Posted on 04/10/14 at 12:00:00 AM
Defining Process Driven: ‘Process driven’ implies the ability to execute any assignment independently but through strict following of an associated process.
Accomplishing work related targets in this manner requires the ability to complete an assignment in consecution or step-by-step manner. At the same time, it is also important to ensure that the any step of the execution method is not controlled externally, such as escaping, extending of modifying it.
The best way to understand the process driven functioning of an employee is citing that person’s capability of completing an assignment gradually but without calling of his supervisor to get involved in the process, directly. Judging over such abilities of an employee it is clear that he is self-sufficient and capable of performing his duties without interruption or with minimum breaks.
In the same line of argument, a process driven organization is interpreted as a set up that aims at achieving the strategic objectives of business by managing activities in a procedural manner, including data inputs, data resources and data output. At the same time, such an organization continues estimating the valuable resources and the necessary inputs. It also takes into account these details in order to determine the continuation of process that elaborates the methodology, ensuring for resource consumption, transforming inputs into outputs.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PROCESS DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS:
Organizations that are people driven depend on a particular group of individuals for the necessary inputs. Let’s consider a situation where only a particular group of laborers have the necessary skills to accomplish certain duties, necessary for the enterprise/business. In such cases, they may form a team and bargain for a raise. A people driven organization is always dependent on individuals for running its operations successfully through inputs of the experts.
Process driven organizations, on the other hand, function quite differently than the people driven counterparts. Standing over the principles of corporate law that states once an organization is established, it automatically becomes a separate entity. As a separate entity, unlike people driven organizations, it stops relying on the promoters or any group of experts. It becomes like an artificial existence that law has given birth to.
MOVING FROM PEOPLE TO PROCESS DRIVEN:
The architects of an organization are not generally asked with any attempt to define or explain the process for optimizing business processes. However, it is expected that they are well aware about all the processes that are associated with the development of the organization’s overall business strategy. Empowered with the knowledge they ensure that each process adheres to the norms, orcess and quality of the business.
Conceptually, the purpose of process driven is developing an organization that is free from the bias of people dependence. Unlike people driven establishments, it would remain unaffected by the departure of a gr0up of skilled employees and continue with its operations normally. The abstract entity of an organization provokes exciting ideas. Naturally, such ideas often provide the establishment with the sense of continuity, more like creating a platform for perpetual succession or a never-ending span of life. Professionals, working for the company, also realize that existence of the establishment is not constrained in terms of time, skill or morality.
Multinational corporations have clearly mastered the method of embodying the process to shift from people driven to process driven, In order to ensure successful embodiment of the idea, they have developed the entire organizational system in a manner that their functioning doesn’t get too dependent to human skills or location or cultural. These organizations continue with the process of growth in terms of knowledge, expansive operations and expertise, irrespective of members’ contribution.
It is important to realize that process driven organization doesn’t necessary mean it is free from all types of human dependence. Today, names of the corporations that we pronounce would have been giant robotic companies rather than giant corporations, had they deprived themselves entirely of human dependence. For these multinational corporations, the involvement of employees to get the job done within the suggested period of time with close adherence to the best practices of manufacturing, is of great importance. They ensure that everyone is involved in the production and in this way the over-reliance on a specific group of people for completing the given assignment is avoided.
The final goal of a process driven organization is to satisfy the interest of stakeholders. In order to meet this goal, an organization needs to evaluate and improve its processes. In this context, the most important role is played by the Process Owner, as he is responsible for determining which processes should be kept alive and satisfy stakeholders requirement from those, adequately.
Considering the spectrum of features that a process driven organization has to offer, it is obvious that this type of organization has to offer greater benefits over the people driven ones. Despite the fact that several old-school entrepreneurs still vote for people driven processes, mainly to keep their grip tight over controlling their enterprises, the process driven ones are prevailing. The most important reason that process driven organizations are favored considerably is because it is proven to be more effective than people driven processes when it comes to creating an organization. However, it is important to get a good hold over the process. Many have failed in pursuing their goal with forming an organization as they haven’t really been able to figure out the best way to implement the concept in real life.
To materialize the shift from people driven to process, organizations need to follow the following principles:
DOCUMENTING PROCESSES DOES NOT MAKE YOU PROCESS DRIVEN:
It is a flawed feeling for many organizations that documenting processes explicitly and delivering employees with reference manual about results of such documentation makes them process driven. However, there are actually two prime flaws involved in this process:
First, documentation of the processes means that the operating processes are getting documented. In this way these organizations become caters of the processes that help with transforming inputs and outputs within the regular course of business.
Second, higher method processes, especially controlling operations (such as ensuring the standard guidelines for the process or exchanging necessary information for the external environment) remain largely people driven in this manner. Ideally, the mechanism in a process driven organization should be such that it continues to learn and gather the necessary knowledge but never infringe the scope for learning.
THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND A PROCESS DRIVEN ORGANIZATION:
The basic and foremost requirement for becoming a process driven organization is the readiness for change at all levels of the organization. Without support from the management of this magnitude, it is impossible to introduce the necessary transition. The change, necessary for becoming a process driven enterprise, should start from the fundamental level and it is extremely difficult to obtain this objective unless the change commences from the top of an organizational chart.
Most of the modern corporations are trying to explore the possibilities of performance enhancement, based on the process driven approach. There are, generally, three methods that both individually and accumulatively help an organization with process driven performance optimization.
PROCESS DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS: THE BENEFITS
The major benefits of implementing the necessary measures for developing a process driven organization are: