Page 16 - BUILDING BETTER BUSINESSES, FOR A BETTER ECONOMY -( David White - DRG )
P. 16
FUNCTIONAL AREA SUPPORT
unctional Areas in an organisation are those
activities that form the foundation of
Fthe business. These include Human HR
Resources (HR), Marketing, Operations,
Finance, Legal, IT and Strategy. There
are of course other areas such as Marketing
logistics, supply chain and others, IT
but for the purpose of the simple
intention of this communication, we
will focus on core Functional Areas.
Functional
It is said that entrepreneurs Area Support
make up 2% of the population, Legal
and Functional Area officers and Strategy
professionals, and customers and
suppliers make the 98% balance
of the population. The entrepreneur
therefore need not be proficient in all
matters of Functional Area structuring Finance
and integrated business administration Operations
activities, as he or she is able to draw these
support functions into the business through
supplier relationship or through employment of such
required resources. It is better that the entrepreneur is
not cluttered with the administration and paperwork of the business, but rather to ensure their mind
is focused on the business' vision, mission, engagement and sustainability.
As the business evolves and grows, the Functional Area foundation expands to meet the
organisational needs. Its first layer supporting the business, is critical and includes the points
highlighted below.
Human Resources
This is about all the people involved in and supporting the growth, development and
sustainability of the organisation.
It is the heartbeat of the business… expressing its values and culture in the realisation that people
are more than mere commodities but, value-adding assets
Foundation of fairness and meeting required regulation in:
Contracts of employment and role clarity
Inductions, training, development and mentoring
Providing compliant and timeous payroll transactions
Ensuring employment equity and social security contributions
Wellness of staff, communities and environment
Creating an engaging work environment, where individual actions and collective results are
encouraged and managed
Encouraging staff to identify their “zone of influence” in the business, and to think in terms of the
14 Developing a personal business plan to support the growth, development and sustainability of the
business helping them define and support their personal goals and aspirations
organisation (as per example in annexure 1)
