Operations managers face the challenges of teams that duplicate work, work against each other unwittingly, or work with the wrong priorities. At best, redundancies make operations last longer than necessary and cost the organization more resources (time, budget, energy). It's hard being the operator. You have to “make it happen” in terms of cost savings, and sometimes you're even responsible for revenues.The chief operating officer (COO) is typically responsible for a large portion of the company, in addition to some administrative functions such as legal and financial.
As a result, the pressures on the COO are intense and increasing. This means maintaining operations as usual (BAU) while simultaneously driving new strategic innovations in operational efficiency, improving customer experience, and leading various transformation initiatives. Renewing business continuity planning may require more interaction with the chief risk officer (CRO) or whoever has that responsibility.For example, providing your organization with the tools it needs to succeed in the coming months may require focusing more on cybersecurity, so you can spend more time with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for a while. The role of COOs should be designed to help universities transform their operations and pursue their strategic priorities.
When Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of Oracle, and its COO Ray Lane split in 2000, it inspired the kind of breathless reporting usually reserved for celebrity divorces. Rob is a director of Deloitte Consulting LLP and leads the market offering of transforming operating models for operations transformation.At THE Campus Live ANZ, Zac Ashkanasy, director and global director of higher education at management consulting firm Nous Group, shared the findings of a survey of university operations managers.Chief operating officers must be prepared to tackle a variety of challenges in their roles. These include managing teams that duplicate work or work against each other unknowingly; ensuring operations are completed efficiently and cost-effectively; leading strategic innovations; renewing business continuity plans; providing organizations with necessary tools; and transforming university operations. COOs must also be prepared to handle intense pressure from their roles and be ready to respond to any changes in their industry.
