Business is not without its share of problems. The problems span the benign to those that are malignant, metastasized and on the verge of killing your business. Sometimes the solution to a complex problem is not readily available. In the interim, you ruminate over the potential outcomes and possible solutions. In the heat of the ruminating you deduct that the issue at hand is one that needs a complex answer. You then turn to some lofty methodology to solve said problem.
You’re probably saying what’s wrong with this? Surely, a some methodology will get rid of this problem indefinitely. Wrong!
Let’s take Six Sigma for instance, it is a methodolgy born out of the manufacturing industry and conceived to put an end to defects as a result of faulty processes; therefore reducing the variability of outputs. It sounds wonderful and I’m sure we can thank this methodology everytime we drive our cars or operate any machinery without injury or faulty output. However, since when did the “people” business of HR need a manufacturing methodology to tell them whether a process is ill-conceived or whether or not we are delivering a true value proposition to our customers?
The truth is we know very well what the myriad of issues are and how to solve them. Instead, we use “Methodology Interruptus” as a front to seem like we are doing something lofty, complex and even smart, but really we had the answer to the issue all along. While the methodolgy is interrupting us from using our brains and working the problem we are spending a ridiculous amount of man hours charting, evaluating grids, calculating statistics all to tell us what we already knew- Houston we have a problem!
The question we need to be asking ourselves is what is the solution? What is the simple solution? If there is anything we get flack from our stakeholders for it is fast-track decision making and a reluctance to provide a simple but intelligent solutions. Solutions is what we are supposed to be good at. You know where the business continues on another day and the employee and customer are thriving and happy. I have news for everyone “people are not robots (at least not yet)”. As such, I don’t think you need any flippin six sigma, lean or other methodology to figure out what’s wrong with the “people” side of business.
The long and short of it is get your head out of the weeds or the clouds depending on where you sit and observe, listen, watch, probe. You may be shocked to find that the answers to your most complex issues are right in front of your face. The people are your solution. The business begins with the people and it will surely end at the hands of people.
HR let’s get back to basics and stop getting fancy. Boycott “Methodology Interruptus” the next time you see it in your organization.