If All You Know Is A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail

Process vs Content

If all you know is a hammer, everything will look like a nail

Maslow

Stipulating:

Process Consulting: the better understood and diagnosed processes are, the greater the probability for finding solutions whether technical or not (if nothing more spinning of wheels are minimized by process of elimination as well as hammers looking for nails regardless the situation. Note in process consulting the client/patient/congregant – owns the problems.

Content or Expert Consulting: assumes the purchaser/client – congregant knows what kind of product or service he is she is looking for from the ‘expert’ consultant (which further assumes the problem / objective was properly diagnosed (problem) or correctly created (objective) to begin with. Note in content expert consulting, the client – patient – congregant – student outsources the problem on the basis of ‘substitute reliance.

Problem is defined as: a deviation from a standard

          There is failure of success – as behavior (and continued behavior is a function of its consequences).

          Other than Intel, how many companies have cannibalized themselves, regardless their past successes knowing if they continued ‘as is as in the past – they would fail?

          Few.

          The failure of success is not limited to companies but an epidemic in professions, a pandemic amongst the Scholar Barons in academia and regrettably many in the professional edifice complex clergy (‘sages on the stage rather than guides by the side.’)

          Relying on prior experience, knowledge, habit, kiss and make it better even wisdom being the sage brush on the stage (‘happy tails to you?)- “he ‘content’ of expert’s success - process is often ignored (or just winked at aka personal financial planning). Result: misdiagnosis, doing the wrong thing very well/expertly, being ineffective – puzzled with ‘this always worked in the past.’

          Some say they follow ‘a method.’ For example:

• the scientific method (though less than 39% in one study of medical studies could be replicated)
• personal financial planners – regardless of compensation method – just give a wink, and nod to ‘process’ – practice from content approach (i.e. which one ((stock, bond, etf, etc)) what kind and comparison (how one did relative to the Dow or S&P)

Hhabit, experience, content knowledge & expertise (plus sounding good with confidence one’s voice that even the professional believes) supersede process – and clients get nailed and the planner eventually crucified.

          (Note: did this essayist eat his own cookin’? See attached of a fully developed as well as simplified process chart  of the Enough personal financial planning process contrast even today the typical ‘more content/expert’  ‘you really ought to do this, right’ so called process. In the Enough processclient ‘owns the problem/objectives’ in a collaboratively process rather than ‘trust me, here’s what you do’ more/content/expert approach masquerading as a process.

Kepner Tregoe Problem Analysis Process

One of two or three process business techniques I value most and used the most is from Kepner Tregoe's Problem analysis in their book The Rational Manager (from the '70's)

First to stipulate per Kepner Tregoe a definition: a problem is a deviation from a standard

That said the criteria around defining the problem is per the following

                                  IS                                        IS NOT

What

Who

Where

When

Why

How

Without defining the IS NOT of the problem - one gets SNOT - a Schwartz original – but that’s a sniffle for another discussion.

There is then potential problem analysis (a topic for another discussion.

          Bottom Line: just as capacity (form restricts) function; process can narrow causes of problems and refine objectives offsetting the failure of success of content/expert’s confining tunnel vision resulting in ‘if all one knows is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’