Procedures are invaluable to someone new to the job. They define specific parameters so you know exactly what to do. However, as you gain more experience, procedures become so ingrained that you don’t need to refer to them anymore except under unusual conditions. Rather, you are able to spot cues and signals that tell you what is going on.
Procedures serve a purpose, but to rely on them exclusively blocks the collective intuition your company can access. The collective intuition operates faster and more accurately than a step-by-step process.
Knowing this, you can do the following to hasten the transition from reliance on procedures to experience that taps into intuition:
Pair new employees with experienced mentors. Doing so enables you to transfer the implicit knowledge more quickly and bring new staff up to speed in less time.
Reflect on whether you’re relying exclusively on procedures and adjust your approach accordingly. You want to encourage observation of the subtle cues that build rapid and accurate understanding of the situation. Remember, facts (rational approach) are seen in isolation from each other. The sensory cues (intuition) form a pattern that can reveal something.