Spend some time in large and medium sized businesses, and you’ll come across encyclopedic procedural manuals. These three-ring behemoths bind together page after page of flowcharts in an effort to regularize the behavior of employees and departments. Manuals like this have obvious value for efficiency-driven businesses (which we all are, to an extent), but they can be detrimental, too.
The benefits of having a set of agreed upon processes are obvious. Work can be done consistently, certain questions can be answered once and for all, and new employees can more easily find their place in a definitive system.
But there are downsides, too. Adhering too strictly to procedures can mean missed opportunities to grow your business. Freewheeling thought tangents can be quashed by procedures that are too authoritarian, and while that can result in increased focus, it may also eliminate the ideas that would best serve your business in the long term.
So here’s my question
“What role does process play in your business (or life)?”
If you’ve got a thought about this, please share! Just type your thoughts below in the “Leave a Reply” field.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
-Braden