Picking up on a previous post, we find that many people find the idea of “systemization” scary until they understand how it can help them.
Some believe systemization stifles creativity and innovation or say that certain functions or businesses cannot be systemized. Many fear the Hal scenario from 2001: A Space Odyssey where humans become slaves to an autocratic, unyielding mechanical system and lose their autonomy and creativity. Consequently, they resist defining a system at all.
While it is understandable that many people could think this way, their fears are generally unfounded. Clearly, high-performing, empowered organizations with systemized operations do not work this way. In fact, they are usually far more innovative and creative than in unsystemized, unempowered organizations. It may be counter-intuitive, but it is true.
Two seemingly diametrically opposed concepts, systemization and innovation, work together to enable the high-performance workplace.
- An organization with a clearly defined system is easier to understand, easier to manage, and therefore easier to change when desired—fostering creativity and teamwork.
- Workers who understand the organization’s system, can make better decisions and solve problems on their own without constantly having to ask their bosses. They are more confident, independent—empowered.
- Good systems ensure that mundane and routine tasks get done as efficiently and effectively as possible. Workers have more time to innovate because they are spending less time fire-fighting, asking for help on routine tasks, and on rework.
- Because workers understand the purpose of a task (why it is important) they see a personal benefit and see how their effort contributes to the organizations success. This improves morale and performance dramatically.
- Systems enable continuous improvement. Because performance and metrics are built in, clear systems enable you to manage your business more realistically, objectively, “by the numbers.”
- Good systems enable you to be in control of your own destiny because you decide the business performance outcome you want and then design a system for achieving it. Using the system, you can monitor performance. If you are not getting the result you want, you change the system.
Still skeptical? Let COMPROSE show you how you can empower your employees and get better results from creating good systems. That is the foundation of everything we do from our
Operations Mapping method of standardizing operations to our
Zavanta software for writing policies and procedures, our process coaching and our educational webinars.