Artful processes (les processus "artistiques")

Long time ago, in the 80's, I was already, as quality director for Sales in IBM France, deeply involved in processes.

At that time, IBM Quality Director, Gilbert Stora*, previously Director of a Manufacturing plant lab, used to say: "Manufacturing processes are OK to control, Administrative processes too, but Commercial processes are too "artistic" to be managed and treated the same way..."

This publication of IBM is reflecting, 20 years after, the same thought, with some advances...
("artful" in english does not exactly mean artistic, but the idea is the same)

The idea to mechanize everything is often stupid.
Some core processes can be stabilized by organization and IT, some must remain enough organic, dynamically adaptable to changes.
Where to put the "cursor", for every process, between what has to be mechanized and what has to remain organic ?
What methodology to use to determine this balance point? How to create a correct bridge between the 2 parts?

Every issue of IBM Systems Journal is exciting, process specialist have to read these recent issues on Business Collaboration, this SOA one, this one one business innovation. Some articles are sometimes too "marketing", some too "technical", but every issue has got at least 1 or 2 stimulating contributions!

* G. STORA, J. MONTAIGNE - "La Qualité Totale dans l'entreprise" (Edit. Organisation 1986)