Purpose, Measures and Method

In service organizations, the systemic relationship between purpose, measures and method are often clouded by the measures used in command and control organizations.  These measures have nothing to do with what matters to customers, but they drive all the ingenuity of the manager and worker.  They typically have to do with activity and financial targets and become de facto purposes instead of what the expressed purpose should be  . . . serve the customer.

When organizations understand their real purpose (serving customers) they will be handed a whole new set of measures that can be used to understand and improve performance.  An organization can achieve cost reductions and business improvement by studying demand in customer terms vs. the typical command and control view of demand as production units.  Managements actions become improving the system instead of paying attention to workers.  With management and worker having a shared aim and useful measures new methods can be uncovered that create value for customer demands.  Control over the work is greater than when command and control targets are used.  Working in unison (management and worker) changes the culture to something positive.  Instead of manipulating reports and measures an organization reduces waste and improves customer service.  Now that is organizational change management leadership we can believe in.

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