Blog

Simplify, then add lightness

Lotus founder Colin Chapman created the company around motto: Simplify, then add lightness. In principles behind Manifesto for Agile Software development we find something similar in its spirit: Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount of work not done — is essential.

Now let's take a look at those statements from perspective of organisation design. How do we make an organisation to follow this principles?

For starters I think it is important to pay attention that "Simplify" means that there is no end state, it's a process: Simplification. You can not finish simplifying something and say that now it is done. There is always more simplification to be achieved.  For me organisational design is all about that, continuous simplification process. Discovering new ways to make organisation simpler today then it was yesterday in all of its aspects. 

Then we say "add lightness" and this is for me all about making sure we have light guiding constrains in organisation on a contrast with complex processes, constrains, that evolve and change as organisation and world around it evolves.

What is your take on Simplicity? I am inviting you to discuss it together in comments.