When companies overemphasize business processes over people, they push speed or scale, and limit variations or changes. They become process factories, robotic and unimaginative. It creates wasteful meetings, rigid management structures, cover-your-ass leadership, and actively disengaged employees.
Gallup estimates that active disengagement costs the US $450 to $550 Billion per year. Such organizations simply suck at real innovation because the overhead of trying to get things done within their system limits, simply kills vision. Executing work simply becomes an execution.
There is a light ahead: Gallup says that organizations with 9 actively engaged employees for each disengaged one, can achieve 147% more Earnings Per Share. Engagement creates real commitment and success.
To replace our limited, mindless, process-factories with agile, committed, innovative workplaces, we need to bring back employee engagement. Let's hack work and find our way back to being human.