4 ms·

This seems like a publicity stunt. Any employee in a C-level position isn't going to be managing front-line processes, and getting down to that level of detail

by ziggus 5y ago

This seems like a publicity stunt. Any employee in a C-level position isn't going to be managing front-line processes, and getting down to that level of detail betrays a mistrust of your management teams and/or a failure of process feedback mechanisms that move information about inefficient or ineffective processes up to the C-suite. Also, I would hope that a C-level manager would have an understanding not only of how the front-end processes work, but also how they affect the company's "big picture".

Robotbeat 5y ago
Strongly disagree. Everyone in a large organization already OUGHT to distrust the effectiveness of feedback mechanisms that move information up the chain of command. This is a good exercise. “I would hope” is no substitute for ACTUALLY seeing how the sausage is made.
vineyardmike 5y ago
Its not really about managing the process as much as experiencing it end to end. Seeing the "big picture" while still experiencing the customer facing parts. Its not that unique in businesses, amazon used to expect that office workers do a few shifts in a warehouse, not to manage the warehouse process, but to view how 90% of the workers work, and what a critical component of their business is like. > I would hope that a C-level manager would have an understanding not only of how the front-end processes work, but also how they affect the company's "big picture". Do you think they can get that understanding in their home office while taking zoom calls with the finance dept?
aerosmile 5y ago
Definitely a publicity stunt. But I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of the exercise, they actually really do end up unearthing some weaknesses that the process feedback mechanism failed to put sufficient spotlight on. I mean, how else do you actually test the process feedback mechanisms? I realize that nobody does that, but you'll never know if that mechanism truly works unless you let your CxO do all the work end to end and then ask them if they had sufficient awareness about each small point of friction they encountered. Another more subtle detail: not sure if DoorDash experiences this, but in my experience it can be difficult to get a newly poached manager from a different company to wrap their head around how - and why - this company is different. The more experienced people are, the more they tend to reach for their old playbooks, which can be good and bad. You do have a point that large parts of the company could have been carved out (eg: the communications team), and the exercise would have still yielded the same insights, which is why in the end this is a publicity stunt.
sokoloff 5y ago
The Plan In the beginning, there was a plan, And then came the assumptions, And the assumptions were without form, And the plan without substance, And the darkness was upon the face of the workers, And they spoke among themselves saying, "It is a crock of shit and it stinks." And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pile of dung, and we cannot live with the smell." And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying, "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, Such that none may abide by it." And the Managers went unto their Directors saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide by its strength." And the Directors spoke among themselves saying to one another, "It contains that which aids plants growth, and it is very strong." And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents saying unto them, "It promotes growth, and it is very powerful." And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him, "This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor Of the company With very powerful effects." And the President looked upon the Plan And saw that it was good, And the Plan became Policy. And this, my friend, is how shit happens. http://web.mnstate.edu/alm/humor/ThePlan.htm http://web.mnstate.edu/alm/humor/ThePlan.htm Reading reports filtered up through an organization is no replacement for going to the Gemba.

by ziggus 5y ago

Robotbeat 5y ago

Strongly disagree. Everyone in a large organization already OUGHT to distrust the effectiveness of feedback mechanisms that move information up the chain of command. This is a good exercise. “I would hope” is no substitute for ACTUALLY seeing how the sausage is made.

vineyardmike 5y ago

Its not really about managing the process as much as experiencing it end to end. Seeing the "big picture" while still experiencing the customer facing parts. Its not that unique in businesses, amazon used to expect that office workers do a few shifts in a warehouse, not to manage the warehouse process, but to view how 90% of the workers work, and what a critical component of their business is like. > I would hope that a C-level manager would have an understanding not only of how the front-end processes work, but also how they affect the company's "big picture". Do you think they can get that understanding in their home office while taking zoom calls with the finance dept?

aerosmile 5y ago

Definitely a publicity stunt. But I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of the exercise, they actually really do end up unearthing some weaknesses that the process feedback mechanism failed to put sufficient spotlight on. I mean, how else do you actually test the process feedback mechanisms? I realize that nobody does that, but you'll never know if that mechanism truly works unless you let your CxO do all the work end to end and then ask them if they had sufficient awareness about each small point of friction they encountered. Another more subtle detail: not sure if DoorDash experiences this, but in my experience it can be difficult to get a newly poached manager from a different company to wrap their head around how - and why - this company is different. The more experienced people are, the more they tend to reach for their old playbooks, which can be good and bad. You do have a point that large parts of the company could have been carved out (eg: the communications team), and the exercise would have still yielded the same insights, which is why in the end this is a publicity stunt.

sokoloff 5y ago

The Plan In the beginning, there was a plan, And then came the assumptions, And the assumptions were without form, And the plan without substance, And the darkness was upon the face of the workers, And they spoke among themselves saying, "It is a crock of shit and it stinks." And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pile of dung, and we cannot live with the smell." And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying, "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, Such that none may abide by it." And the Managers went unto their Directors saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide by its strength." And the Directors spoke among themselves saying to one another, "It contains that which aids plants growth, and it is very strong." And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents saying unto them, "It promotes growth, and it is very powerful." And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him, "This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor Of the company With very powerful effects." And the President looked upon the Plan And saw that it was good, And the Plan became Policy. And this, my friend, is how shit happens. http://web.mnstate.edu/alm/humor/ThePlan.htm http://web.mnstate.edu/alm/humor/ThePlan.htm Reading reports filtered up through an organization is no replacement for going to the Gemba.