Is Your Remote Team Suffering From Complexity? 5 Warning Signs

From a perfume-counter-turned-pop-up-truck to rental-car companies targeting germaphobes, many businesses have operated faster and better during Covid than ever before, according to a recent McKinsey survey. If “faster and better” doesn’t accurately describe your company’s response to the pandemic, your workplace may have a complexity problem.

In my latest book, I write about a large financial institution that spent more than $1M implementing an internal system to “spur innovation.” Only 50% of its employees knew the system existed, and less than 1% knew how to submit new ideas to the system. Why? Because there was no plan to communicate the function of the new system to employees or train them to use it.

The system was too complicated for its intended purpose, and so it went unused. Yet the innovation team framed the creation of the system as a win — despite the lack of ROI. In complex organizations, stories like this unfold every day. Besides a relentless commitment to the status quo, companies in need of simplifying often share these five signs of complexity:

  • Everyone speaks in acronyms and corporate-ese. Is every Zoom call littered with acronyms? Have you googled the meaning of an abbreviation today? In my experience, employees in organizations with layers of complexity default to clichéd business speak rather than words that are easily understood. Unless everyone interprets the jargon or acronym exactly as you intended, the chance for miscommunication is high. In your own communications, ask yourself if 100% of your audience will correctly understand every acronym and bit of jargon. If the answer is “I’m not sure,” then rephrase it for clarity. Rinse and repeat.
  • Approval processes take forever. Does approval for basic office supplies involve a six-page form? Does legal add an extra month to the approval process of everything it touches? If approval for minor requests takes weeks or months, your organization is plagued by complexity. And with all the red tape, it’s unlikely that breakthrough innovations are being developed. Good ideas should be able to travel from farm to table without delay, but innovating at companies that are riddled with complexity, is slow and often unsuccessful.
  • Constant complaints from clients/customers. If you’re hearing that it’s difficult or frustrating to work with your company — even from loyal clients or customers — you’ve got a complexity problem. Take a page from Zappos and audit your customer service and feedback processes to remove friction at every step. Empower employees to problem-solve without manager approval, and continue improving your customer-service process even after five-star reviews from consumers or clients become the norm.
  • Our internal programs resemble Rube Goldberg machines. Do you find yourself performing tasks in duplicate or triplicate because various systems in your org aren’t compatible? Did someone put a program in place that makes her job easier…but complicates yours? While a certain amount of coordination is expected between teams and systems, processes that are designed in a vacuum — without any end-user feedback — are prevalent in complex workplaces.
  • Ridiculous rules are born here every day. Are your people unsure of why certain company rules or processes exist? How often do teams receive memos outlining new internal policies? Does the legal team interfere with how sales or marketing operates? Perhaps your industry or business is legitimately complex, or perhaps many of your rules are outdated. If you’re not sure which ones to cancel, invite employees at all levels to this remote exercise for identifying (and deleting) your company’s stupidest rules.

While confronting complexity is rarely convenient, I’ve encouraged clients and leaders to treat the current WFH reality as an opportunity to simplify. Find examples of complexity in your own work life, and focus on changing your approach or response to things that are within your direct sphere of control. From jargon-free messaging to effective feedback processes, let’s make 2021 the year of simplifying how we conduct business.

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