The Operational Excellence (OPEX) Reference Group – NA & EU Chapters, powered by PRIME BPM, hosted its May 2026 Live Meetup, bringing together operational excellence and transformation professionals to explore how hidden organisational friction impacts operational performance and transformation success.
The virtual meetup featured Rebecca Herbert from Rebel Hive, who delivered an engaging and highly interactive session on “The Cost of Misalignment: How Friction Shows Up in Operational Performance.” Rebecca shared practical insights on how organisations can identify, address, and reduce the invisible friction that slows decision-making, creates duplication, and impacts business outcomes.
Drawing from her experience in operational excellence, organisational development, and cross-functional transformation, Rebecca explored how siloed working, poor communication, firefighting cultures, and unclear ownership silently drain productivity, trust, and employee energy across organisations.
The session highlighted that while process frameworks, systems, and technology are important, transformation success ultimately depends on the quality of relationships, communication, and collaboration between teams.
Rebecca also emphasized that many operational challenges stem not from lack of effort, but from organisations becoming trapped in reactive ways of working. She encouraged participants to pause, reflect on the true cost of inaction, and focus on meaningful conversations that drive alignment and sustainable improvement.
“Friction is not always a bad thing. It can either be the thing that accelerates or the thing that breaks an organisation. The key is creating the right conversations and connections that turn friction into traction,” said Rebecca Herbert during the session.
Key Discussion Highlights Included:
- How hidden organisational friction impacts productivity, trust, and operational performance
- The operational and emotional cost of firefighting cultures and duplicated effort
- Why siloed working creates barriers between operational, data, and transformation teams
- Practical approaches to improving collaboration and creating stronger cross-functional alignment
- The importance of pausing to address root causes instead of continuously reacting to urgent issues
- How leaders can create productive conversations that turn friction into traction
- Why transformation success depends on people, communication, and disciplined execution, not tools alone
The interactive session sparked thoughtful discussions among professionals across Europe and North America, with participants sharing real-world challenges around system implementations, operational silos, governance, stakeholder management, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Rebecca also introduced practical reflection frameworks and conversation techniques designed to help organisations move from reactive problem-solving toward more intentional and aligned ways of working.
She reinforced that friction itself is not inherently negative. When managed effectively, it can become a catalyst for innovation, clarity, and stronger operational outcomes.
About the Operational Excellence (OPEX) Reference Group
Powered by PRIME BPM, the OPEX Reference Group is a cross-industry community that connects operational excellence, transformation, and continuous improvement professionals to share insights, collaborate, and accelerate operational success.
Designed for professionals involved in process improvement, digital transformation, compliance, operational resilience, system implementation, and business transformation, the group provides practical knowledge-sharing through exclusive virtual meetups, peer discussions, and expert-led sessions.