Do You Have a Business Process Addiction?

Consider this scenario. A company has recently upgraded their office space, with a new shared area for employees to use to collaborate and hold meetings. The room has no restrictions — you can use it anytime, and for anything. Within the first week, someone leaves food and spilled drinks on the tables and chairs. This is brought to the attention of leadership, and a new set of policies and processes for use of the space are put in place — specifically to address the mess issue. The question is, was this necessary?

Organizations frequently try to address problems by slapping policies and procedures on them. Over time, these pile up into thousands of guidelines on “how we do things around here”, many of which are ignored or overlooked. This obsession with trying to regulate and manage all actions and behaviors result in over-controlling people and removing the opportunity for individuals to think independently. While the scenario about the common area may seem minor, consider how many processes you have in your organization. Are they really helping employees perform better, more consistently, and proactively? Or are they actually reducing your organization’s problem-solving and critical thinking effectiveness?

Of course, there are certain industries and certain cases where procedures have to be documented and formalized to protect the company and maintain good standing with key certifications. But in other cases, procedures are used as a replacement for directly dealing with one situation or one single circumstance. In our scenario, rather than speaking to the employee about their behavior directly, a new process was put in place on how the shared area should be managed. While this may address the problem on the surface, it doesn’t really fix it, and causes frustration, limitations and hassles for those who weren’t the culprit.

The real question is when is a new process actually necessary? Every new policy, process or procedure adds weight to a company. Process documents need to be updated and managed. Each one needs to be enforced. There are subsequent procedures on how to handle cases where a policy or process is not followed. It’s a lot of work for little value.

Even worse, processes are often inefficient and disconnected from real business circumstances. Think about when you have a new piece of software installed in your organization. While there’s tons of documentation and procedures provided on how to utilize it, most of the time there’s one person who trains others, showing them the “quick and easy” way to use it, rather than the documented way to use it. Why? Because their experience and knowledge enable them to cut through the useless details and get right to quick use under real-world circumstances. You see this same approach used every day in short YouTube tutorials on almost every subject imaginable. How many times do you look up the owner’s manual versus searching for a how-to video from someone with no affiliation with the company?

Not everything needs a policy, and not everything needs a process. Don’t be afraid to loosen the reigns and address issues at the appropriate level. While there’s a time and place for standardized methods and processes, in other cases, it’s just a waste of resources, effort, and stifles your organizational culture.

About the Author

Andrea’s 24-year, field-tested background provides practical, behavioral science approaches to creating differentiated, human-focused organizations. A 4x ADDY award-winner, TEDx presenter, and 3x book author, she began her career at a tech start-up and led the strategic sales, marketing, and customer engagement efforts at two global industrial manufacturers. She now leads a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations differentiate their brands using behavioral science.

In addition to writing and consulting, Andrea speaks to leaders and industry organizations around the world. Connect with Andrea to access information on her book, keynoting, research, or consulting. More information is also available on www.pragmadik.com or www.andreabelkolson.com.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.