History In The Headlights

It is arguably the most widely hated and least understood management concept. Millions of companies have attempted it, with mixed results. And its single greatest beneficiary is probably Scott Adams, who has made a fortune by depicting Dilbert as its perennial victim. So when originator and former MIT professor Michael Hammer decides to assess the future consequences of reengineering, its time to sit up and take notice.

Unfortunately, it quickly becomes obvious that the book is not an introspective analysis of the successes and failures of reengineering but a gung-ho rendition of the gospel of process centring according to St Michael.

 

The total absence of any objectivity is most evident in Chapters 2 and 9, titled Voices From The Front I and II, respectively. As workers and executives gush about how focusing on process rather than tasks has changed their organisations and lives, one searches in vain for a single dissenting voice.

With the single-mindedness of the true believer, Hammer treats the reengineering revolution as a fait accompli. And proceeds to devote a section each to four crucial themes:

The nature and impact of process-centred work (Chapters 1-4).

The new nature of managerial activities (Chapters 5-8).

The crucial issues for 21st century business leaders (Chapters 9-13).

The social impact of the process-centred organisation (Chapters 14-16).

Hammer says each theme deserves several volumes. But if his enforced brevity has in any way prevented him from expressing his ideas fully, it certainly doesnt show. Hammer races across a bewildering array of topics. He hails the coming transformation of mindles factory hands into empowered professionals. Predicts the end of the organisational chart. Rebuts Peter Druckers classic comparison of an organisation to a symphony orchestra (Hammers preferred model is a football team). And exults at the onset of a corporate Jericho, which will see the dissolution of all walls in and around a business.

The ideas fly thick and fast on every page. But if you are strapped for time, try:

What is Business Anyway? (Chapter 6): The Four Basic Principles of Business. Surprise, surprise, maximising shareholder value isnt one of them.

Rethinking Strategy: You Are What You Do (Chapter 10): A brief history of strategic management and why Porter, Hamel and Prahalad have it wrong.

The Process of Change (Chapter 13): How you can stop your company from becoming another GM, IBM, Sears et al by institutionalising a system that will ensure constant change.

Which brings us to Section IV, and a kinder, gentler Hammer. The fire-breathing evangelist reveals himself to be a worried parent who frets over how his children will cope with the brave new world. (He suggests developing a fiercely self-reliant character and a mind that is capable of both seeing the Big Picture and constantly asking Why?).

Will process centring represent the fruition of the nascent global economy, or cause it to be stillborn? Will its impact on societys values be positive or negative? Are we headed for Utopia or Apocalypse? Hammer raises the questions, only to leave them unanswered. Wait for his next opus to find out. And while youre waiting, read Beyond Reengineering. Enthralling, if youre already a convert to the cause. A must, even if you arent. After all, can you really afford to miss what might just be history in the headlights?

A gung-ho rendition of the gospel of process centring according to St Michael.