The level of complexity in most organizations today is staggering-and
it's only getting worse. There are so many choices to be made, people to
involve, processes to manage, and facts to analyze, it's impossible to
get things done. And in today's hypercompetitive world, that can be
fatal.
Yet complexity doesn't happen on its own. Managers unwittingly create
it, often through well-intended decisions. In Simply Effective, Ron
Ashkenas provides a playbook for regaining control, focused on the four
major causes of complexity:
-Constant changes in organizational structures
-Proliferation of products and services
-Evolution of business processes
-Time-wasting managerial behaviors
The author provides a diagnostic for identifying how these causes of
complexity are affecting your organization-and presents practical
tactics for combating each one.
Ashkenas also explains how to craft a strategy that will make
simplification an ongoing driver of your company's success-no matter
where you work in your organization. Abundant examples from companies
like ConAgra Foods, GE, Cisco, Zurich Financial Services, and Johnson &
Johnson illuminate his points.
A crucial resource in today's overly complex age, Simply Effective
should be required reading for everyone on your management team.