People engagement is key
Engaging and carrying out audits with people and teams is effective because it involves “the crowd”………the people who really experience what is being audited. They feedback their experiences of what is really happening on a day to day basis – they are, after all, the ones who know this best.
Giving “the crowd” a voice benefits the organisation by helping to identify previously invisible risks posed by current operating practices. Whatever documents may show it is the reality of current behaviour’s and practices that determine the potential business performance shortfalls that an organisation may be facing in the future.
Encouraging empowerment of their voice
Having engaged “the crowd”, providing them with effective feedback of what they are saying and what you intend to with it is critical to keeping them involved and motivated to do more………encouraging the empowerment of their voice.
The effectiveness of this two way feedback cycle drives the organisations ability to proactively manage risk in the future rather than reactively managing bad situations that could have been avoided.
This is a key part of the organisational eco-system, with feedback and participation stimulating adaption and growth. Choke this feedback cycle at any point and the organisations preventative life blood stops. All managers at all levels must be encouraged to understand and buy into the importance of two way feedback.
If this isn’t achieved it only creates increased risk and failure of business outcomes and compliance because ongoing engagement and feedback will have been completely stifled.
