Some Questions are Threats in Disguise

Have you ever noticed that certain questions, just by the way they are asked, are really hidden threats? If you work in an in-plant, you may occasionally hear some of these questions. As someone offering consulting services, I often see them in RFPs or request for proposals for evaluations. If you ever hear these questions you should prepare to battle the possible allegations that will follow.

While most of the words and expressions used in these requests are objective requests, others suggest an alternative agenda. The objective questions ask about measuring and benchmarking performance, as well as identifying opportunities for improvement. But questions that include terms such as, "Fulfill the Objectives," "Provide Enough Value" and "Support the Core Mission" may really be wolves in sheep's clothing.

If you've never heard any of these questions before, congratulations—but just because you haven't yet doesn't mean you won't hear them after a change in administration. Here are a few tips to help address some of these threats.

Support the Core Mission

Does the in-plant support the core mission of the university? If the core mission is strictly education and research then the in-plant does not support the core mission any more or less than the mailing department or the physical plant staff that make sure that the roads are passable. However, you need to have snow removed or potholes fixed for the faculty and students to meet in one place. Similarly, mail delivery and printing enrollment forms, fund-raising forms or student course packs may not fulfill the core mission but may be required to support that mission.

Provide Enough Value

Does the healthcare in-plant provide enough value to its customers? Of course, the first question is what is value and how do you measure it? It could be argued that achieving high marks in customer satisfaction provides value. Does that mean if you survey your customers and achieve world class status that you are providing enough value? Some might say that a value is determined financially. Does that mean that if you perform a make-versus-buy analysis and find that the in-plant is saving the parent organization $200,000 a year, you are providing enough value?

Fulfill the Objectives

NAPL's Howie Fenton.

Does the in-plant fulfill the objectives of the insurance company? The question is what are the objectives and what is a measurement of fulfilling those objectives? If there are compliance and other government regulations of data security, could you argue that the in-plant is fulfilling the objectives by ensuring that the data remains secure and regulations are enforced? Can we define objectives as maintaining service-level agreements despite late delivery of information from other departments? Alternatively, can we define the company's objectives as monitoring and maintaining brand consistency and rejecting unauthorized changes to corporate identity pieces?

Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure if a question is a threat is when you don't answer it and it becomes a talking point to outsource the work. The lesson here is to listen closely to questions about the in-plant, and even adopt a slightly paranoid attitude as you listen.

If you discover that some questions are threats you should research how other departments support the core mission, provide value and fulfill the objectives of the parent organization. Understanding the arguments made by other departments about these things will help you better prepare to defend your position. And once you have a strategy, you need measurements and benchmarks to prove that you are as good as, if not better than, other providers.