Chapter 23 Chapter 22: The Paradox of Process
All management processes should serve the common business.If you abandon the business goal, manage for the sake of management, engage in processes and structures, divorce yourself from products, markets, and user needs, you will eventually develop by inertia.And the inertial development often becomes inertia. Looking at the company's busy work, in fact, the thinking has completely stopped innovating, and the result is being subverted. It's just a matter of time.
Once upon a time, "process reengineering" was like a whirlwind, blowing from the United States to the world.It was management consultants Michael Hamer and James Ciampie who set off this reinvention whirlwind.
In the 1980s, Hamer was an ordinary computer professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.He saw the opportunity of using computers in daily business after the popularization of computers, so he partnered with Ciampi of Index Consulting Group (Index Consulting) to establish CSC Index Consulting Company, which is committed to saving time and money through computerization. efficiency.
But he also clearly pointed out that the prerequisite for computerization to bring high efficiency is that the company must carry out extensive and deep innovation in operation-the existing functional departments of most enterprises usually become a stumbling block to innovation.Without this premise, computerization is not only useless, but also expensive in human and financial resources.This process of dismantling and reorganizing a company to create a new life is named Business Process Reengineering (BPR).
In 1993, Hammer and Ciampi co-authored the book "Reinvention Enterprise: A Manifesto for the Enterprise Revolution", which was listed as the number one bestseller in the non-fiction category by The New York Times for six consecutive months, and was translated in that year. It is disseminated globally in 14 different language versions.Since then, "Reengineering Revolution", "Management Reengineering" and "Beyond Reengineering" have been published successively, and he has become the famous "father of enterprise reengineering".
The enriched and developed corporate reengineering theory is also known as the revolution of "a caterpillar turns into a butterfly".It is said that in 1994, three-quarters of the top US companies carried out reengineering.
Widely circulated cases include the story of IBM Credit Company through process transformation, a generalist loan officer replaced many specialists in the past and reduced the operating time by 90%; Kodak Company saved half the time in product ordering and delivery.Due to the popularity of the reengineering theory, Hammer and Ciampi also reaped a lot. CSC, the world's largest consulting company, was listed on the list, with annual revenue exceeding US$500 million at one point.
Huawei has been relatively successful in domestic reengineering, but its process reengineering has lasted for 10 years.
"Will Huawei Be the Next to Fall" has a detailed and vivid description of this process:
And how many companies' process reengineering has finally become a simple "computer system"!
With the popularity of enterprise reengineering theory in China in the 1990s, domestic enterprises and entrepreneurs also spared no effort to catch up with this trend and fashion.Even now, it is still being sought after as a fashionable management theory.But it is this mentality of pursuing fashion that makes the process reengineering of most enterprises superficial, while ignoring that the ultimate goal of process reengineering is "renewing people".
Because the process serves people, although it is wrapped in a hard institutional coat, the core should be efficient, fluid and even soft.This requires continuous thinking and breakthroughs based on national conditions and different stages of the enterprise itself, and continuous attempts, and finally feel comfortable before making a relative decision.But few people pay attention to this.The process reengineering of most enterprises is more like a short-term project, focusing on hardware rather than efficiency.
In fact, efficiency is also a double-edged sword.When the company becomes more and more streamlined, many employees have to pack up and leave, and those who stay have to work harder, otherwise they have to find another way out, so process reengineering is also ridiculed as a fig leaf for business streamlining.
By 1995, consulting services related to corporate reengineering totaled $50 billion.But since 1997, the attractiveness of enterprise reengineering theory began to weaken.This is the result of emphasizing hardware over software, system over efficiency, and safety over creation.A truly successful process reengineering is not to streamline employees, but to serve them better and stimulate their creativity.
However, many entrepreneurs are confused and entrust the fate of a company to a certain person or a small team within the company, most of the time it is the personnel administration department.The final result is that there are many complaints and passive sabotage, just as Ren Zhengfei feared.
How many enterprises have been reengineered for nothing, and how many enterprises are suffering after the reengineering and are unable to get off the tiger?
