Embracing Change Simply the best In the complex world of international business, successful companies are now introducing the latest management tool - simplicity Ask the CEO of most companies to summarise their strategic vision and corporate plan on a single sheet of paper and you are likely to get a puzzled look and a very short verbal reply. Too many initiatives, too many numbers and too much information to be condensed into anything less than a 50-page report, they will claim. However, precisely that exercise is being recommended by one school of management thinking which advocates the principle of simplicity as the way to achieve better communication, productivity and results in today's business world. "Being able to reduce a strategic plan to one page is an exercise in alignment and focus for senior executives," says Bill Jensen, CEO of the Jensen Group, who has over twelve years' experience in improving the work processes of major international companies. "It forces a more detailed debate and a different type of dialogue among directors and makes them eliminate the less important factors while making complicated concepts clearer," he adds. Citing contrasting examples, Mr Jensen explains how, if this is done properly at senior level, the benefits will be seen throughout an organisation. The knock-on effects will include the elimination of "clutter", greater personal productivity among employees and a new definition of leadership. Appointed by a global bank to advise on the implementation of a new compensation scheme, Mr Jensen cut down an original 100-page document setting out the reasons and permutations to a plan of action that required every manager to have just three short conversations with every subordinate. "I gave key criteria so they would know if the conversations were successful," he recalls. "Managers had to ensure every employee knew their primary function and that he or she was allowed to express their feelings before being given a specific action to accomplish. The bank's top management was fully behind the approach and since the message was delivered clearly, the new scheme was quickly accepted." People are not resistant to change but to change being imposed on them, especially if they feel uninvolved Get alignment Things do not always go so well and Mr Jensen is prepared to walk away from jobs when he detects a lack or purpose or unity. Asked to oversee the introduction of a customer satisfaction programme for a global retailer with over 60,000 employees, he could tell within three hours of sitting down with the company's 17 directors that it would never work. "They wanted to push something through the entire organisation," he says, "but could not agree among themselves how to do it. There was no alignment and in our meeting they had already wasted 51 work-hours. Imagine the thousands of employee hours they were prepared to waste with their ill-defined plan!" This is a topic close to Mr Jensen's heart. His own methods of identifying best practices have led him to study numerous companies and observe the office and production line actions and activities of all kinds of worker. He watches how long someone takes to clear their emails, how they interact with others, communicate and share information. He will sit in on meetings to see how well instructions are passed on and assess the "usability" of management systems to see if they really are designed to meet the needs of the user. The aim is to streamline processes while eliminating duplication and wasted time. Interactive dialogue Some common themes have emerged. "These days, employees are being asked to do more with less but hardly any companies give the necessary coaching, mentoring or leadership," he notes. "People are not resistant to change but to change being imposed on them, especially if they feel uninvolved. The best companies, though, now look at things from the employee's perspective, they tailor their communications and instructions to each individual and they encourage more interactivity and dialogue." Newer IT-related businesses are often held up as examples of how to do things well but, according to Mr Jensen, it is their management style not their IT expertise that sets them apart. "Amazon and e-Bay have lesser hierarchies and an intense focus on employees and customers. Their success is all based on really understanding what people need, clear communication and respecting universal values like trust," he notes. The same formula can be applied in any sector as Jet Blue and other newcomers are demonstrating as they reinvent the airline industry. Mr Jensen describes his main task as showing clients how to take huge, complicated challenges and break them down into manageable parts. He puts this down to the "power of simplicity" and notes that people can far exceed expectations if they are just given the chance to participate and contribute. "The aim is to make it easier for everybody to get stuff done. Employees are happier, customers are happier and the company ends up looking at a better bottom line," he concludes. The principles of simplicity Respect for other people's time Seeing things from the user's perspective Reminding executives that every action as a leader uses a portion of someone else's life Getting managers to look inside themselves and act as examples Constant emphasis on improving effective communication Taken from Career Times 3 July 2004 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]