About processes and growth
“What works is to approach the question of growth not by denying the identity of the company, but on the contrary in function of it.”
In an excellent and dense article Philippe Silberzhan challenges the widely held belief that a growing company must have processes and adopt best practices. On this article of faith, professional managers are hired, methods and processes are created and enterprise software is implemented. In short, it is a matter of abandoning one’s uniqueness to conform to what is only a mental model, an idea.
“The core of any organisation is indeed a small number of core beliefs, usually two, which define its identity. If these core beliefs are held in a balanced way, this core is creative. The company relies on a strong identity not to be a prisoner of it (“This is the way we’ve always done it”) but to project itself into the world (“This is how we do things”).”
Think, therefore, that when the time comes to equip yourself with processes and tools, you will have to assume and develop the singularity of your company and not copy the recipes of others; that your processes allow you to formalise the knowledge on how to solve the recurring problems that the life of the organisation is experiencing: production, distribution, etc. and not to conform to a model company idealised by business consultants.
“In any case, one thing is certain: be very wary of those who tell you that you have to conform to standards. Extraordinary companies did not become extraordinary by following them, but by creating them.”
Lectori salutem, Patrick