Hamer and Ciampi later renamed process reengineering business process improvement (BPI), which retains the best of process reengineering but with a lot less pain.Hammer himself confessed: "50%~70% of enterprises engaged in reengineering did not achieve the expected results, or failed." In 1997, he made a summary of the gains and losses of reengineering, and published "Beyond Reengineering", the book Some errors in practice are acknowledged.
In October 2001, Hammer launched a new book "Enterprise Program of Action".The biggest improvement of the book is that it weakens the concept of "reengineering" and adds a discussion on the feasibility of "process change".Hammer and Ciampi have this to say about the degree of development of corporate reengineering: "Even in the United States, it is only in the adolescence, and in other parts of the world it is only in the childhood stage."
The status quo of Chinese enterprises is indeed childhood, and it is still a group of children suffering from bipolar disorder.The vast majority of Chinese companies are only used to "forwarding the original post" and lack interest in "rumour-refusing posts", let alone in-depth study and practice.Then, the restlessness is followed by deep depression.
Those who follow Zhou Hongyi will find that for a period of time on his Sina Weibo, the word "process" was mentioned frequently, and his words showed boredom, and he even shouted the order to "Small the tank by Sima Guang".What's wrong?The reason is that he feels that the company's process hinders innovation and even makes the team lose efficiency.
It took a month or two for a document to be signed in the ERP system (enterprise resource planning system) to reach him.He is even more worried that Qihoo 360's corporate core values and culture will change as a result.
This is not unfounded worry.As mentioned earlier, whether a team has combat effectiveness depends on whether they have a highly unified culture and values.If this direction is deviated, the crisis will be great.
Not only Zhou Hongyi, but even Qi Xiangdong couldn't sit still.
Qi Xiangdong's office is on the 15th floor. He sits on a high place every day, but he feels panic because he can't see people.He used to be able to call someone for a meeting in 10 minutes, but now he hasn't come up in 15 minutes.Feeling the seriousness of the problem, he simply asked to reserve a seat for him in several large business departments downstairs so that he could work on the spot.
One of the root causes of this problem was that the 360 team expanded too quickly.Before going public, the number of employees has been between 600 and 800 for a long time, which lasted for about two years.As a result, within one and a half years of listing, the number of employees increased by nearly 2,000.The rapid increase in the number of employees will definitely cause a huge dilution of the corporate culture, as long as it is a large enterprise, it will have to pass this level.
Qihoo 360's original culture is reflected in the 800 people before the largest team goes public.Then the 2,000 people who joined came from all corners of the country, some from Tencent, some from Baidu, some from Sina, and some from other Internet companies.Each of them is a capable person in the original Internet company, and they were all recruited as talents, but the culture is obviously different.
Every company has its own cultural environment, values, and methods and habits of doing things. For example, Baidu and Huawei have similarities and differences.Both companies focused on the market and customers at the beginning, but the focus of "customers" is obviously different.
Huawei belongs to the IT manufacturing industry, and customers are basically equivalent to users, which is two-dimensional.However, as an Internet company, Baidu is three-dimensional, and there is a significant difference between customers and users-customers pay for their products and are known;
But users are people who use their products for free, and most of them don't see the end.
Based on Baidu’s unscrupulous methods when it competed with 3721, it can be generally perceived that the key word ranking profit model that has been criticized since then, and Google’s practice of harming users after it was kicked out of the mainland, are “customers” and “users”. Among them, who is the real God.
Everyone will go along with their own culture and habits, which is a kind of subconscious action.So there may be 4 people in a team, and these 4 people come from 4 different companies.The way they express the same thing is different, and the habits of doing things are also different, which will cause a lot of cultural conflicts.
In the end, two solutions are possible.
First, use processes to regulate everyone's behavior.This is an external constraint, the purpose is to ensure the smoothness of the basic procedures, so that the person in charge will not be found, and the person will not be too fussy.
Second, from the psychological level, out of the instinct of self-protection, most people will become cautious in doing things.The final result may naturally cause the entire team to gradually lose their edge and become mediocre.
This is probably the biggest problem Zhou Hongyi encountered, even surpassing the exploration of value-added services.So he has been talking about cultural unity internally.He did not emphasize the need to stick to all the original 360 things, but he emphasized those values that have been proven to be very good after years of testing; then, on this basis, he discarded the things that were found to be not good and no longer suitable, and finally formed a new , An advanced culture that can adapt to new situations and achieve new goals.
