We all understand the uses and limitations of a hammer: it’s a great tool when you want to hang a picture but it’s of
little use when you need to wash a window. Why are we so unable to use this same insight with business processes?
Take for instance the current popularity of “lean” processes. Lean’s focus on efficiency offers clear advantages. The
logic of finding and eliminating waste, duplication, and omissions is unassailable. Yet applying lean thinking to
customer service can result in mean service. When working with individuals there is such a thing as too efficient.
Case in point, information operators in a major U.S. metropolis were instructed to skip amenities when assisting
callers to save time and increase productivity. Is handling five percent more calls worth sacrificing common
courtesies?
If you’ve been in the work force for very long you will recall when “empowerment” was all the rage. Meetings were
held. Slogans were printed, framed, and hung on walls. Managers in hundreds of companies unleashed the creative
energy of employees with the exciting pronouncement, Go ye forth and make decisions!
And they did–to the shock and dismay of many bosses who commented: “You did WHAT?!” Empowerment
without adequate education, training, and experience can result in some spectacular (and expensive) on-the-spot
decisions. For instance, one superintendent “empowered” to solve homeowner issues told the mother of four to “Go
somewhere for the weekend and send warranty the bill” while her hardwood floors were re-finished. The bill
included a hotel in Vail, ski lift tickets, dry cleaning, and a pet spa for Boomer, the family dog.
The list goes on. Management by Objectives was going to solve all our problems at one point just as Total Quality
Management (TQM) and Quality Circles were expected to do. Accountability had a turn as well. Each silver bullet,
in turn, proves itself not quite up to the task of solving all our problems and is too often therefore cast aside as
useless only to be replaced by the next silver bullet, typically referred to in buzzword short-hand and represented by
numerous industry articles and $26 must-have business books few of us ever finish reading.
But the fact that I have a dirty window to clean does not drive me to throw my hammer in the trash. Needing to put
a nail in a board does not mean my spray bottle won’t be helpful tomorrow. Maybe we can keep this in mind with
lean, accountability, TQM, and whatever other silver bullet lurks on the horizon. Each has uses and limitations;
success comes from mastering a wide repertoire of tools and making wise choices about which one to apply to the
situation at hand.
