Process

A process is a repeatable series of steps for achieving a goal. For example, doctors have a standard procedure for diagnosing many types of illnesses, starting with the symptoms. Other examples of processes are a constitution, Robert’s Rules of Order, the method of long division, and the Scientific Method. All are a much better and more predictable way of achieving a goal than no process or the wrong process.

Without a process a problem solver working on a difficult problem faces near certain failure. This noble truth was discovered long ago. One example may be found in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, written over two thousand years ago:

“Therefore measure in terms of five things, use these assessments to make comparisons, and thus find out what conditions are. The five things are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline.” (1)

Yet despite this ancient truth, most environmental organizations do not follow a formal problem solving process to achieve their objectives. Instead, they use an intuitive approach consisting of whatever steps seem necessary at the moment. Because the process is not written down, it cannot be communicated, improved, or even followed efficiently. As a result, the process tends to never become mature enough to solve anything but easy problems.

But try to tell this to the average environmentalist, even a CEO of an environmental organization with an MBA, and you will get the shock of your life. They will either swear they are following an appropriate process (but they really are not), or they will react as if the question doesn't matter at all, or that you've got to be kidding, we don't need a process, we know what we're doing, and so forth. Out of the dozens of environmental NGOs I've investigated, only one is appropriate process driven. This is the Nature Conservancy, using their very successful Conservation by Design process. For more on the Conservancy and how they have been able to run circles around organizations that are not process driven, please see Will These Best Practices Make the Club Effective Once Again? at Club of Rome Work.

A simple process can be defined by listing the steps and describing them. A complex process requires a process map. For an example of a process map, see this rather tall diagram. It's from the chapter on How to Raise the Quality of Political Decision Making in the Dueling Loops book. For more about this process map see the chapter.

The standard Thwink.org process for difficult social problems is the System Improvement Process.

(1) Source: The Illustrated Art of War, by Sun Tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary, 1998, Strategic Assessments, item two.