Setting up for Success: How to improve the operations side of your business. 

Developing improvement practitioners, specialists and sustainability officers.

With increased demands for efficiency, innovation, and sustainability, business operations professionals must be equipped with the right skills. Key roles such as Improvement practitioners, Improvement Specialists and Corporate Sustainability Officers are vital to help meet these challenges, but to stay competitive, organisations must invest in upskilling these team members.

Operational Leadership: Moving beyond management

Effective leadership in business operations is not merely about overseeing processes and people; it requires strategic vision, the ability to manage complexity, and a talent for influencing culture. As businesses evolve, professionals in key operational roles must shift from managing tasks to leading organisational transformations.

From tactical to strategic leadership

One of the most critical skills for career advancement is the ability to think and act strategically. This means moving beyond process optimisation and improvement to become an integral part of shaping the company’s long-term strategy.

Systems thinking: The ability to view the organisation as an interconnected system. Rather than focusing on isolated improvements, operational leaders should be able to see how each operational change impacts the broader business ecosystem, from supply chain logistics to customer satisfaction.

Enterprise-wide influence: Professionals should aim to increase their influence across departments, becoming key collaborators in decision-making processes at the organisational level. This includes embedding operational excellence into corporate governance and strategy, ensuring that the value of improvements is understood not just at the operational level but also at the executive level.

Learning and Development programmes: L&D managers can create this mindset by designing programmes that go beyond technical proficiency and incorporate elements of executive decision-making and strategic influence. This could include simulations of real-world situations such as high-level business challenges.

Leading through change and ambiguity

The best operational leaders can thrive in uncertainty. Change management is a known discipline but for senior professionals, the focus should be on leading transformation in unpredictable environments. This means gaining the skills to navigate disruption whether driven by technological advancements, regulatory shifts, or market fluctuations.

Experienced professionals should:

• Develop adaptive leadership: Adaptive leadership requires the ability to respond quickly to changes without being anchored to traditional methodologies. This is especially important in business operations, where external factors such as supply chain disruptions or new sustainability regulations can drastically affect performance.

• Scenario planning: L&D managers should introduce advanced scenario planning methodologies, equipping leaders with tools to anticipate multiple future states and plan accordingly. This will enable them to make proactive, rather than reactive, decisions in times of uncertainty.

Moving from descriptive to predictive analytics

Improvement Practitioners and Specialists at advanced levels must focus on leveraging predictive analytics to drive forward-thinking decision-making. This involves not only understanding historical data but also using statistical models and machine learning techniques to forecast trends and potential risks.

Core areas for upskilling include:

• Predictive modeling: Advanced practitioners should seek expertise in predictive analytics, utilising models that forecast outcomes based on current data patterns. These models can be invaluable in process optimisation, resource management, and strategic planning.

• Decision intelligence: Learning how to combine machine learning with business logic to make intelligent decisions will set you apart. Decision intelligence incorporates data science, social science, and managerial acumen to guide decision-makers towards optimal operational strategies.

L&D managers must ensure their teams have access to these tools, fostering a culture where data literacy is considered a core competency at every level of operations leadership.

Operational efficiency through prescriptive analytics

For Improvement Specialists, efficiency is not just about optimisation—it’s about prescriptive action. While predictive analytics tells you what might happen, prescriptive analytics recommends the best course of action to mitigate risks or seize opportunities.

• Prescriptive solutions in continuous improvement: Prescriptive analytics can inform which process improvements are likely to yield the greatest ROI, allowing Improvement Specialists to prioritise efforts strategically.

• Real-time decision making: Today’s operational leaders must make decisions in real-time, leveraging tools that provide immediate insights into operational performance. Advanced data analytics platforms can flag inefficiencies or opportunities in real-time, allowing leaders to act before small problems escalate.

Sustainability leadership: Evolving the role of Corporate Sustainability Officers

Sustainability is no longer a checkbox for compliance—it’s a core business strategy that influences everything from investor relations to customer loyalty. Corporate Sustainability Officers (CSOs) must transition from managing environmental impact to leading sustainable business transformation.

Embedding sustainability into operational strategy

CSOs must possess the skills to not only ensure compliance with environmental regulations but also to integrate sustainability into the core operational strategy. This requires a deep understanding of how sustainability initiatives intersect with business objectives, such as profitability and growth.

• Circular economy principles: For CSOs, understanding and implementing circular economy models is a must. This involves designing systems where resources are reused, repaired, or recycled rather than discarded, thereby creating a sustainable loop that minimises waste and optimises resources.

• Sustainability metrics: Advanced professionals must be adept at using sustainability metrics and reporting frameworks, such as ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) or GRI (Global Reporting Initiative).

L&D managers can support the development of CSOs by offering advanced training in sustainability analytics, as well as exposure to the latest in sustainable technologies, such as renewable energy systems and waste reduction innovations.

Driving organisational culture change

Sustainability leaders must also be capable of driving cultural change within the organisation. This involves shifting the mindset from sustainability as a responsibility of the CSO alone to a company-wide priority.

• Stakeholder engagement: CSOs need to engage not only with internal stakeholders but also with external ones, including investors, regulators, and customers, to build a holistic sustainability strategy. This requires an understanding of stakeholder expectations and the ability to communicate the business value of sustainability effectively.

• Sustainability as innovation: Finally, CSOs should champion sustainability as a driver of innovation. Whether it’s through reducing operational costs by cutting waste or discovering new revenue streams in the green economy, sustainability leaders must help their organisations see that going green isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for business.

Improvement Practitioners, Specialists, and Corporate Sustainability Officers who upskill in these areas will not only drive significant value within their organisations but also position themselves as key players in shaping the future of business.

For L&D managers, the focus must shift towards offering advanced development opportunities that emphasise strategic thinking, predictive decision-making, and sustainable leadership. By investing in the growth of these key professionals, organisations can ensure that they remain competitive and resilient in an era of constant change.

In the end, upskilling is not just a tool for career advancement; it is a pathway to transforming business operations from the inside out—creating more agile, innovative, and sustainable enterprises.

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