CULTURE OF
EXCELLENCE
Focus on Finlays
How culture can build competitive advantageWords: Frieda Dehrmann, Mike Keating, Josette Bogerman and Katie Carter
A culture of excellence across quality, safety and manufacturing is vital to business success. Achieving this means culture being led from the top and changing behavior to always do the right thing, even when no-one is looking.
Culture. The illusive million-dollar factor that drives business success. When the behaviors of business employees are safe, efficient and customer-focused, an organization profits disproportionately more than through having a great strategy alone. Here are three perspectives on what a Culture of Excellence means at Finlays.
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and key customer standards require businesses to demonstrate a Quality & Food Safety culture being led by senior leadership. This is because, to be successful and sustainable, a culture of excellence must go beyond processes to inspire organizational behaviors. When a team is driven by a belief in doing “the right thing” and getting jobs “right first time”, they generate pride in the products they produce.
Health & Safety is about ensuring people go home to family and friends safe and sound at the end of each shift. This can only be achieved if all our people take ownership of their own health and safety and that of their colleagues, by always looking out for hazards, and never walking past an unsafe act or condition without taking action. This is what a culture of safety looks like - and it’s transferable to other functions.
The 1Finlays Operations program (1FO) is Finlays’ integrated Manufacturing Excellence programme which emphasizes safety, quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement. Manufacturing excellence and a culture of excellence are intertwined, and vital for organizational success. 1FO enables a culture of excellence to permeate all aspects of operations, empowering individuals and driving continuous improvement. This culture fosters a relentless pursuit of perfection, enhancing competitiveness and customer satisfaction. Ultimately, it defines a company dedicated to exceeding expectations and achieving lasting success.
To drive a culture of excellence, the common theme is our behavior, led from the top. This means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. By doing so, we create a culture of care, of constantly seeking to do better, and of delighting our customers. It’s this culture that will ensure our business success, and which, as they say, “eats strategy for breakfast”.
Frieda Dehrmann
Group Quality & Analytical Science Director Frieda.Dehrmann@Finlays.net
Katie Carter
Group Quality Manager Katie.Carter@Finlays.net
Michael Keating
Group Head of Health and Safety michael.keating@finlays.net
Josette Bogerman
Manufacturing Excellence and Low Impact Operations Lead josette.bogerman@finlays.net
