At the core of many of the barriers to growth are people. This is not simply a problem of recruiting and nurturing talent, although that is hugely important, it is about how leaders build cohesive teams and communicate clarity. It is about how people interact with each other and how they make decisions in all areas of the business.

In our research project (Project-HCM) we looked at  behavioural barriers that limit growth in Food & Drink companies. We used a behavioural health check to identify behavioural barriers and how they impacted on people based growth.

We have split the barriers into 4 dimensions:

1. Organisational – The core dimension and includes issues such as vision, direction and communications; culture; and change/resilience.

2. Transactional – This dimension concerns itself with the interactions that occur within and outside the company. It also includes multi-generational working.

3. Decision making – Considers sub-optimal decision making in general terms and specifically around risk and group think.

4. Employee – Looking at motivation (recruitment and retention); and self-awareness/personal effectiveness.