Low Process Culture, High Process Culture

Low Process Culture, High Process Culture – Accidentally in Code https://cate.
blog/2022/02/28/low-process-culture-high-process-culture/
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Low Process Culture, High Process Culture
By Cate < https://cate.blog/author/admin/>
February 28, 2022 < https://cate.blog/2022/02/28/low-process-

culture-high-process-culture/>
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Low Process Culture, High Process Culture – Accidentally in Code https://cate.blog/2022/02/28/low-process-culture-high-process-culture/
When I changed jobs in 2020, I went from a low-process culture

to a high-process culture (or: what I perceive as high-process, all
things are relative). It was a bit of a culture shock.
The process stressed me out. For instance, my previous job did

not have performance review. You were supposed to submit
feedback every ~6 months – which I had always understood to be
inconsistently enforced (I typically managed to do feedback for
my directs every 6-9 months). So, coming into my first
performance review, somehow my first ever as a manager despite
years of experience, was something of an Ordeal.
To be clear, what stressed me out was the process. I really

struggled with the template I had been given. And then I finally
submitted what I’d put together, only to get the feedback that I
had written everything as a list of bullet points.
Well, yes. The template had been a list of bullet points. Hence:
my struggle.
My boss gave me a helpful piece of advice. He told me that if I

knew what to do, I should just do it, and then fit the process to
it. It helped a lot.
Time passed, and we came to the next performance review cycle.

This time I was less caught up on my own struggle, CLOSEand
ANDhad more
ACCEPT
insight into how other people were approaching things in the
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that having a performance review doesn’t guarantee great, or even
2 of 6 9/28/23, 7:39 PM
good feedback – because that depends so much on all the other

feedback that happens in between.
But, it’s better than nothing at all.
In Thanks for the Feedback < https://cate.blog/2017/07

/11/book-thanks-for-the-feedback/> , one of the frameworks is
the difference between “evaluative” and “developmental”
feedback. Evaluative feedback tells someone where they stand
(and whether or not someone gets promoted is inherently
evaluative). Developmental feedback tells someone how they can
improve. If someone only gets developmental feedback with the
evaluation, the evaluative feedback will override everything else.
Being great at performance reviews (if there is such a thing),
requires consistent developmental feedback the rest of the time
– a product of accepting that people are unlikely to fully process
the developmental feedback in the review.
The second review cycle was still stressful, but for entirely
different reasons. Largely it was stress about whether or not
people would get promoted, and anxiety about telling people if
they didn’t get what they wanted. In short – it was healthy,
unescapable stress. Not stress about process, or the stress of a
manager who last gave feedback last review cycle.

Perhaps a less emotionally charged example, consider CLOSE ANDtheACCEPT
release
process. Any release process has a checklist. And I believe such a
use.
To find out more,
checklist including how
is essential. Buttothe
control cookies, is
checklist seeabout
here: Cookie Policy <
the release process
and not what is being released. A great release is defined by what
3 of 6 9/28/23, 7:39 PM
is in it – exciting features. A bad release is also defined what is in

it, a bug, that causes a problem (and another process: that of
running an incident).
The checklists maintain adequacy. They are necessary, but

insufficient.
We have checklists for onboarding. We’ve worked hard on

improving them. But I knew our onboarding process was better
when the checklists failed, and people stepped in anyway to
ensure the outcome – the success of the new person. The
mindset of the team was one of collective responsibility, the
checklist was just adequacy.
I believe the judicious application of process is a super power.

But I also believe that process is necessary, but insufficient.
Process as a super power makes the unclear, clear, and supports a
mindset shift that leads to something more.
But like all super powers, used the wrong way, process becomes a
bind and a distraction. People focus on the mechanics, rather
than what they’re supposed to accomplish and why. They start
thinking their job is to perform the process, rather than the
desired outcomes they’re looking to achieve.

Stepping back to consider the contrast makes CLOSE more clear to me
AND ACCEPT
why the low-process culture didn’t really bother me, or (for the
use.
most
To part)
find out impede
more, mehow
including from the things
to control cookies, Isee
wanted to do.
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willing to create what was necessary in order to achieve the
4 of 6 9/28/23, 7:39 PM
outcomes I wanted. At the same time, it gives me more empathy

for the people who I saw really struggle without it. There is no
clear starting point or agreements about how things work in a
low-process culture, and that can be very overwhelming.
All of this is not to complain about a higher-process culture. It is

a relief to have a starting point for most things, even if I don’t
agree with all of it. But process is inherently a mechanism of
standardization and enforcement. There is no way to enforce
greatness – we just enforce adequacy, and should be cognizant of
the limits of that.
A company with a performance review process won’t necessarily

mean you have a better manager or a better growth path than an
organization without one. It just makes it harder for managers to
fall short of the absurdly low minimum of some amount of
somewhat reasonable feedback on some specific cadence.
No release process will guarantee a great release, just like no

onboarding checklist will ensure someone is successful. But –
they can help you avoid known pitfalls such that your release
doesn’t explode and your new hire isn’t still completely lost after
their first month.
But it’s always worth considering what process makes sufficient,

and what you’re really aspiring for. SometimesCLOSE adequacy
AND is the
ACCEPT
goal, but when it’s not, the process is usually the least of it. What
use.
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5 of 6 9/28/23, 7:39 PM
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Low Process Culture, High Process Culture – Accidentally in Code https://cate.

MANAGEMENT < HTTPS://CATE.BLOG/CATEGORY/MANAGEMENT/>

By Cate < https://cate.blog/author/admin/>

February 28, 2022 < https://cate.blog/2022/02/28/low-process-

2 Comments < https://cate.blog/2022/02/28/low-process-culture-

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By

When I changed jobs in 2020, I went from a low-process culture

The process stressed me out. For instance, my previous job did

To be clear, what stressed me out was the process. I really

My boss gave me a helpful piece of advice. He told me that if I

Time passed, and we came to the next performance review cycle.

good feedback – because that depends so much on all the other

But, it’s better than nothing at all.

In Thanks for the Feedback < https://cate.blog/2017/07

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By

is in it – exciting features. A bad release is also defined what is in

The checklists maintain adequacy. They are necessary, but

We have checklists for onboarding. We’ve worked hard on

I believe the judicious application of process is a super power.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By

outcomes I wanted. At the same time, it gives me more empathy

All of this is not to complain about a higher-process culture. It is

A company with a performance review process won’t necessarily

No release process will guarantee a great release, just like no

But it’s always worth considering what process makes suﬃcient,

← Co- < < The →

© 2023 Accidentally in Code < Powered by WordPress < To the

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By

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