Process vs. Product Oriented
Some people are “product oriented” and some people are “process oriented”. One is not better or worse than the other. There is no reason to try and change yourself to be the other way. So what is a product oriented person? Someone who is focused on the end result. How you get to the end matters less than “getting there”. For the process oriented person, the end result is frequently anti-climactic. It is the planning or the process that is enjoyable.
Have you ever planned a big trip or a special event, perhaps a safari to Africa or a 50th wedding anniversary party? If you enjoyed the planning and the end was so-so for you, you are a process oriented person. If you hated the planning, but loved the safari or the wedding anniversary party, you are a product oriented person.
The only time these two styles become important is when you are interacting with a person who has the opposite style!
Perhaps a personal example of the difference between process and product oriented people.
Personal Example: Mt. Katahdin
Mt. Katahdin is the tallest peak in Maine at a majestic (for Maine) elevation of 5,269 feet. It is located within Baxter State Park. You may know Mt. Katahdin as the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. People from Georgia say the Appalachian Trail starts at Spring Mountain and ends at Mt. Katahdin, but I digress!
I have hiked Mt. Katahdin three times: once with a person who was process oriented, once with a person who was product oriented and once as part of a group.
Two climbs were enjoyable; one climb was miserable.
The first time I climbed Katahdin was with a product oriented person. It was clear from the beginning that the summit was the destination. Breaks were for eating and hydrating. Ten minutes at the summit and we were heading back down to the parking lot. No looking at the flora and fauna on this hike!
The second time I climbed Katahdin, I was with a group. It was like herding cats; some people hiked together, some hiked alone. There was the person charging up in front and always a person who brought up the rear. In a group you can choose your own pace.
The third time I hiked Katahdin was with a process oriented person. We did a slow, steady climb with lots of stops along the way to look at the flowers, the trees, the wildlife and the view. We stayed for a while at the summit, but the climb was about the journey.
Product Oriented
Being product oriented means you are focused on the end destination. It is the goal that matters. It doesn’t really matter how you get there.
Perhaps you have heard the Niccolo Machiavelli quote, “The end justifies the means.” Machiavelli believed that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of getting it is acceptable. Meaning, it doesn’t matter how many people are physically or emotionally injured in the process, the goal should be achieved at all costs. Our current political environment seems to be this way.
This feels like a very selfish, self-centered approach, but being product oriented can also have value, too.
You would probably agree that Thomas Edison was a brilliant, tenacious inventor. He was a product oriented person. How do you know he was product oriented? His philosophy in inventing the light bulb: “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” No one has ever focused on his failures, only on his end product. It didn’t matter to him that he was not successful on numerous occasions, it only mattered that he persevered and achieved his goal.
Process Oriented
For a process oriented person, the journey is the best part of any activity. The destination is a goal, but how you get there provides the satisfaction. A process oriented person is going to focus more on the journey and less on the destination.
Two of America’s most famous authors, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Ernest Hemingway were process oriented people. Emerson said, “It is not the destination, it is the journey.” Hemingway said it a little differently, but had the same perspective, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
Unless you are a student required to read a book for a class, you are not reading a book to get to the end. You are reading the book to lose yourself in the characters and the plot. You may even be left wanting for more at the end of a book! This is when the process is more important to you than the destination.
Impact on Your Work Relationships
At work, you may be that product oriented person who just wants a project completed and doesn’t want to have 2 in-person meetings, 7 Zoom meetings and 400 reply-to-all emails to discuss how to get the project completed. If you just want the project completed, you may feel very impatient with the people who want to process a topic over and over and over again. You may be viewed as not being a “team player”.
The process oriented person wants to look at the outcome (product) from every angle. They want to identify the potential unintended consequences of a decision. They want to identify how all of the stakeholders feel about an end result. Process oriented people need 9 meetings and 400 emails to feel everyone was included in a decision.
Having a little understanding of the differences, and appreciation that it is just a different style that requires a little negotiation and consideration, may go a long way to successful work relationships.
Impact on Your Home Relationships
It is possible that you will have a personal relationship with someone who has a different way of thinking than you. You want to make a decision about buying a car, but your partner wants to talk about what kind of car, how much it will cost, whose car it will be replacing, etc. You just want to go out to eat, but your partner wants to first discuss if the two of you will be eating-in or taking out, Mexican or Italian, casual or fancy, etc.
Some people are able to make snap decisions and stick with them, and some people don’t want to make a mistake so they want to look at a topic from every angle. If you are in a relationship with someone who sees the world a little differently, it will require patience and negotiation skills.
Take-away Point
It is not better or worse to be process oriented rather than product oriented. Both have their purposes and functions. The importance comes in when you are negotiating a work or personal relationship with someone who sees the world a little differently than you.
With warmest regards,
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