12
" I’ve found that organizations, while well intentioned, tend to approach innovation incorrectly. The very things they put in place to drive innovation—meetings, reports, policies, procedures, task forces, and governing bodies—wind up constricting it. While some structure is important, the best approach to change and innovation usually isn’t to do more, but to do less. Get rid of things that aren’t working to make space for new things that are. "
― Lisa Bodell , Why Simple Wins: Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters
20
" Use More Extreme Criteria. Think of what happens to our closets when we use the broad criteria: “Will I wear this someday?” The closet becomes cluttered with clothes we never wear and probably never will. If you ask, “Will I absolutely wear this in the next six months?,” you’re more likely to get rid of an item to make space for something better. Simplification works especially well when you use extreme criteria to challenge how things are done. Some examples: • To solve this problem, give me a solution that would shock people. • To solve this problem, give me an idea that would get you fired. • To solve this problem, give me an idea that would eliminate all or a seemingly impossible amount of something. Example: A group within a telecom company wanted to cut meetings, so they challenged each business unit to eliminate 50 percent of their meetings, knowing full well that this would be near impossible. In the end, managers reporting cutting 15 percent of their meetings, greater than the 5 percent they originally expected. "
― Lisa Bodell , Why Simple Wins: Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters
