Originally Posted by
discojoe
I'll give an example of what I am trying to say.
At work, there is an ESE cashier who puts blueberry containers inside small paper bags, since said containers are very unreliable and likely to pop open. One time, I overheard a customer -- some environmentally over-conscientious poop head -- protest her doing this, to which she replied, almost musically, "Noooo. These are going to pop open." And she proceeded to place the berries into the bag, and I assume the customer submitted to her insistence. This is a Result mentality: "The berries should not spill, so putting them into the bag despite protest is the right thing to do."
I, on the other hand, when cashiering, follow a Process way of approaching the situation: "The berries shouldn't spill, so I will try to put them into the bag unless the customer expresses disapproval." Sometimes customers don't want the berries in the bag, so I acquiesce, not wanting to offend them or cause a scene. Again, Process orientation: "Not putting the berries into the bag was the correct procedure, since the customer didn't want me to do so." So the reality of the berries spilling was subordinate to having carried out the customer's instructions. In other words, "Of course the result is correct, since I followed the correct procedure."
Also, my LSE boss, a Process type, is extremely by-the-book, which pisses off a lot of his employees, but the end result is that the store is the most well-run, and he makes the district manager look good. "The procedures are there for a reason, so we'll follow them and get good results."
Edit: The Result person: "The procedures aren't necessarily the means of achieving the best results, so we'll wiggle out of them if we need to."
Both are used by all people, but the general mindsets, I believe, are accurate.