| Many of you will recognise this quote from | | | | These problems are created because the |
| the 1960s TV show, "The Prisoner". Patrick | | | | underlying approach to the business processes |
| McGoohan used the phrase to describe his | | | | is still to treat the organisation as a |
| frustration at not being treated as an | | | | machine that needs to be "re-engineered". The |
| individual, and being kept in the dark about | | | | problems created by this approach are then |
| what his superiors were up to in a very | | | | treated as "people issues". |
| confusing environment. This experience is not | | | | |
| dissimilar to what employees face in most | | | | Processes and people cannot be separated like |
| change projects. | | | | this. Even in this age of technology, the |
| | | | vast majority of business processes are |
| A cog in the machine | | | | carried out by people - usually informally. |
| | | | |
| Traditional approaches to business change and | | | | It is what employees do on a day-to-day basis |
| process improvement have at their heart, the | | | | that makes a business work. A large |
| idea that a business is, essentially, a | | | | percentage of the processes are not |
| machine that can be engineered to be | | | | documented and are so complex that it would |
| efficient. In fact the term "Business Process | | | | be almost impossible to do so. Procedures |
| Re-engineering" (BPR) makes this assumption | | | | manuals are a very conceptualised view of |
| quite explicit. | | | | business processes - if they could capture |
| | | | everything, no-one would pay for experience. |
| This "mechanical" approach to change can | | | | |
| leave employees feeling alienated and | | | | Once you acknowledge this, it becomes quite |
| devalued (much like Patrick McGoohan). | | | | clear why most change projects are |
| | | | unsuccessful. A business process is not an |
| As these traditional approaches have | | | | inanimate object that can be "re-engineered" |
| developed, more emphasis has been placed on | | | | but a collection of human behaviours. The |
| the "human" aspects. It is acknowledged that | | | | only people capable of changing the business |
| a change programme cannot work without | | | | processes are those carrying them out. |
| "employee buy-in". The issue is usually | | | | |
| tackled by running numerous workshops where | | | | Process Improvement for Strategic Objectives |
| consultants try to make the employees feel | | | | (PISO(R)) |
| part of the exercise, while continuing to | | | | |
| apply the same old techniques to the business | | | | PISO(R), developed at the University of |
| processes themselves. | | | | Sunderland, is a unique approach to business |
| | | | process improvement that provides a |
| From the employee's point of view, an | | | | structured step-by-step approach for the |
| external consultant has interviewed him for | | | | employees themselves to re-design their own |
| thirty minutes to understand the job that he | | | | processes. |
| has been doing for thirty years, gone away | | | | |
| and come back with a new way of doing it. | | | | At Feechan Consulting Ltd, we work with |
| This comes across as patronising at best. The | | | | organisations large and small throughout the |
| consultant then rubs salt into the wounds by | | | | UK, from public sector bodies such as the BBC |
| running workshops to try to win the employee | | | | and North Tyneside Council to private sector |
| over so that he does not obstruct the | | | | companies across all sectors. |
| changes! | | | | |
| | | | Many of our clients learn the technique on |
| In this environment, addressing the "people | | | | one of our training courses and then apply it |
| issues" is all about ensuring that the level | | | | themselves, whereas others require our |
| of disillusionment is not so great that the | | | | facilitation. Either way, it is the employees |
| change project fails. | | | | that carry out the processes that redesign |
| | | | them, removing the separation of people and |
| Processes vs People | | | | processes and significantly improving the |
| | | | success of any change. |