The Art of Rocket Science
Listed on October 3, 2014 in Blogs!I read this morning that business is not rocket science – a statement with which I agree. I then thought about rocket science and wondered about the (un)controlled nature of an explosion in a firework whizzing skyward. More impressive, of course, is the launching of a machine into space but even that is dwarfed by the mission that has successfully sent a probe into the outer solar system to rendezvous and go into orbit around a comet barely bigger than your average sized farm! But back to business…
Yes, business is not rocket science but to be successful it is also true that you have to clear understanding of your activities critical functions. These may be simple and straightforward but they may also be multifarious and complex. Yesterday some colleagues spent an hour or two on discussing a concept called ‘customer journey mapping’. Essentially this was describing how different people engage with us at Dillington – how do they find out about us, how do they talk to us, how do we talk to them etc. It is a process of deconstructing and critically examining the whole business from a customer point of view. Fascinating stuff; not rocket science (thank goodness) but a process laden with psychology, a fair bit of emotional intelligence and guesswork. More of an art than a science, in fact, but who are we to say where the divide is drawn?