“Our processes need to come alive!” — a familiar refrain echoing through company hallways. The challenge? In most organizations, only a small circle of people — typically process managers — actually model, plan, and discuss processes. Everyone else? Often indifferent at best.
This points to a fundamental divide: there’s no shared understanding of the value of process management. Which leads to two possible conclusions:
The real question might be the answer.
Oddly enough, this debate is rarely held within the process management bubble. It’s often taken for granted that process management is indispensable — while the silence from the rest of the organization is ignored. But whether process management is over- or underrated, skipping this conversation is a critical mistake. Because unless the entire organization sees the value, you won’t gain enough momentum to meaningfully improve your processes. And let’s be clear: this isn’t unique to process management. Similar effectiveness gaps exist in quality management, compliance, organizational development, and internal audit.
Time to dig deeper
Instead of repeating “Our processes need to live!” like a mantra, it’s time to ask the harder questions:
That last question is the key. Because unless employees personally see value in process management, they won’t engage in improving it.
Highlight personal benefits
If employees don’t see what’s in it for them, even the most elegant process models will fall flat. That’s why it’s critical to communicate tangible, individual benefits. Take workload, for example: well-managed processes reduce duplication, eliminate unnecessary steps, and make day-to-day work more manageable. In the real world, “less stress at work” resonates far more than abstract goals like “lower process costs.”
So, is process management overrated?
It depends who you ask. But the personal benefits of process management? Absolutely underrated.
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