I’m not a fan of buzz words. However, I like ideas and words that help managers tackle the hard problems with respect to meeting customer needs.
In a price driven business environment, managers must match their cost structure with client expectations. Yet, cost reduction programs can only do so much to enhance your company’s value proposition.
Human Latency
Business process efficiency, as Art Rosenberg put it, “is quickly moving up the ROI food chain for business organizations.” One construct that is gaining some attention is human latency.
Philip Howard, Research Director at Bloor Research states that there are two parts to human latency: finding information and arranging collaboration. In a team based culture, both aspects are like Siamese twins, where one goes the other must follow. I won’t elaborate on the imagery.
Some argue that human latency can be eliminated if a decision or business process is purely quantitative. For example, where price is an issue, choose the lowest cost shipping channel. However not all decision can be distilled to a pure “quant” level.
If their is an element of needed subjectivity and the decision is being made in a collaborative environment, then finding information can often mean finding the right individuals, or simply finding the person period. The concept of “Unified Communication” promises to improve human interaction and reduce latency.
I believe the promise and sense that many organizations will not reap the benefits without taking into account their company culture.
As an aside, the other day I stumbled on a chart produced by Gartner that rates technology centered solution providers on two dimensions: vision and execution. I’ve included it below more as a teaser than focal point for any discussion.
Gartner RAS Core Research Note G00160407
I’m sure that many of you reading this blog post have had interesting experiences with the implimentation of innovation. I like the grid because it lends itself to idea that leading change involves vision and execution.
Before rushing to embrace any business process change, managers must ask hard questions about their organization’s culture and commitment to training. Culture can torpedo a great vision, or process improvement. A culture that does not value training, may fail to gain maximum benefits. In my next post on the subject I’ll talk about ways to help individuals connect with and embrace changes to business process.
Charles L. Gordon
