Results-oriented VS Process-oriented: All You Need To Know

When it comes to achieving anything, the masses tend to tumble into one of two buckets: (a) results-oriented or (b) action-oriented. Which is better and why? Where is there win-win ground here? I’m hoping to sift through the pop culture mess so you can reach a conclusion tailored to your situation. Spoiler and short answer: neither. Deep dive-ish and long answer: read on.

Results-Oriented VS Process-Oriented

Results-oriented people are those who strive towards a particular outcome. Ticking boxes specific to the outcome they’ve set out for signifies progress. Not hours or effort in. Not how, where, when, or why they apply strategies. Eyes on the finish line. Direction clear as day. All that’s left is to shoot off the blocks and sprint, or jog, or walk, or crawl, or do whatever it takes to attain the desired result.

Process-oriented people are those who aim to improve their methods along the way. Definitely not directionless, but not nearly as direction-driven as the other tribe. They make good and bad moves, learn along the way, and iterate on their processes. A more effective and efficient route is progress, even if nothing on the to-do has been checked off.

The Black, The White, The Gray

Introduce then a slice of reality. Is life all results or all processes? Not on the melting globe you and I reside on. Life is both the climb and the summit. The climb is prolonged and arduous as you stick your picks and crampons into the ice and pull. The summit is brief and potent as you feel the onrush of dopamine amplified by the effort following it. Which tribe won the war so far? Exactly. Neither.

Being results-oriented has it’s ups and downs. As it sounds, it’s the dedication and commitment of precious resources—time, money, and effort—in aim of achieving a short-term or long-term purpose. Translated, this means errors. Miscalculations or negligence of risk. Demotivation and high likelihood of failure due to the fact that you have little direct control over whether you reach the milestone.

They Need Each Other!

Pros and cons are present in process-oriented individuals and teams too. The initiation is often grueling and confusing. Your methods are ineffective and inefficient. You feel utterly useless and your efforts seem meaningless—doubly painful since efforts are what you care about. The willpower costs are amplified in the beginning, yet once the momentum is there, it balances out.

Fact is, results-oriented people care about processes, and process-oriented people care about results. Why wouldn’t you? The bottom line is project done. Perhaps you view the path there entirely differently, but the striving is one and the same. Achievement. Well-being. Prosperity. Summiting the mountain only to unveil the next. The tribes aren’t as split as most deem them.

Marry Your Non-Dominant Side

Results-orientation and process-orientation have their respective strengths and weaknesses. They fill in for each other. While one sets up the GPS and end goal, the other optimizes the in-action path towards that goal. A married, aged, gray-haired, yet golden couple is what they resemble. An equilibrium is thus the number one path. Not results-orientation or process-orientation, but results-orientation and process-orientation.

While our perspectives and metrics are distinct per domain and person, we need to utilize both approaches if our priority is success. Teaming them is a win-win. A product-market fit is a result, and an effective product-market fit research methodology is a process. A sales increase is a result, and a persuasive script is a process. A reduction in customer complaints is a result, and feedback-based product design is a process. We aren’t looking at red and blue boxers ready to fight, but at a team.

Collaborate, Goddamnit!

Accordingly, an unclear and bad relationship between divisions where one form dominates poses problems. Project management and product development is a golden example. A conflict-laden and misunderstanding-filled relationship is too common. Project wants results. Development wants processes and systemization. Alas development is over-pressurized, makes bad decisions, and has to patch up later. Final project delayed, results mediocre, processes unrefined, and everyone’s sulky.

Results and processes as a focus have their scenarios for use. There is no one-size-fits-all equation which suits every individual, team, or organization. Partial sacrifice of either to form a harmony and combine their forces into one beam is key. You can’t just set your eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel and not steer the wheel, hold the gas pedal, and concentrate on the road.

The Reality: You Have To Switch

People get demotivated, lost, annoyed, confused, irrational, and make mistakes at different levels for different reasons. People are fucking people. Whatever personal goal one is striving towards, the approach fit for them should be used, not what the internet or some psychology minister transmits to them. Some may find counting results in their weight loss or muscle building journey—pounds on the scale or on the bar—motivating. Others could deem emphasizing processes—workout count and/or consistency—more pushing.

Even on the individual level, it’s situation dependent. Weight loss is fairly straightforward and has quantifiable and qualitative metrics, thereby fit for any view. While something like communication isn’t so easy. Should you concentrate around generating less conflict, a result? Should you focus on conflict resolution, a process? Coaching falls into a similar boat. You want to make sure every player gets a chance to play during the regular season (process). Yet during the local championship you want a particular player on the field (results). What do you do?

Which Are You?

At work, in life, in the tiniest and largest endeavors, all of us possess and practice a preferred orientation. Do you like winning to win? Do you take initiative and dial up the gas to achieve? Do you strive, even if there is collateral damage to mend later on? You might be results-oriented. Do you prioritize the effort over the end outcome? Does the “how” you move matter more than the “where”? Are you a wonderful team player? You might be process-oriented.

Final Thoughts

In the end, the results-oriented and process-oriented methods of thought ought to be combined into a balanced mindset. Meaning, neither. Victory is in the eyes of both tribes, and their strengths and weaknesses fill for each other. The best path is finding a situation-dependent gray ground, where the end outcome is achieved whilst maximizing the process’s enjoyability and effectiveness. A non-binary mindset.