Over the past two weeks, I’ve compared notes with two friends over process. In this context, “compared notes” equals commiserate over situations in organizations where getting the group to follow process is a challenge.
What struck me was how three different people could have such similar views, literally to the point of being able to finish each other’s sentences on the topic. How did that happen?
So I started to do a check off list….
- Age – the three of us are all around the same age. Let’s just say I have the grey hairs to show for it.
- Sex – two females, one male. Doubtful.
- Similar upbringing – One from Oregon, one from New Hampshire, and one from Ohio. Hmm. West coast, east coast, and north coast. You couldn’t get much more diverse and stay in the United States.
- Collegiate schooling – Oregon, Massachusetts, Ohio.
- Worked for same company – nope.
I was lamenting a lack of insight when one offered, “It’s about values. We share a value for the customer.”
We share a value for the customer.
A value provides the basis for action. Over my career, I’ve found having a value for the customer is often a good starting point for a decision. It can’t be a “the customer is always right” blind faith decision…as sometimes the customer is trying to get something they are not paying for.
In a recent meeting an SVP for a large (IT) company said he looked for people with two characteristics:
- team player
- customer focus.
There’s that pesky customer again.
A large financial services firm espouses a simple value framework for decision making….in order
- Client
- Firm
- Self
In this context, client is customer. This simple rubric provides clarity for the quality of the organization.
So how does process get wrapped into a value around the customer? It’s about having predictable results. Customers value predictable results. And in my experience, internal staff (not to be confused with an internal customers) prefer predictable results.
What often happens is someone in the heat of the moment thinks they know best, and shortcuts the process. Over time, this leads to anarchy and a loss of predictability.
And for all you saying you don’t like process, please note I abhor “bad” process, and bureaucratic process. Process, when designed and well executed, is a facilitating and not debilitating tool.