It is amazing how most people think and act to optimize their little corner without taking into account the entire system they are in.
In my consulting practice I am involved in a number of process changes in organization. The more these organizations have integrated systems and processes, the more delicate any changes are because of the consequences across many disciplines. Still, a lot of people are just trying to optimize their small segment of work, generally trying to remove some stuff they are doing not for their own sake, but for the sake of the organization. It is not the solution!
This is particularly visible in large projects, which generally involve Engineering, Procurement and Construction. These different areas are deeply inter-related, and most people don’t understand that. Changes in one area can have significant consequences in other areas. It takes experienced people that have a systemic understanding to accept or refuse those changes. We can’t let people try to optimize locally. Optimization needs to be global, systemic.
The complexity of our lives increases. We don’t always understand the indirect consequences of our actions. Let’s try to systematically take a systemic view before changing things.
