Passion for Performance

Syensqo Passion for Performance

Why Create A Passion For Performance?

At Syensqo, we believe in Passion for Performance. Enhancing performance is the cornerstone of Syensqo ONE and is embedded in Syensqo DNA. In order to unleash Syensqo One, we must raise our bar of performance, challenge the status quo and go beyond. This believe should be embedded in our ways of working every day, at each level and by all of us.

This playbook aims to boost the High Performance Culture in Syensqo. It articulates Syensqo’s key principles of performance enhancement as well as methods, processes, and tools in order to enable Syensqo employees to progress beyond.

1. Installing a Passion for Performance Culture

There are four principles of performance enhancement:

1. Regular Rhythm & Progression Orientation
2. Accountability Driven & Overall Alignment
3. Constructive & Challenging
4. Focus and Full Transparency

These will help to unlock the full potential of teams, remove silos and ensure resources are working on the right things to get to a common goal.

1.1. Regular Rhythm & Progression Orientation

The first principle is about maintaining a regular and progression oriented performance dialog to provide an opportunity to spur quick actions, leading to immediate results and sustaining the momentum for ongoing changes.  The discussion should revolve around improvement and progress. Frequency is key and managers should be setting the agenda rather than react to issues.

1.2. Accountability Driven & Overall Alignment

The second principle revolves around ensuring that teams have the proper accountability to feel empowered and engaged. Leaders should decentralize 90% of decisions by clarifying decision rights (roles & responsibilities), aligning on clear boundaries of freedom to act with the team. They should also ensure individual objectives should be aligned with organizational goals.

1.3. Constructive & Challenging

The third principle is about being constructive and challenging. All leaders should provide coaching and support while maintaining a healthy tension in their teams to drive improvement. Being constructive entails recognizing achievements and conducting solution oriented performance dialogues. Being more challenging entails identifying and sharing gaps to performance, seeking solution-based action. 

1.4. Focus and Full Transparency

The fourth and last principle is about focus and full transparency. Identifying the 20% of activities that deliver 80% of the impact will ensure maximum delivery while aligning resources with priorities. Flexibility is needed as these may change over time. Radical transparency is needed, to share top priorities and where we stand (KPIs, progress, milestones, etc.).

2. Common Frame of Project Performance Enhancement: from Principles to Actions

The common framework of Program Performance Enhancement has three drivers: metrics, governance and solution-based performance dialogues. 

Metrics are used to measure past and project performance and are used to create targets to measure operational performance and success of projects. Metrics are divided into two categories: leading KPIs and lagging KPIs.

• Leading KPIs tell us Inputs & Processes or activities which will give us information about the future (order book, sales pipeline, etc.).
• Lagging KPIs are about outputs and outcomes, therefore focus on the past (e.g. revenue growth, OTIF, etc.). 

KPIs should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Result-oriented and Time Constrained.

Project governance is critical to any project to ensure roles and responsibilities as well as lay out the decision-making process. Operating cadence is the rhythm and pace at which work is organized. Feedback from the team is key to adjust the key elements of the cadence, but also of the governance if necessary.

Lastly, performance dialogues are a solution-oriented framework to enhance effectiveness of performance by having regular, structured, face-to-face conversations between managers and their team.

3. Performance delivery in complex change programs: the RDO

At Syensqo, Result Delivery Offices (RDO) are set up to overcome challenges posed by complex change programs which cover complicated businesses in challenging markets. They aim at ensuring focus and continuous reprioritization of transformation efforts, but also to set up more robust governance structures.

In short, the RDO is a team led by the RDO Director (100% dedicated and reporting to an LT member) to work on the 3 transformational dimensions: processes & systems, performance management and capability building and behaviors). It is a similar role to PMO (Project Management Officer) with emphasis on coaching and building organizational capability and capacity for change.