Imagine arriving at a hotel after a long journey. You step into the reception area, but no one is there to greet you. There’s no one to check you in, answer your questions, or hand you a room key. You wait, feeling frustrated. Eventually, a receptionist appears, apologizes, and begins the check-in process. By then, the experience has already left a sour taste. This is an example of poor flow. In a hotel, the main flow unit is the guest moving through their journey—from arrival to check-out. When a guest encounters delays or gaps in service, the flow breaks down, and the result is dissatisfaction.
Now think about a car repair shop. The main flow unit here is different—it’s the car that moves from one stage of repair to another. A delay in diagnostics, a missing part, or unclear communication can stall the flow, impacting efficiency and customer satisfaction.
What these examples have in common is the importance of understanding the flow unit—the thing moving from one phase to the next in a cross-functional flow. In a hotel, the primary flow unit is the guest, in a repair shop, it is the car and at other stages of the flow, it can be a diagnostic report handed to the mechanic. In every flow, the flow unit defines what moves forward.
The Flow Unit as Your Baton
But here’s the critical question: Can the next person in your flow immediately start running when you hand over the baton?
If they can’t—if they have to clarify missing details, wait for approvals, or search for materials—the flow breaks down. Every delay is like a runner stopping mid-race, and the entire team suffers.
What’s Your Baton?
What is the thing that moves through our flow?
• Is it a person, like a guest in a hotel?
• Is it an object, like a car in a repair shop or a product in a factory?
• Is it information, like a report, an email, or a set of instructions?
Once you’ve identified your baton, you can evaluate its condition at each handover:
• Is it clear and complete?
• Is it passed on in a timely manner?
Does the next function in the flow know exactly what to do with it?
Breaking Barriers to Flow
To break these barriers, every team must be able to see the flow from start to finish. Transparency enables:
• Faster identification of bottlenecks.
• Clearer expectations for handovers.
• Greater accountability for maintaining flow.
For example, in a hotel, a receptionist must know when a guest is expected and be ready to check them in immediately. In a repair shop, a parts manager must ensure that required components are available before the car reaches the mechanic.
Empowering Your Teams
• Upskilling: Equip employees with the skills to handle their roles effectively.
• Flow Efficiency Analysis: Define clear expectations for each step in the flow.
• Flow Management Authority: Give teams the authority to make decisions that maintain flow.
From Barriers to Bridges
So, what’s your baton? Whether it’s a product, a service, or a piece of information, take time to define it, measure it, and ensure every handover in your organization is a winning one.
At Hups, we specialize in helping organizations identify their batons, breaking down barriers to flow, and achieving sustainable transformation.
Are you ready to run a smoother race?
