Breaking the Efficiency Obsession
We’re immersed in a digital age where AI, automation, data analytics and streamlined operational models are buzzwords filling the ether…
No surprise there (I hope).
But with so much talk about prioritizing processes, it’s easy to lose sight of the real asset that makes any business thrive – at least until the robots take over. Its people. People must come before the process.
Processes are essential; for us as individuals and as businesses. Processes standardize, smooth and systematize organizations to keep things running efficiently and effectively. But am I the only one that can stare at a page full of numbers, KPIs or data points and forget that behind every one of them there is a human being making choices, taking action and breathing life into those processes? People are the ones who interpret, adapt and (necessarily, at least sometimes) disrupt those processes to grow.
Our quest for operational efficiency, if not watched and balanced, can result in low morale, lack of creativity and innovation, team turnover, sluggish projects and even missing customer wants and needs! If you’re experiencing any of these things, these might be your signs that there’s too much process optimization. Process myopia may have set in, blinding you to the nuances of human input.
Imagine a customer service script so standardized there’s no room for genuine human connection. You probably know what I’m talking about if you’ve called a major telecom company recently. It just feels cold, annoying and robotic. The process may be efficient by whatever success metrics they’re watching for at the company, but at what cost?
I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from working with and teaching countless innovators and business leaders who’ve embraced the idea of people first. Retail executives that spend time on the shop floor. Restaurant owners making their way around dinner tables to say hello to their patrons. Manufacturing leaders working the production floor and talking to their team. They know that people must come before the process – and that’s actually more efficient in the long term.
No matter the size of your team, organization or group – there are some questions you can ask to break this efficiency obsession… Are those around you free to share ideas without criticism? Do you have freedom to go off script? And are the people around you honored and valued for their contributions? If you answered no to any of those questions,you now have a place to start the work. And even if you said yes to all of them, hopefully this is a good reminder. As a leadership keynote speaker who believes that companies only grow as much as their people do, I’ll probably keep reminding you.
This isn’t a choice between people OR processes. Rather, it’s about placing people at the center of those processes to pave the way for growth that’s both efficient and adaptable, robust yet human. Let’s acquire AI. Roll out the robots. And push out the procedures.
Just never forget that businesses don’t succeed.
People do.
Put them first.
Key idea: Efficiency, adaptability and sustainability require people centered processes
Takeaway: Think people before process