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7 Strategies for Sustained Innovation
The need for constant reinvention is a given in today’s business environment. And while a breakthrough product or concept can catapult an organization ahead of its competitors, in these fast-paced times, that advantage is often short-lived. While...
First Aid For Writer's Block
Stuck? Not for long when you try these remedies for creativity on call. 1. Go somewhere else. One of my clients hops a train whenever she has a deadline and writes on board. 2. Freewrite. Right this second, copy the following starter phrase and...
How To Profit Using Public Domain Works
The public domain is full of books, journals, literary works, videos, audio, music sheets, software and government works that you can use any way you choose and create unlimited wealth with a little creativity. Several ways you can profit using...
Innovation Management – the quality and quantity of the idea pool
The quantity and quality of the idea pool is important.The Economist (2003b) states that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes ...
Creativity can be...
What Sort of Training is Most Effective?
Organisations are turning more and more to external training
companies to develop the 'soft' skills of their staff. With so
much expertise available what do people need to look for to get
the best from the training they buy in?
At Impact...
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Systems for Simplicity: What any Business can learn from McDonald's
Open any book on the subject of building effective business systems and you are sure to find McDonald's used as a prime example. Now their food mightn't be to everyones' liking, but it has one outstanding characteristic: it is entirely predictable. And few could argue that they haven't been successful.
Consider this: in less than fifty years, McDonald's have built over 29,000 stores based on a very robust system. If you didn't like the Big Mac you had in Moscow, you can be sure you would equally dislike the Big Macs you might have in Madrid, Melbourne or Manila.
Of course, McDonalds have it easy. Their business has never been about their food - it has always been about their systems. It is the sameness of their food, rather than its originality, which is what their customers expect. So it is sameness that they deliver.
Which is hardly what most of us are looking to provide, is it? We are selling a product or a service - not a 'system'. Our creativity, our unique approach, our flexibility to customer needs - these are what we are selling. The McDonald's approach seems anathema.
The reality is that systems have a place in every business because, used properly, they can help us achieve something that every business wants: efficiency and happy customers.
Take your average plumber. He is selling his skills - certainly not a
system. The plumber loves to plumb - he hates administration. But we still expect him to return our calls, to keep appointments and to provide us with accurate invoices.
So the plumber has a choice. He can forget to return calls, turn up late and get increasingly bogged down in paperwork (both of which happen all too often). Or he can put in place a basic time management and bookkeeping system.
Either way he'll still be a good plumber, but the system will provide him with more, happier customers and greater peace-of-mind.
What your plumber can't systemise is the art of plumbing. His experience and his apparently innate ability to diagnose a problem: these can only be passed on properly over time. Becoming the plumbing equivalent of Ronald McDonald is unrealistic.
Somewhere between McDonald's and your plumber lie most other businesses. Systems have a place in every business - it is simply a matter of degree. But we need to make a conscious effort to identify those parts of our business that can be 'systemised'.
In the long run, we will be rewarded with a simpler business and happier customers.
© David Brewster, January 2002
About the Author
David Brewster runs 'Business Simplification' and writes, talks and coaches on reducing the complexity of business and achieving greater clarity and effectiveness
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