Mine mine mine...

I get where we were going in class...especially separating the task from the process. We would always get so hung up on internal complications because someone external asked us to do something--provide a service--that our "process" wouldn't allow. We certainly had the capabilities to do what was requested, but it was sometimes damn near impossible to execute what the client was asking for.

What it really came down to is that people didn't want to break the process--the rules of engagement, out of self protection. If they let go of something, a process, a piece of information, whatever it may be--in some way they were losing power. If you lose power you are more vulnerable. So even though someone else within the company might be able to do it better, they don't give. They hug and protect whatever has been granted to them by the ivory tower as "their thing". To quote Office Space, "I take the specs to the customers"...

I do believe that companies need to operate in this way to be more flexible, but the difficulty beyond identifying what each component should provide isn't the only problem...it's getting people comfortable with their value and how they are valued by the company. Think about it--if you are really successful at making your value a component, isn't it that much easier to replace your component entirely if there is a cheaper option out there with close to the same performance? No wonder you get shot down because it's "someone else's job"...Can you blame them?