This new culture must have genetic inheritance, and must ensure stability for a long period of time.So, Zhou Hongyi began to test and brew from the inside out.
The first step he took was to break the shackles of the so-called "process".the reason is simple.For an Internet company that relies on innovation to light a torch in a dark forest, the process is a double-edged sword.While it keeps the business moving, it can turn people into slaves to the process.
People are lazy, and when they get used to the rules and procedures, their thinking may become rigid.Even the relationship between team members will be rigid, because there are rules to follow, templates and rules to apply.Then there is less and less exchange and communication.When you are free, everyone is no longer like the beginning of the business. We talk about heart, work, and thoughts together every day. Of course, we also talk about your shortcomings or mine. Where is the support that is not in place? You are not very concerned about my affairs.Now when everyone has time, they shrink up and browse Weibo or shop online, instead of communicating face to face. At this time, estrangement will gradually grow, not to mention criticism and self-criticism.Under the shell of the process, everyone is in harmony.
Therefore, 360 decided to carry out a series of reforms.
First, there is room for improvement in everyone's work; second, there is room for improvement in teamwork; third, product innovation is required. 360 asks the entire team to conduct self-reflection based on these three questions.
At the same time, 360 began to advocate "simple culture" and "embracing change".The so-called simple culture means that what you think in your heart, what you say in your mouth, and what you do in your hands must be consistent.
In the process of business adjustment, one out of ten people may be wronged, but the company can't find a more reasonable way.At this time, it is very important for individuals to accept the company's adjustments.It is always easier said than done to temporarily put aside your small personal ambitions and pursuits.If you always get emotional about these things, the cost of communication and time will be huge.
With a team of 3,000 people, there is no way to always rely on coaxing to work.
In the past, many employees would complain that the leaders changed too quickly. They were still like this last week, and then this week, and they didn't know what to do next week.However, the entire industry environment is changing, and there are such major changes within the company. It is impossible for the system and policy to remain unchanged.
Qi Xiangdong said that he can only guarantee a success rate of about 80%.
In fact, the core of reflection is the permission to make mistakes.If practice proves that the change is right, stick to it, and if practice proves that it is wrong, then change it back. It is as if you can’t play with the Chinese men’s football team, and you are all waiting there.
However, it is not easy for Sima Guang to smash the vat, no matter how he smashes it, it is also a headache.For Zhou Hongyi and 360, the challenge has never disappeared, so let's see what they can come up with.
Before, the author asked Zhou Hongyi to comment on an article about the interview with Jobs, and just as Ang Lee’s new movie "Life of Pi" which won the Oscar for Best Director was released, he wrote an article The recommended article just reflects his views on the process.
Ang Lee said: "Everyone's heart is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." I think, if Jobs is like that, so am I.
Because Jobs' interviews were compiled based on documentaries, he did not focus on a certain point, but divided them into several questions.But if you read carefully, you will find that there is a spirit running through it: unwilling to be mediocre.
Respect for talent, consideration for users, pursuit of innovation, and thinking about life are all based on this.People who have no business operation experience may be confused or even misunderstand.It's like a person who has never practiced martial arts, if you give him a copy of "Nine Yin Manual", he may go crazy.However, if the reader has a certain level of skill, and then read Jobs's article, he will feel that every word of Jobs, perhaps a simple sentence, contains many profound truths behind it.For example, when forming a team, most of us think that the team is based on harmony and unity, but he believes that the team should collide like stones in a grinder, argue, quarrel, and not be afraid of conflicts, so that good ideas can finally be produced.Jobs said two key points, this is one of them.
The second is the discussion about A-level talents derived from this.
Jobs was cunning and very smart.He said that if you think you are an A-level talent, you think you are great, then your self-esteem does not need to be taken care of by leaders.
I think this sentence is true.For adults, learn to be responsible for yourself.
A real genius has a strong heart.They can withstand tossing, are not afraid of tempering, and will not jump up because of a challenge or a criticism.This is what happens to people who lack self-confidence, and the more lacking they are, the higher they jump.When a truly confident person encounters opposition and criticism, he can choose to ignore it or argue with others, but when he finds that others have better ideas, he will secretly absorb them and use them for his own use.
