In January 2020, TriFinance embarked on a transformative journey through the Process Insights project. The primary objective of this ongoing project is to enhance process maturity within the organization.
During this talk with Donatello Piras at the Mavim Imagine online conference, Pieter Smit, a member of the leadership team, and Alexander Van Caeneghem, BCB leader CFO Services, explain how TriFinance, through the Process Insights project, is implementing a bottom-up transformation approach that prioritizes transparency, dialogue, and continuous improvement.
For your convenience, we have divided the video into 17 fragments, each accompanied by a brief introduction tp the topics discussed.
1. Transformation as a mentality shift
In an era marked by change, transformation needs to be pragmatic. Companies need to redefine themselves. In that redefinition, TriFinance searched for an operating model that enabled better collaboration and decision making. “Change can only truly exist when it is carried by the leadership”.
2. Agility for an ever-changing world
Change can be perceived as a threat, but it can also generate opportunities. People hate to be changed, rather than they hate change itself. “Today, you do not need to be the biggest, but you need to be the most adaptable.”
3. Aligning people, processes and systems
TriFinance promotes autonomous working by creating various roles, and implementing peer group programs, transversal platforms where people can discuss what they do, and how they execute it. Therefore, “people”, “systems” and “processes”must be aligned.
4. Me inc.®: No me without we
At TriFinance, the individual is embedded in a broader context, a position for which a specific concept was coined: “Me inc.®”, an abbreviation of “Me Incorporated”. The concept also demonstrates that the individual has a clear added value. “There is no me without we”.
5. Furthering people for better performance in Do-How
“Me inc.®” represents a combination of personal characteristics. TriFinance’s goal for “Me inc.®”, is to provide individuals with opportunities for personal growth, prioritizing their own people, even above their customers. The overarching TriFinance mission is “Furthering people for better performance in Do-How”.
6. Intelligent Capacity and Pragmatic Advisory & Implementation
TriFinance offers intelligent capacity, as well as pragmatic advisory & implementation services.This is mainly achieved through project sourcing, in the domains of finance, human development (HD) and IT. Additionally, the company provide services in recruitment and selection.
7. Hyper Transparency, Roles and Competencies
The two core elements of an operating governance model is first to decide how people will collaborate and second how people will make decisions. Within TriFinance, two elements are particularly important, hyper-transparency and a role and competence based way of working.
8. The 'Me View' in Mavim
Mavim is a roadmap for insights into best practices for both the TriFinance team, and new hires. The platform also offers a state of affairs of the company in the present time. The Me View in Mavim shows role-related processes, activities and expectations, but also templates and documentation.
9. Giving responsibility = Giving space
How does TriFinance make the operating model work? The starting point is transparency, with people directly engaged in processes modeling these processes. This bottom-up approach allows for people to come up with proposals for improvements.“TriFinance makes the processes come alive with the people who actually execute them”.
10. People bring processes to life
To achieve a self-adapting organization, a comprehensive framework is necessary. Giving responsibility implies defining expectations and granting autonomy. Definitions and a connected role structure enable swift adaptability. This framework supports constructive peer discussions for proposing changes.
11. Mavim as collective memory
The framework of definitions supported by Mavim matches with the current way TriFinance is doing things, which is not necessarily the best way. The framework matches the maturity level of the company, as well as the expertise of individuals and their perspectives on processes and systems within the organization.
12. Continuous improvement as modus operandi
To translate a pragmatic transformation into practice, it must be consistently implemented on a daily basis. For TriFinance, this is an ongoing journey—a process rather than a project—reflecting the company's evolution. In Peer Group Programs, they can adjust the system to align with their ever-changing needs.
13. Process owners, roles, and responsibilities
The Peer Group Programs are the forums through which TriFinance links process design to process execution. These programs are overseen by Process Owners situated in Expert Support Units, individuals who have become experts in their role.
Meanwhile, "Business Units" play a crucial role in bringing TriFinance units to the market. They adhere to a standardized role-based structure and shoulder the responsibility for executing various processes. TriFinance places a strong emphasis on "best practice uniformity on key activities connected to roles" to guarantee consistency and efficiency in operations.
14. Where the co-creation happens
Peer Group Programs are based on the transparency established through Mavim. They are the place where the co-creation basically happens. It helps to combine advantages of the small entrepreneurial units and expertise levels, within the larger company. Mavim plays a pivotal role in rendering this framework future-proof, transparent and interactive.
16. People own the data
Encouraging individuals to take ownership is key. Each person is the owner of the content documented in Mavim. Beautiful things can happen when the “Me Inc.®er" has the opportunity to take ownership of what is written down in Mavim.
17. Mavim for generic transformation questions
TriFinance deploys Mavim at their clients in a manner that is in line with their own internal practices. First to create transparency centered around business processes. Next, it serves as a tool to enable generic transformations, extending beyond finance-related matters. For example, when clients face changes, Mavim becomes instrumental in addressing them for continuous improvement.
Conclusion: Applying the framework
The difficulty is in the multitude of available and useful frameworks and methodologies, with no certainty of their effectiveness. The crucial element here is customization of the framework to align with the customer requirements. Because only then, the company can upgrade according to its needs and demands. “The real added value is in applying the framework in a specific context”.
