Ensuring wisdom in decision making process - Part 2
This is in continuation with the previous blog, as another attempt to shape the idea!
1
I used to feel that the potential of the
- Standards for Management System (ISO 9000, ISO14000 and such others),
- Principles (Caux Round Table, ICMM Ten Principles, ‘Responsible Care', Equator Principles and such others),
- Excellence Frameworks (EFQM, NBQA, ISO 9004 and such others),
- Reporting Initiatives (GRI, FTS4, Global Compact and such others)
are yet to be fully realized in a progressive and linked way, in a networked way by companies.
Under the present circumstance they too may be given go by, by some organizations.
No doubt organizations achieve excellence in performance.
Organizations take up what is current and go with the group.
Some attempts are dropped mid way and new models taken up as the CEO changes.
Of course activities go on whether a management system is in place or not; but the point is that it is better with an MS. The continual improvement, ‘delta x', if we may call it so, achieved continuously through a systems approach is the point, saving the organization from many risks, providing confidence to insiders and assurance to outsiders.
Apart from gaining or the promise of gaining ‘delta x', a quality management system provides an opportunity to move in similar way to address other issues namely environment, occupational health & safety, ethics, corporate governance and CSR , by management systems through process approach and also to keep integrating them, progressively.
It is hoped that the ‘flow' in adoption of such principles would seamlessly embed in the decision making process and enable wiser decisions through out the organization.
Then process-wisdom would emerge in the company as PB Vaill says: ‘"Principles-in-process" means the ongoing (temporal) discovery of the meaning of principles, for only in process (that is, over time) do their meanings emerge. It means keeping principles rooted in one's temporal consciousness, not treating them as entities (‘unity', ‘the Absolute') existing independent of consciousness. For process wisdom, after all, is an attitude and action of persons. Principles exist in a person's processes of relating to the world."
2
IT began its role in the area of ‘transactions' and is continuing. This will continue.
The resourcefulness of IT to move on to strategic and Board issues may be of high worth, I used to feel.
Business Process Platform appears to be the place where the principles and values may be integrated so that companies, small and big, are enabled to travel a path wherein they address transactional issues with ease and take up one strategic issue after another and mature to, if we may call it so, a ‘liberated organization', that is, to manage, what Pradip Khandwalla called, ‘the mundane and the sublime' for achieving organizational greatness, an exalted state, over a period of time!
IT helps to manage data, information and knowledge. Now it may be time to move on to manage wisdom of the people in the organizations and enable them to make wise decisions, in a networked way.
3
Those who affect the world are those who make decisions.
All of us do. Decisions of some have widespread impact. The impact is for a long time too.
The impact is on a wide area geographically.
It is at the time of decision making, the decision maker must be guided to ensure that a wise decision is made.
Especially for corporate heads, such inputs right at the time of decision making would be of great significance.
In fact the procedure to decision making may include a 'Wisdom Check' as one of the key steps.
I remember someone writing a blog on ‘How to blog wisely?'
Similarly business solutions can also include aspects for decision making wisely?
4
An impression is created in certain forum that IT is only a tool. No person or the creation of a person must become mere tool in the hand of another. Even a screw driver is worshiped on the day of ‘Ayudha pooja' in India. And in another culture, equipment is treated as a partner in production. IT has potential to be enabler of wise decisions!
And become part of business decisions. A BPX can confidently play that role. The management must ask a BPX, ‘What do you say?' It may be seen as time for IT to be instrumental; not merely an instrument.
Finance function finds ways of stalling an expense when found not viable; a test lab has a way to reject a product.
Then a decision making process may be made wiser by processing all the relevant Data-Information-Knowledge? With the social computing possibilities, especially.
I have a vague idea that the Business Rule Management may be the area of relevance for this.
Even the area of Data Integrity may play due role in the ‘Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom' stream.
I am not getting at anything conclusively. But it certainly appears an area for exploration, as many are already at it.
5
May be I have to say it still better. But I must say, nevertheless, I feel.
There are many sites of relevance on the subject and I have indicated them in my next blog for readers to please visit.
Sam Anbazhagan
