like a fire

I have been writing often about the idea that process is king over outcome based programs. Not many people have seen what I mean by it and many just scratch their heads and give me the big W. So here is more fodder for everyone to react to.

One of the reasons focusing on the process is preferable to going for the outcome is the leap factor. This is where the outcome is a good one but is so far removed from where the person actually is that it makes it impossible for them to achieve the outcome without significant frustration. This works in reverse as well. If someone is asked to achieve an outcome that is too easy for them, they will in all likelihood become bored before they achieve it. Imagine (or just look at my diagram) a chart where one axis is hard and one is easy in difficulty.

Outcome driven programs look to a specific measuring point in the future that strive for that point. This point doesn’t recognize the origin of the user and disregards the path it takes to get to the measurable outcome. In this scenario, the user is left to evaluate where they are and decide on a plan of action that will be required to get to the outcome.

The most likely scenario is that the user will not be close the the outcome and have no ability to create a path to achieve the outcome. This usually starts with a very focused effort leading to frustration and then a tapering off into a more easy path leading to apathy. The outcome is never achieved and the user eventually just gives up. If the outcome is the model and there is no clear direction for getting there (process), then the user is left to their own resources for getting to the outcome. Only the extraordinary achieve the outcome this way.

The process focuses on the steps the user will need to take to get to the outcome. This insures short-term, measurable goals that can be tailored to the user and help them remain satisfied with their progress. In this way they are more likely to stay the course and actually make it to the overall outcome. It is obvious that goals and outcomes are necessary in this process, but they are a minimal focus of the overall purpose of the user. The user is more satisfied in the process while recognizing short-term goals that are achieved than in long-term failure of the overall outcomes.

For more on this idea, read Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience