Phase 1: Defining the Direction
The first phase entailed defining the vision, mission, and strategic direction. In this case, the
five-year plan was defined including the revenues to be earned.
Phase 2: Organizing the Business
Organization entailed the creation of departments which were headed by HODs that clearly
understood what was expected from them in terms of job descriptions.
"The focus was to build a cultural transition within a 40-year-old organization while
preserving the strength of a loyal leadership team, and aligning them towards a more
structured and performance-driven way of working."
— M. R. Rajesh Kumar, Founder and Family Business Advisor, GatewaysGlobal
Phase 3: Implementing the Performance Management Process
The performance management process was further developed through the introduction of a
performance management program utilizing key performance indicators. The steps involved
in this review included:
• Daily morning coordination
• Monthly MIS reviews
• Quarterly KPI reviews
• Annual performance review
"Consistent review mechanisms like MIS and KPI tracking bring visibility, and that visibility
is what drives accountability and performance."
— Rose Mary, Consultant, GatewaysGlobal
Phase 4: Transformation of Sales & Marketing
Sales and marketing team members received clearly-defined objectives and responsibilities.
The MIS process helped track the performance of individuals, which facilitated better
planning and execution, thus ensuring sales success.
Phase 5: Systematization of Policies & Processes
A formal policy framework was developed, along with proper processes for employees. Also,
an induction process was introduced, which ensured that new employees knew their roles
right from their first day.
Phase 6: Creating Future Leaders
Training and coaching programs were organized for the future generation, including
leadership coaching. These helped the future generation understand the company and its
policies better, giving them confidence to handle their tasks professionally.
"The structured approach helped me understand the business much better. There is more
clarity now in how things work and how decisions are made."
—Next Generation
Phase 7: Engaging & Building Culture
Various employee engagement projects such as the Champion Program as well as other
welfare programs which took care of employees’ financial and emotional wellbeing along
with those of their families were undertaken. This helped develop a positive work
environment thereby making employees engaged.
Transformation
Over a period of four years, the company had transformed into a performance-oriented
organization from what was earlier a non-structured and purely experience-oriented
company:
