I have always disliked following process for the most part. There is something dehumanizing when I enter into the conversation where I am told about some event and then told what I am expected to do. I understand what processes are in place for in the broader sense and often try to discover the particular reason for each process before I will follow it. Generally though, the employer wants workers A through Z to all behave in a similar fashion. Why though?
Consistency. If all your workers do the same thing, then they will be consistent in their day to day work. This also means they are predicable and replaceable. Each worker is desired to be a replacement for any other as long as they follow the same processes. Is that a good thing?
In some case, I would argue yes it is. There was a time in my life when I worked on an assembly line and process would make or break the productivity. Each day followed a specific process, breaks followed a process, each task always had a specific and predicable process. When the feeder has space, put in another tray. When the pallet of trays are gone, get another pallet. Very rudimentary process that is basic and practical. Often this process is the discovered best techniques of what you are supposed to be doing and essentially giving you the optimized way to do each task. Do this because it has proven to be the fastest or most maintainable way of doing things. Great I say.
However, bureaucratic process is a whole different beast. The domain is larger, the number of employees usually greater and the types of tasks being done much more complex. Process in this case is often more to do with getting each groups interests met rather than providing the most efficient or maintainable way of doing things. That is the part I dislike. A giant muddled mess of wide concerns, each at a different level of importance based entirely upon your current job, department and/or pay grade. Yuck.
Thinking about how many concerns are no longer valid or important will only depress you further. How much of your day is spent doing tasks that don’t provide any benefit to you, your employer or your employer’s customers. You can tell things are bad when you ask, “Why do we do X?” and you get a response such as, “Because legal wants us to” or worse, “Because I told you to”.
This post reminded me of a clip from the TV show Medium I watched a couple nights ago where an employer told his newly hired employee "You have ambition but I have no use for that."
ReplyDeleteFor repetitive, high volume widget production you want to have interchangeable 'parts' (such as people) that do only a few things albeit it very well. When one breaks you can quickly install another and keeping producing. In some other industries, possibly the software industry, every problem that comes along is different in some small or large way. You want your team to take that problem and, building past experience and newly acquired knowledge, come up with a solution that exceeds the goals (timeline, budget, and a host of other metrics). Forcing everyone to be the same has essentially reduced your team’s productivity and creativity to the lowest common denominator (status quo). It’s probably much easier to predict the outcome but in no way does it challenge the team nor its members to strive to better themselves. Companies that resist change are destined to die.
That is too true Jason and really my point. Heavily following process reduces everyone to the lowest common denominator, introduces resistance to any form of change and stifles innovation. It can also have a dire influence on your team because your best people feel unused and begin to under-perform or leave.
ReplyDeleteI really love that quote. Nothing kills your desire to get things done faster than a bunch of overhead work that you cannot see the point of.