In the last two posts I took a very critical look at the concept of “process.” Especially with popular management-thinking placing priority on disruptive strategies that utilize innovation and entrepreneurship to create new value, it’s fair to say there’s a “leery eye” placed on anything that’s too structured or restrictive – i.e. process. At the same time there’s universal agreement that there must be a minimum of “discipline” to organize activity and produce results (see the stories in the previous post).

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As a sequel to the previous post on “process” here are some everyday situations to provoke your thinking. Just read, take a step back, turn it over in your mind…share your conclusions.

Story 1: The airliner had been cruising smoothly at 30 thousand feet over the Atlantic on its way to London, Heathrow. Suddenly light turbulence begins to cause a bumpy ride and the captain turns on the seat belt sign as a precaution. In the next few minutes the turbulence becomes more regular to the point the airplane is moderately shaking and bumps become more significant. The flight attendant asks passengers to return to their seats. The captain contacts air traffic control to request a change of altitude to 35 thousand feet to climb out of the turbulence…

Story 2: A creative film producer is working on a commercial piece for a large company. After understanding the company’s product, its benefits and key messages to be communicated, the creative part begins…Brainstorming on messaging, narratives and possible media types – customer journey, day-in-the-life, animation, sci-fi, etc. The team finally arrives at a storyline that is validated with the customer and production begins – storyboarding, scripting, actor selection, shooting footage, etc. With 7 days left until the first screening, it’s time to bring all the pieces together…

Story 3: Wow, finally the house is quiet – kids are in bed, time to relax. Jon and Mary have spent the evening cooking, cleaning the kitchen, reviewing homework and helping the kids make their lunches…Now it’s “parent time.” Jon makes a hot cup of tea for Mary and brings it to the table. “Let’s talk about what we’re going to do for summer vacation” Mary says. Together they start brainstorming ideas and begin to make a list. After listing 5-6 ideas they talk about how they’ll decide between them – the kids summer camp schedule, Jon’s vacation days, the price, relaxing vs site-seeing etc…

These “story snippets” are from everyday life – nothing extraordinary, not “industry specific,” both personal and professional…As you casually read over them, think of them through the “process lens” and ask yourself these questions:

What about process? Does it play a role? To what degree?

…trying to provoke your thoughts…Share them!

…more to come…

Picture: www.akronlibrary.org

In the 90s and early 2000s there was a rediscovery of “process” and it’s power to drive and systematize progress. Championed by the likes of Dr Michael Hammer (MIT) it was extracted from its deep roots in manufacturing and applied to the optimization of every conceivable part of business. Of the many distinguished members of the “management silver bullet family,” this definitely became one of the stronger siblings.

The “process frenzy” that followed produced mixed results. On one hand, indisputable gains in terms of quality, efficiency, scalability, etc. On the other, a “people experience” often very negatively characterized by restriction, complexity and reduced autonomy. This was especially amplified by the rebirth of entrepreneurship and innovation as a “counter-force” that receives some of the credit for the economic recovery after the collapse in the late 2000s. The following became the most popular criticisms of “process.”

• Inhibits creativity…creativity and innovation happen when we mentally “jump the tracks,” so you can imagine what happens when there’s so many rules that make you stay “on the track”
• Inhibits flexibility…similar to the above, in an ever-changing environment, restricting options or capability to respond could be the difference between life and death. In many cases, the strands of rope so carefully braided together to pull the company forward, becomes the noose it hangs itself on.
• Slows things down…when it becomes all about “checking the boxes” and going through the motions significant energy and time is expended just to navigate the process. Rather than working on outcomes and results, valuable time is wasted just navigating the maze.
• Makes things complicated…while the initial version of the process may have made sense for a given scenario, so many layers have since been added to account for all the possible variables, we now find ourselves caught in the anecdotal web of forms & templates, committees, multiple levels of approvals and sign offs…all symptoms of bureaucratic complexity.

There’s no doubt we’ve experienced the above in some form or another (..and have battle wounds to show for it). So, what do we do now? Is it time to “demote” the concept of “process” or jettison it all together? Can it find some sort of redemption by being properly repositioned?

It’s a provocative and loaded topic begging for leaders like you to weigh in. I’d like to hear your thoughts…(and will share mine as well).

Picture: www.consultnetworx.com