I was asked to summarize some aspects of Human Interaction Management for a research report by a major consulting company. Readers of this blog may find my response useful, so here it is.
Added Value of HIM
for 80% of the costs - but it does not tell us why. To discover why,
and deal with it, one must appreciate that “exceptional cases” are not
exceptional at all. They are the norm, since they occur all the time - further, they are what truly test your business practices.
To deal with the “long tail” - i.e., to operate efficiently and
effectively in a globalized economy - one must abandon the hopeful
notion that business processes can be defined once then run thousands
of times with only minor change. One must create an operational
environment in which change is not only possible, but structured,
encouraged and aligned with strategic objectives.
This means taking a much richer view of “process” - a view in which people, communication channels, knowledge, time and plans are all managed along with the activities
that are more easily visible - across multiple domains that include not
only you and all your trading partners but also your customers.
Bottom-up empowerment is not enough. Top-down control is not enough.
You need an enterprise management framework that supports both, at the
same time, using the same approach.
- A bid to build a new range of aircraft;
- A joint venture to expand operations into a new region;
- The acquisition of a former competitor;
- Development of the new look for a product;
- Creation of a marketing campaign;
- Management of hundreds of software engineers;
- Response to emergencies;
- …
organizations to reduce or eliminate the estimated 28% of knowledge
worker time that is currently wasted due to poor control of human
interactions. However, the primary concern in such processes is to succeed,
from the perspective of the customers, vendors, and individuals taking
part. HIM goes further than cost and time reduction - HIM improves
knowledge worker effectiveness. By showing people the context
in which they are working, and the value they are expected to deliver,
HIM allows knowledge workers to use their skills and experience tomake informed choices about the actions they take and the resources they
use.
well as possible - to use the skills that they were originally hired
for. HIM, and the accompanying method GOOD, create organizations based
on negotiation and trust rather than on rules and control.
Rather, the approach allows each level of management to do what it does
best:
- The board can define strategies;
- Executives can create routes forward that implement the strategies;
- Managers can implement the routes.
empower people - that people may go off at tangents, or abuse the
system. This is the main obstacle to organizational transformation via
HIM.
systems approach with feedback loops that actually make such
organizations more reliably focused on results. HIM and GOOD not only
make more dynamic organizations - they make organizations that perform
better, and act more safely.
- Cause most pain to it, its customers, and its staff
- Offer most potential for transformation.
These techniques are lightweight - a day or two is enough to discover
the areas that need immediate attention. Then GOOD can be used on
those areas to apply HIM.
Often, the output of a workshop is nothing more than a 1-page
diagram. Many people find it incredibly helpful just to have a simple
way of understanding what is going on - this alone can be enough to transform the way they work, and help them to deliver huge value to their organization.
TAKE AWAY
In the 20th century, competitive pressure led
to the transformation of routine work via Scientific Management,
Statistical Quality Control and Total Quality Management.
In the 21st century, competitive pressure will lead to the transformation of human-driven work via (I believe) HIM and GOOD.
It is a new age, in all sorts of ways, and organizations must make
radical changes if they wish to prosper. Fortunately, the changes are
straightforward, and benefit everyone involved. It is an exciting time.
For more information, see the HIM Web site.