Process…hide the children!

When you say the word process to people what reaction do you get? Do you see fear in their eyes? Do they start looking for the nearest exit?

When you talk about process do you ever suspect people immediately get the wrong idea, jump to conclusions, put you in a ‘box’, and prejudge your intentions and actions?

See the video at the end to drive the point home.

Which hat do you wear?

In our company we have been talking about the different hats people wear when thinking about process to represent the different perspectives. But maybe we haven’t gone far enough in our thinking.

Is the simple use of the word process stopping us achieving what we and our companies need us to, and blighting our careers. Maybe we are getting the same reactions we see in the video, but suppressed by the decorum of the business environment. What would people do if they showed how they really feel about process?

What terminology should we use instead which hasn’t got years of ‘history’ associated with it?

A swamp worth $6 billion

An inspirational presentation by Richard Davis, Business Process Manager (BTW a job title which masks his seniority and vast experience) at ThyssenKrupp Steel (TKS) at the last year’s Inspiring Performance conference in Houston. From what was a swamp in Mobile, Alabama, TKS has invested $6 billion to build one of the world’s most efficient steel mills - it opened officially in December 2011. At TKS, ‘the foundation is always process’.

The Business Management System at TKS Alabama - built on the ability to address the issues of every ‘hat’ in their organization - incorporates the QMS, the Lean Six Sigma program, links to SAP Solution Manager, and will support compliance to 9001, 14001, 27001 and much else. Note it is called the Business Management System - no hint of the process word. His recommendation when talking to senior business people and end users is to drop the word process from our vocabulary.

With that in mind, watch the video…