When should a process be art, not science? (process standardization)

Citation

(2009), "When should a process be art, not science? (process standardization)", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 17 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2009.04417ead.002

When should a process be art, not science? (process standardization)

Article Type: Abstracts From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 5

Hall J.M., Johnson E.M.Harvard Business Review (USA), March 2009, Vol. 87 No. 3, Start page: 58, No. of pages: 8

Purpose – To address the problem of how to choose which business and management processes to standardize and which to treat as “art” and avoid standardizing. Design/methodology/approach – The idea that some business and management processes should be allowed to vary runs counter to the century-old standardization movement, where process standardization is taught to MBAs, embedded in Six Sigma programs, and practiced by managers and consultants worldwide. Describes how some processes naturally resist definition and standardization and tend to be more art than science. Discusses the extent to which process standardization can undermine the performance that it is meant to optimize since many processes work best when they are not rigidly controlled. Findings – A simple tool is presented to help categorize processes and consider how they might or should change, involving: mass processes; mass customization; nascent or broken processes; and artistic processes. Lists some of the processes that lend themselves to artistic approaches, including: leadership training; auditing; hedge fund management; customer service; software development; account relationship management; business development; and industrial design. Concludes with a three-step process for managing art in the organization, involving: identifying what should and should not be art; developing an infrastructure to support art; and periodically re-evaluating the division between art and science. Illustrates how these ideas have been put into practice. Originality/value – Helps executives understand which processes should not be standardized and how to manage artistic and scientific processes in tandem. ISSN: 0017-8012 Reference: 38AF944

Keywords: Management techniques, Standardization, Business performance, Organizational performance, Organizations