We design processes that guarantee people the freedom to make independent decisions.
In a human-centric process world, the times when employees were closely managed and controlled are over. A well-designed process provides the framework and opens up freedom of action and decision-making for the people working in the process without constantly having to obtain an approval or a decision from their supervisor.
As an example, let’s have a closer look at a purchasing process. Classically, in larger organizations this includes several approval levels by the supervisor, the controller, and the purchasing department. But why does one believe that an employee cannot make a decision whether the procurement is operationally necessary and/or economical and the necessary budget is available?
With sufficient transparency and trust, it should be possible to design the process without multi-stage approvals.
To put this into action, rethink the way you design your processes. Create a process framework which provides all necessary information and enables the people to make independent decisions.
