In a company’s operations, change is not decreed, it is built , experienced and measured every day . This was the central idea addressed in the panel ” Enhancing Change from Operations” , organized by NUMAN Industrial Headhunting , where specialists agreed that transformation begins with purpose, security and close leadership.
In the case of Talma Perú , an airport services company, the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to rethink its corporate purpose.
“The first time, we did it from the top management, but it didn’t catch on. We decided to involve everyone: operations, administration, and management,” said Rosa Alburqueque , central talent manager at Talma.
The process took six months and spanned the company’s 19 stations, with fun workshops, trained leaders, and commitment murals, where each employee expressed how, in their role, they would contribute to the purpose.
But the most complex challenge came later with the accident rate , as the arrival of young talent and the high pressure of airport operations—noise, fatigue, long distances and tight schedules—incidents increased.
“That’s when we realized that it wasn’t enough to supervise; we had to work together,” the manager said.
The response was multidisciplinary working groups, integrating human talent, security, finance, and business units. They went “on the field” to experience the operation, identify urgent problems, and prioritize solutions with clear timelines and metrics.
“This raises awareness and moves the needle. Today, it’s a model we’re replicating in other projects, such as staff rotation,” he said.
For Leandro Corino , Director of Operations at Aptar Latam, the key is being close to front-line leaders, not only to make decisions, but also to accompany them, provide support, and help them navigate conflicts within a company.
In their case, transforming town halls into interactive gatherings, with games, recognition, and thanks, has significantly improved the work environment.
The executive also defended the importance of combining hard indicators with a careful reading of workplace climate surveys.
“Sometimes an operator gives you, in a single sentence, the key to the problem that you don’t see in the KPIs (performance indicators),” he emphasized.
From a strategic perspective, Daniel Razo , founding partner of Supply Chain Cracks , a professional development platform in logistics, noted that every company needs a master plan across operations.
In that sense, when it comes time to implement significant changes, he recommended three steps : assemble multidisciplinary teams that contribute diverse perspectives, scale complex projects through pilot projects, and celebrate each milestone achieved.
“The celebration provides feedback and keeps the commitment alive,” Razo said.
The common thread running through all of these experiences is sustainable operational change that doesn’t rely solely on manuals or technology; it requires a shared purpose, genuine collaboration across departments, leaders prepared to listen and act , and the conviction that well-crafted communication is as important as any financial indicator.
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