Your Processes are Flawed, Not Your People.

In the intricate dance of organizational performance, two crucial aspects often get muddled: the management of people and the management of the environment in which the people work. Renowned thinkers in the field of organizational performance, Rummler and Brache, astutely observed that “Organizations tend to overmanage their people and undermanage the environment in which they work.” This insightful statement sheds light on a common pitfall where the focus is disproportionately placed on managing employees, often overlooking the critical influence of their working environment. Often, a boss’s first thought in underperforming working situations is: “what’s wrong with my people?” rather than thinking: “what’s wrong with my processes?”

To further explore this concept, let’s delve into another powerful quote by Rummler and Brache, “If you pit a good performer against a bad process, the process will win almost every time.” This is a stark reminder of the dominant force processes play in shaping organizational outcomes. No matter how skilled or motivated an individual may be, if the underlying process is flawed, their potential to excel is severely hampered.

These concepts align seamlessly with Thomas Gilbert’s Behavioral Engineering Model, which posits that performance is a function of both individual capabilities and the environmental factors that support these capabilities. Gilbert’s model breaks down performance into six factors: Information, Resources, Incentives, Knowledge, Capacity, and Motives. Information and Resources fall under the environmental category, while Knowledge, Capacity, and Motives are individual factors. Incentives straddle both realms, influencing personal motivation and being shaped by the organizational environment.

The essence of Rummler and Brache’s observations can be seen through the lens of Gilbert’s model. When organizations over-emphasize personnel management (focusing on Knowledge, Capacity, and Motives) while neglecting environmental factors (Information, Resources, and certain aspects of Incentives), they create a mismatch between employee potential and the efficacy of their work processes. The environment, including processes and systems, plays a pivotal role in either enabling or hindering employee performance. For example, when people are underperforming in their job duty’s we often assume they need more training (knowledge) rather than a simple job aid (information) to remind them of infrequent tasks they need to perform. A job aid, or instruction sheet, costs the ink it took to print it. Training, on the other hand, takes training and development professionals and employees out of their work environments to facilitate an expensive training regiment no one will remember or use on the job.

The wisdom in these observations lies in understanding the symbiotic relationship between people and processes. An organization that seeks to optimize performance must balance its focus. It’s not enough to recruit and train talented individuals; equal attention must be paid to refining and optimizing the processes they operate within. A talented employee who can type 100 words per minute (Knowledge and Capacity) actually needs a keyboard to do the typing (Resources). This involves continuously evaluating and improving the tools, data systems, and procedures that underpin daily operations.

In applying these principles, leaders should strive to create an environment where processes are streamlined, clear, and well-understood. Employees should have easy access to the necessary information and resources needed to perform their jobs effectively. Moreover, the incentive systems should be designed to align with both individual motivations and the overall goals of the organization. Employees who routinely receive more work, because they always get things done on time and on budget is not an appropriate incentive to motivate them to keep doing a stellar job.

Navigating the path to organizational success requires a nuanced approach that balances the management of both people and their working environment. By acknowledging the profound impact of processes and systems, and aligning them with the talents and motivations of the workforce, organizations can create a harmonious and productive work environment. As Rummler and Brache aptly remind us, it’s not just about the people; it’s about the process too. And the sooner a manager begins to question the environment their employees are working in before questioning the motives or knowledge of their workers, the quicker performance will improve.