More importantly, for enterprises, this may be the only breakthrough to break the shackles of the process.
In 1984, Jobs hired some people from Hewlett-Packard to design graphical interface computers, and later had a big fight with some of them.Those people who think the coolest user interface is a soft keyboard at the bottom of the screen have no concept of monospaced fonts, and they have no concept of a mouse.They yelled at Jobs that the mouse took 5 years to design and cost $300.Finally Jobs had enough and went outside to find a David Kelly design, and within 90 days he had a $15 mouse that was reliable.
There is always a shortage of this kind of talent in the enterprise, and more talents who can master this idea.Maybe some, also usually stifled by seniority, process and a culture that discourages innovation.
But such a core team is extremely important.It had nothing to do with the dark side of the profession. Jobs said it was because people lost their way. He said the HP team couldn't think multifaceted.Because many people think that the successful process must have its own magic, so they began to try to turn the successful experience of the year into a system.
But before long people wondered why the system itself became the answer?
That's why IBM failed. IBM has the best system managers, but they forget that the purpose of designing the process is to find the best answers.Apple and other very good large companies also have this situation: there are many people who are very good at managing the process, but don't know how to find the answers.
"Find the answer—this is the key factor of a good product, not the management process but the answer itself. Only the best people can find the best answer, but they are the most difficult people to manage, and you have to tolerate them. "I also hate the process very much, and I feel deeply about this sentence.
This problem is not serious when the company is small, but becomes prominent when the company is large.
If there is no process, it will be chaotic, so many professionals are recruited for management, and many systems are formulated for management.On the one hand, the system does facilitate management, but on the other hand, it also brings a lot of trouble to those who are creative.This becomes a management paradox.
The only solution, I think maybe, is to focus, focus, focus and focus on A-level talent.Such a group of people are motivated to work for an ideal and for the realization of self-worth. Such people do not need management.
On this premise, management can return to where it should belong: service.
All management processes should serve the business of the company.If you abandon the business goal, manage for the sake of management, engage in processes and structures, divorce yourself from products, markets, and user needs, you will eventually develop by inertia.However, the development of inertia often becomes inertia. Seeing that the company is busy at work, in fact, the thinking has completely stopped innovating, and the result is that it will be defeated.
I and 360 before listing can basically do this, but as the company goes public, the scale is getting bigger and bigger, and the business is doing more and more. The past successful experience has been solidified into a process, and the process has evolved into inertia, and inertia is derived again. Out of inertia, the original force that pushes us forward gradually weakens.
Reading Jobs again, I am a little more vigilant, and I will also be vigilant to my management team and employees.
Ang Lee said: "If you are afraid, you will be energetic, and if you are afraid, you will be more vigilant."
Along the way, I have not been smooth sailing.Frankly speaking, it is very difficult for people with challenging and subversive spirits to survive in China's current environment, because everyone doesn't want to see them.Of course, this may not be in line with some so-called traditional Chinese values.However, if small businesses want to survive, they have to consider how to disrupt the business models of existing giants in the market.In the United States, this is considered to be the driving force for the progress of business civilization, and it will be the mainstream textbook in American business schools, but in China, first of all, "destruction" and "subversion" will be regarded as two bad words. When you really do it You will be regarded as a spoiler and destroyer. Everyone will strangle you, wait to see your jokes, and predict that you will fail.If you succeed by luck, all kinds of rumors, slander, smears, and dirty mouths will come to you, which is no easier than what the Youth Pi encountered.
It is very difficult for China to produce a Jobs, but we can work hard.
A book that has had a great impact on my life is "Silicon Valley Fever".One of the very important cases is about Apple Computer.In fact, distinctive products can not only affect people's lives, but also change the world.I think this is a sense of accomplishment, and I also desire and enjoy this sense of accomplishment.
If you just want to make money, you will inevitably give up when you encounter difficulties, because there are many other ways to make money.And if you are lucky, this goal is easy to achieve, so what to do?So I think it takes a little idealism to support us to persevere in doing one thing.
In fact, Jobs was never short of money even when he was down and down.In the few years after he got cancer, his life had such a big explosion because he found the love of life and enjoyed it.
So, what is the love of your life, do you know?
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