Dick Gorelick, industry consultant and a columnist for American Printer, recently penned a very good article entitled Detoxifying an organization. Gorelick describes the situation at many printing firms - Sales reps blaming slow production, production blaming sales, customer service reps blaming sloppy job specifications etc. The article discusses ways to move toward a unified organization. One point stood out- start by basing all decisions on a real feedback exercise with customers.

A well-conducted annual survey of the entire account base is an important first step in creating a shared customer focus. Aggregate results should be shared with all staff members. All subsequent actions — investments in equipment and human resources, staffing changes and other programs — should be publicly rationalized based on customer feedback. (See the full article.)