Effective and efficient processes are a leading indicator of organizational performance. However, while processes and performance are highly correlated, they are two distinct factors. In other words, it is possible to achieve exceptional performance without the best business processes, just as it is possible to have subpar organizational performance after implementing best-in-class process improvement methods (this is contrary to what many Six Sigma experts will openly admit).
How is this so?
The science of management tells us that "the application of X will always produce Y as long as we hold all variables constant. " This scenario is seldom the case in the real world. The main reason for the inexactness of science of management is that it deals with the people...and most of us would conclude that the behavior of people is a rarely a constant.
Enter the Art of Management
The art of management goes a little something like this. "The application of X has the potential to produce numerous adaptations of Y depending on a myriad of variables. " This sounds a little more like the real world that most of us live in - a world in which often times great processes do not always equal great performance.
The implementation of management principles, such as process improvement, is both an art and science. Organizations undergoing such initiatives must be careful not to tip the scale by focusing exclusively on the 'science' while ignoring the 'art' necessary to achieve great performance.
As alluded to earlier, much of this 'art' involves a thorough understanding of human behavior and how these behaviors may influence the relationship between X and Y. Only then will great processes have the maximum potential to achieve great performance.
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