Do we need personalized processes? The question seems to defy common sense. A personalized process is the antithesis of what corporations have been striving for, for so many years. I thought we all agreed that processes should be standardized, uniform, one size fits one problem type of solutions? So what’s this about personalization?
Grocery Store
When it comes to grocery shopping people can basically be divided into two categories:
Type A people: Make a list of what to buy and follow it while shopping.
Type B people: Walk around looking for something to catch their attention and buy what feels good. Often have to return to the store after coming home, since they forgot something.
From a survival standpoint, both strategies seem equally good. Obviously Type B people are not dropping like flies from a lack of sustenance. From an efficiency standpoint, the Type A person is probably to be preferred. From a creativity standpoint, the Type B person may be the better candidate.
So what does this mean for corporations?
All companies have both Type A and Type B people on the payroll. Both personalities have qualities that are valuable in the firm’s money making enterprise. But how does this relate to processes?
Type A people are more likely to be willing to follow the process. Actually, they’re probably the people who wrote it in the first place.
Type B people often find the process to be more hassle than help. They are constantly looking for ways to bend the rules, work around the process or ignore it all together. The result is that when Type A and Type B people work together, performance suffers, since they are working against each other.
So how do we solve this dilemma? Should we allow Type B people to modify the process to suit their needs? The spontaneous answer is no, but if it actually increases overall efficiency, then the answer should probably be yes.
Then how do we deal with multiple versions of the same process running at the same time? Good question. The answer is that it’s the subject of a future post! :O)
