This causes sub-optimization and territorial infighting. Process thinking helps people understand how potential improvements affect the enterprise as a whole. We have to ensure that everyone, from top to bottom, understands what we mean by a process - the conversion of input to output by applying value. The highly productive workforce must be intimately familiar with process mapping. The highly productive workforce must understand various types of process mapping techniques and when to apply which.
Measurement is the key to any improvement.
Measure the wrong thing or measure in an imprecise way and you may work at improving the wrong area. The highly productive workforce must be trained on how to design measurements of critical steps in their processes. There is no longer time to wait to run everything up the management chain or to get new ideas and strategies approved by a large bureaucracy. We have to move now, or the opportunity may be lost. Empowered teams who know their processes and how they relate to the overall operation allow a company to be much more responsive.