LESS PROCESS, MORE WORK

The biggest irony of the 21st century is that even with all kinds of automation, work is still full of extremely complicated procedures that get in the way of actual work and hinder development. Businesses of today still haven’t quite caught up with the recent advancements of technology, and although the tools and systems are in place to increase work efficiency, somehow we’re still stuck with the traditional, old-fashioned ways of doing things.

Business professionals around the world advocate for much simpler solutions and streamlining the workflow — all in the name of better effectiveness — yet at the same time, unironically, hold couple of hours long meetings to discuss business, completely defeating the purpose of the message they try to convey. It’s as though people inherently are drawn to bureaucracy, or as we like to call it action faking.

What’s action faking you might ask? Defined as doing things that make you think you’re making progress when you’re actually not, action faking never solves actual problems. Rather it merely satisfies our need to feel good about ourselves without much substance or real results behind it.

When viewed through this lens, it starts to make sense why the business world is so consumed with needless processes. Instead of putting in real work that can produce tangible results and increased productivity, we are in a constant state of action faking for one reason or another.

Having said that, we believe that conducting business shouldn’t necessarily be complicated. Nor should it contain processes that hamper productivity. Our suggestions basically come down to a single, very simple premise — less processes, more work.

1. Define a clear hierarchy for decision-makers and right from the start meet all their demands. Decision-makers are guided by either emotions or rational thought, which are further reinforced by two tools: empirical analyses and approval from opinion leaders. If you are conducting a project, there’s going to be a lot of back and forth unless the project itself is thoroughly tested. All questions should be answered and all concerns addressed way before the project begins.

2. Procedural work is inevitable — either way someone always has to receive information and forward it elsewhere, or review and sign paperwork. Always define your end goal and keep in mind that each letter can give birth to a new partnership. Make it your goal to ensure the success of such collaborations.

3. Be honest. Often times processes are prolonged not necessarily due to their “bad” nature but because of your negligence. Sometimes people come to work meetings unprepared and try to pass it off under the guise of collecting opinions. Goes without saying that listening to other’s opinions or feedback is naturally important; however, your management will be more appreciative of your honesty. “Please give me more time to polish off my work because I believe I can do better,” — a sentence that can do wonders for you, of course when said a week before the deadline rather than the night before.

A little bit less process with a bit more impact — this is the ideal scenario.