Process Efficiency
The Human Factor

The "Human Factor" aspect of Process efficiency addresses the role that emotions play in any person's effectiveness in performing whatever Tasks he or she is assigned to. Although this subject is anything but strait forward and concrete, the fact is we are all humans, and we all act with both intelligence and emotion. Both of these things determine the effectiveness of every human worker and both will always be present in the business world. This issue is prodigious and widely avoided, yet it stands as an undeniable factor that is pivotal in the success of any business machine -- let's look at it.

Emotional Responses to Tasks

Emotional responses to Tasks or how we "feel" about the work we have to do play a significant role in how efficiently we can complete those Tasks repetitively. It doesn't have to be argued that one person who likes or is at least neutral about completing a given Task will outperform another who dislikes the same Task. Every Task involves some level of Expenditure and Reward on a personal level. The Expenditure pertains to the physical and mental energies that have to be spent to complete any given Task while the Reward pertains to any financial or personal satisfaction that is obtained from the Task's results. The negative or positive perception of any Task on a personal level will depend on the aggregate combination of a Task's Expenditure verses its Rewards.

Task Expenditure

Almost every Task requires a person to expend both physical and mental energy. A Task will in general  be perceived as more difficult if it requires more energy to complete. Physical energy is straight forward and usually diminished through the application of physical Tools and assistive devices. Mental energy on the other hand is much more complex and obscure and is the dominant form of energy expenditure in the overwhelming percentage of business Tasks.

The mental energy expended to complete any given Task can be categorized into managerial and functional. Managerial Mental Energy is expended determining  what actions to perform while Functional Mental Energy is expended determining how to complete those actions. Any Task that requires a significant amount of mental energy will be perceived as much more difficult if decisions have to be continually made about what to do and how to do it every step of the way. Process Solving reduces the mental energy expenditure required for repetitive Tasks. Why do we organize things and in fact get some satisfaction in doing so? It's simply because organizing reduces the amount of mental energy required to complete the Task. Reducing Task Expenditure shifts the perception balance towards the Task Rewards.

Task Rewards

At the completion of every Task, there is some form of conscious or subconscious reward that is not associated with money. Sometimes the reward is simply getting the Task off the to-do list but very often there is a personal-satisfaction component. Human beings innately want their efforts to result in a positive impact in what they do. We might hate washing the car but are rewarded by looking at its beauty when its clean.

There is also a personal-identity component to the Tasks that we have to complete. Task results make an unconscious statement about the person or persons who complete the Task. If a person who completes a Task believes that anyone could do the same thing, the identity component is reduced making it more difficult to obtain personal satisfaction. Simply put, every person wants to believe that it was important that "they" completed a given Task and that their individual talents and efforts significantly contributed to a good result.

The Role of Functional Clarity

On a personal satisfaction level, there is a huge difference between feeling as though your function is to do whatever needs to be done and knowing the specific needs of the Business Processes that you fulfill. Functional Clarity is a clear understanding of the specific needs of the business that an employee's efforts satisfy. Having Functional Clarity promotes an improved focus on the everyday actions that are performed and is a precursor to instilling and implementing Ownership.

Functional Clarity can be improved through what we call Process Framing. Process Framing is an approach that specifies and organizes Process Tasks around the personnel that will complete them so that they clearly understand their role in the overall Process and Tasks can evolve appropriately. Achieving Functional Clarity reduces the amount of mental energy required to complete everyday Tasks.

The Role of Ownership

Ownership is critical to achieving a high level of efficiency and performance. We all know that people like saying: "I'm in charge of" when talking about their jobs. Ownership is having responsibility for and some level of control over the everyday Tasks that are completed. Ownership promotes a positive sense of identity and purpose in the workplace. Although most managers would associate ownership with a larger role that one could put a title to, ownership can be implemented at almost any level in the right Process infrastructure. Most employees don't invest any creative effort into improving how things are done because they simply don't think that they can change anything without more effort than its worth to them. Through Process Framing, committed support of management,  and the right overall Process structure, ownership can be implemented for every part of a business's operations. If this is done correctly, improvements in Business Operational Performance can be achieved beyond what most could imagine.

Summary

Perhaps the best way to emphasize all that has been discussed concerning the "human" component of Business Operations is to provide a series of statements that an employee could make about their job if these concepts were supported in a business's Process designs:

"When I work, I always know exactly what to do and the best way to do it."

"I know exactly what role I fulfill for my company."

"My efforts and talents play a significant and observable part in the outcome of what I work on."

"If I come up with better ways of doing things that I'm responsible for, I can change them."

All these statements promote personal satisfaction and support the following concepts that are important to improving human interaction with business Processes:

            Clarity - reduced mental energy

            Purpose - understanding of the business needs fulfilled

            Identity - personalization of business needs fulfillment

            Impact - the power to effect the results

            Responsibility - freedom to change the way things get done

The Human Factor of business Processes and the role of personal satisfaction in the workplace cannot be overlooked if the goal is a high performance company where Business Operations are concerned.