A post by our guest editor, John Worthington.
This post was triggered by another post which you can find here, and it reminded me of an old rant from 2007.
The infamous CMDB (Configuration Management Data Base) --- or as USM would call it, the Managed Infrastructure Register (MIR) --- remains elusive. This is largely because everyone wants everything in it, but nobody wants to bear the administrative burden.
The problem with Change, Configuration and CMDB implementations is they do not really enable a real-time connection between IT staff, and between IT and the business, which tends to perpetuate vicious cycles of tribal warfare.
“When people lack connection to others, they are unable to test the veracity of their own views, whether in the give or take of casual conversation or in more formal deliberation. Without such an opportunity, people are more likely to be swayed by their worse impulses[i]….”
It’s the social networks that really make things happen in most companies, not those dusty old policies and procedures. It is the network of people-to-people commitments that are often what make things go (or not go).
So, when looking to embark on a ‘quality journey’, remember at the end of the day it’s the people --- and that intricate social network of commitments – that are often the ‘current state process’ and that people may fiercely protect this tribal knowledge.
– The MyServiceMonitor Blog, 2007
In Wiring the Winning Organization, social circuitry is made up of its systems, processes, habits, and norms. Effective social circuitry is designed to consider the strengths and limitations of human intellect, both individually and collectively. When social circuitry is well-wired, people are less distracted by figuring out how to fit in and coordinate with others, allowing them to focus more on solving problems[ii]. Check out what Steven Spears says about social circuitry in this YouTube video.
The Unified Service Management (USM) method defines a routine as a way of working. USM identifies three types of routines:
- A process specifies only the activities.
- A procedure specifies the activities and the operators.
- A work instruction specifies the activities, the operators and the technical instructions.
Practices such as ITIL, COBIT, and many others specify practical ways of executing work, and so a practice is of the third type (work instruction).
What’s interesting to me about this is that when we implement the USM method, the routines of an organization are written by the appropriate stakeholders. After all, these are their routines.
The USM method provides all stakeholders with a stable, universal, and unified structure for defining and sustaining these routines in a VUCA world. USM Professionals (me included) often talk about how USM establishes a logically repeatable definition of a service, or the methods 5 processes and 8 standard workflow templates.
But these are simply a means to an end.
Like any transformative change, the USM method recognizes people as central to success:
The biggest challenge at a USM deployment has - as always - to do with the people in the service organization. It is an organizational change and that is often a complex matter, creating resistance among the employees involved. The organizational change must therefore be in line with the local organization, routines, technology, and culture.
- An Introduction to the USM Method
Katrina’s post is spot on. Start with people, then ‘process’. But recognize that people’s routines are derived from higher-level processes. Effective ‘social circuitry’ needs simplicity above all, and while practice-based approaches are useful they will not enable effective social circuitry.
I’ve been a big believer in the need to create reserves of social capital for many years now and feel very strongly this need gets more urgent by the day. This is as true for the enterprise as it is for any community.
The USM method is very consistent with the concepts outlined in Wiring the Winning Organization and Humanizing IT. It provides a simple way for any service organization to structure all enterprise routines in a way that meets all stakeholder needs, using an easy to learn method.
We can all use more social capital and more effective social circuitry. The USM method can help.
[i] - Robert Putnam (2000) Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American community, New York: Simon and Schuster: 288-290
[ii] Wiring the Winning Organization, By Gene Kim ,Dr. Steven J. Spear
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If you enjoyed John's post and it made you think about improving your own organization, please check out his USM Professional profile and his personal website, or better: contact John for a free consultation.
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