I think this is a fairly common debate. I tend to find a lot more Six Sigma types in resource and commodity companies. In these environments they also tend to have more clout. The mindset is conducive to the engineering process driven environment and hence like a hot house flower they thrive. I am sure that process is not a bedrock for excellent innovation; what I am not so sure of is whether process supports and sustains innovation. I think this will form part of my next research project in Metacomm. I have plenty of clients asking me these types of questions and I can draw upon my own business experience as a leader, owner and consultant. I do think the paradigm will be either/or; it will be an ‘and’ paradigm- my forecast now. Process is to many a comfort- to others a big brick wall. Our environment as individuals and organisations demands agility- the world is changing quickly and big changes are more sudden than in the past. My own bias is toward a non- process dependent collaborative environment with my colleagues.
