So why should we get excited about processes?
Put simply, everything a charity or not for profit organisation does relies on that most basic of building blocks - process. It's how we do what we do.
But that's not all. There are three big reasons why process matters a great deal.
First, processes give you a view into the heart and soul of of an organisation. Move beyond the tasks associated with process improvement and you’ll find process stories, measures and controls that tell you about culture, customer, member or beneficiary focus and cross silo working. Simple process maps or pictures tell you how an organisation does what it does, help identify the possible causes of waste, complaints or unnecessary cost and opportunities for improvement. Once you understand its process architecture and capability you know how the organisation works.
Second, process is the best common currency for getting people together, increasing awareness of what each other does. It enables better teamwork, it helps break down barriers and removes misconceptions and working together with process as your common language encourages inclusion. It’s so versatile too - you can put an efficiency slant on the discussions, a service perspective, a training or induction view or even an emotional assessment (there's a post on the way about emotionally aligned processes)
Third concentrating on process allows people to be creative, to release discretionary effort. Improving process empowers people to take ownership of their work environment. Improving their work environment contributes to greater well being. Not everyone can do strategy, IT development or complex legal analysis but everyone has the capability to improve their contribution to an end to end process and understand how they fit into any organisation’s overall aims.
So, it's worth thinking about the processes that enable your organisation to work, how they can be improved and how that thinking can really bring people together.
