If work execution is what generates value, then workflows are what structure these efforts. Once we understand that these components describe two different things, we find a way to escape the autonomy trap. When Drucker emphasized autonomy, he was thinking about work execution, as these activities are often too complicated to be decomposed into rote procedures. Workflows, on the other hand, should not be left to individuals to figure out on their own, as the most effective systems are unlikely to arise naturally. They need instead to be explicitly identified as part of an organization’s
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