Judgement vs Process
19/04/2018
Listening to the Today programme I was interested to hear a former employee of the Border Agency talking about the way in which immigration officers exercised judgement in dealing with people whose right to stay in this country was in doubt. He explained that it was not just a case of looking at documents, some of which were inaccurate anyway, it was a matter of talking to people and making an informed judgement based on several pieces of evidence. He talked about having the responsibility to do that himself.
Some years ago, while running a training business, a member of my admin team noticed that course notes for “managing teams” were in the “leadership” course folders. When the new recruit tasked with putting notes in folders was questioned about this she explained she had only followed instructions written on her briefing notes. She hadn’t thought to question something that was clearly wrong. I was concerned that she may have felt too intimidated to ask someone. That wasn’t the case. She thought because the instructions were written down they must be right.
In recent years I have become increasingly concerned that strict adherence to process is driving out the use of common sense. People either don’t want to exercise judgement or can’t. We’re not encouraging them to think for themselves – even at senior levels. Process is very important but judgement is essential, even if all the person does is refer it to higher authority.
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Inside the Thermal Power and Propulsion MSc with Dr Uyioghosa Igie
In our recent conversation with Dr. Uyioghosa Igie, Programme Director for the Thermal Power and Propulsion MSc at Cranfield University, we uncovered what makes this course such an exciting and valuable path for ...
Borrow fiction online – for free!
Everybody needs a break from work, and if you fancy reading or listening to some fiction or non-academic books, we have the app for you! Use the Libby app to borrow a host of online books ...
Researching IPOs in Bloomberg
Are you researching IPOs? Do you want to find IPOs on a specific index (eg S&P 500, or UK AIM Index) for specific dates? Then Bloomberg is where you should be looking. If you haven’t ...
Meet the Cranfield alumna named among sustainability’s brightest rising stars
For Julia Anukam, working in sustainability is about being part of the solution. A conscious consumer and long-time vegan, she found her true calling after a re-evaluation of her career priorities during the Covid-19 ...
We need a million engineers who understand accessibility
…and we are, mostly, starting from zero. This arresting, attention-grabbing line was said to me only last month, in a busy London canteen. Who said it, where we were, are and what they said - ...
Cranfield apprentices named among sustainability’s brightest rising stars
Two Cranfield University apprentices have been recognised for their drive, determination and potential to lead the UK towards a more sustainable future. Julia Anukam and Lucie Rowley feature in the prestigious edie 30 Under ...