Jerry Manas » Communication – External

Jerry Manas Interview on Conquering Complexity

jmanas — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:02:23 +0000

Bud Bilanich, aka The Common Sense Guy, interviewed me recently on the topic of Conquering Complexity through the powerful principles of simplicity, clarity, and focus.

Hope you enjoy the interview. It runs about 45 minutes or so…

Creating Clarity through Simple Prioritized Principles

jmanas — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:40:12 +0000

Most organizations spend time on value statements, ending up with words such as trust, integrity, honesty, fairness, and so on. The problem is, while these are simple, they are not clear. People don’t automatically associate these words with their daily actions, nor will these words help when they need to make a quick decision. In other words, it doesn’t focus them toward correct action. And remember, we must achieve simplicity, clarity, and focus to be effective.

Disney has the right idea. In training progams at the Disney Institute, a consistent theme is that successful organizational cultures are pre-defined, goal-oriented, and clear to all. People do not have to stop and think about the culture. It’s ingrained.

To help with this, Disney uses something they call prioritized service quality standards in all their theme parks.

In some organizations, this could end up being an exhaustive list of hundreds of items that one must think about and digest. But not at Disney. Disney knows that nobody would remember any of that in the heat of the action. Instead, Disney has four service standards, in priority order:

Safety
Courtesy
Show (e.g., guest experience, themes, costumes)
Efficiency

Efficiency, while still important, comes after the others. Above all comes Safety. Nothing trumps safety. Then it’s important to be courteous, but again, never at the expense of safety. After that, comes Show. It’s vital to uphold the Disney image and maintain character integrity, but not at the expense of courtesy or safety. Indeed, it’s OK to break some rules if it’s necessary to address a guest’s issue or a safety concern. Finally, we have efficiency. It’s important to be efficient, but Walt Disney never wanted to sacrifice safety, courtesy, or even show, for the sake of efficiency.

In their training programs, Disney reinforces these principles with stories and examples. For instance, one training facilitator told of a story where a Disney cast member was helping someone with directions (courtesy), but noticed a child playing on the edge of a stage, so they immediately ran over to caution them (safety). Afterward, the cast member, went into a shop and grabbed a free gift for the child, and the person they were helping (courtesy and show).

With these simple standards, at any service decision point it is clear to each cast member what criteria should be used for making the right decision. As Roy Disney said, “When values are clear, decisions are easy.”

Complex Systems Have Simple Roots

jmanas — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:23:16 +0000

When I talk to people about conquering complexity, they sometimes ask, “Well what about organizations or systems that are by nature complex?” Typically, they are referring to what’s known as Complex Adaptive Systems. An example might be the weather system, the global economy, or the cells in our body.

But scientists have proven that even the most complex systems have simple roots. The problem isn’t complexity per se; it’s trying to manage complexity in complex ways. It’s a futile cause. Indeed the way to conquer complexity is not with more complexity—it’s with simplicity.

Sometimes, less control—not more—is the answer, and simple guidelines and checklists are more effective. It’s the same with detailed project plans. Sometimes, it’s best to stay high level and let the experts manage the individual actions themselves. Dee Hock calls this concept “chaordic” (operating on the edge of chaos, with just enough structure to keep things moving in the right direction). I’ll be examining examples of this and posting them here.

Meanwhile, check out Bas De Baar’s interesting blog post on Complex Adaptive Systems…

And here’s an intriguing YouTube video that talks about how Complexity Management is the new Risk Management. It’s from Ontonix, an organization that has tools for measuring complexity.

Let’s Be Clear: The importance of simplicity, clarity, and focus

jmanas — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:32:16 +0000

Excessive or unnecessary complexity is one of the biggest barriers to organizational success. This is true both internally and externally.

For one, processes and forms aren’t as simple as they could be, and tools often become barriers instead of enablers.

Secondly, the organization’s vision and strategy are typically unclear, if they exist at all, so efforts get diluted by non-valuable work.

Hours are wasted in long meetings, watching drawn-out powerpoint presentations that are more bullet-ridden than Bonnie and Clyde. Valuable information is lost in the noise. Unclear communication in general causes errors, confusion, and conflict.

Is it any wonder employees and customers disengage?

Indeed, simplicity, clarity, and focus are three areas organizations struggle with most. This manifests itself in the organization’s business processes and forms (including project plans); its communication with employees, suppliers and customers; and even its vision and strategy.

I have decided to dedicate this blog to the mission of conquering complexity—through simpler processes, clearer communication, and greater focus. It’s what I’ve been doing for 30 years, with my books, my workshops, and my consulting engagements. Let’s enjoy this journey together, and, well… let’s be clear from here on.

- Jerry