The system empowering contribution of customers
In my two recent posts, I introduced the unique system contributions from Top and Middle leaders in human systems. We looked at contributions that enable strong, sustainable productive organisations - the shaping role of Tops and the integrating role of Middles.
Today I choose to look at the unique system empowering contribution of the Customer.
The unique system empowerment contribution of the Customer is to Validate the system, to offer feedback on delivery that validates whether the system is delivering what it needs to.
In my experience customer feedback can take several forms: Sometimes it comes with an energy fuelled by disappointment and frustration - a judgemental energy. Sometimes it comes passively with disengagement and little relationship. Rarely in my experience, but possible nonetheless, is feedback from customers offered in a spirit of partnership to help the whole system grow.
For customers to be able to offer our systems validating feedback, we need to create and sustain a quality of relationship that often eludes us. What helps is a partnering relationship where both they and us are jointly committed to our shared endeavour as equal partners. There are some challenges to this: For example, when we are the customer are we willing to let go of our mindset that “customer is always right”? Which I believe gets in the way of a partnership with service providers.
Oshry proposes, “be a customer who gets in the middle of the delivery system and make it work for you” by:
Getting involved in delivery processes early as a partner, not late as a judge
Contracting with the supplier to build a relationship / partnership
Knowing how delivery really works
Setting clear demands and standards
Staying close to the producer
I have long felt that this was eminently sensible yet one-sided! How about we as service deliverers, how might we engage differently with our “Customers” to create this partnering? To make it possible for customers to get involved early, to really understand how we mobilise to deliver, to contract explicitly for feedback on our system delivery. For me, that is an exposing commitment to make. How about you?
When our human systems lack feedback we have no way of truly knowing if we are fit for purpose, and if we don’t know that then we are at risk of blindly replicating things that aren’t working for end-users. You can use your own imagination of the risks that come with that.
So I am curious:
How do we make it possible for our customers to provide feedback loops to the system?
Creating a Customer / Supplier partnership - what do we do that works when we are ‘customer’? And when we are ‘supplier’?
What gets in the way?
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