Doing Less with Less

The business world is booming with axiomatic statements about the need to do more with less. Unfortunately, the tales of workforce reduction are turning into a kind of bragging right. The other day I heard a manager smugly say that she is now doing the work of three people! Really?

The downturn is definitely requiring more from everyone, however, in most cases people are simply doing less with less. It is a myth to think that one can flip a switch and double or triple their capacity overnight. While the fat trimming does create more capacity, it is not at the level required by most cutbacks. So what does this mean for those who survive the cutbacks? Let’s use process of elimination to get to a reasonable conclusion:

Should we just multitask more?
No, multitasking is not the answer. Although multitasking has been widely recognized as an important skill in today’s competitive business environment, research indicates that multitasking not only results in the loss of time, but it reduces our overall effectiveness and the accuracy of our work.

Should we just work more days and longer hours?
No, working harder is not the answer. While there may be some short-term benefit from this extra time, burn out from this tact would further cripple the productivity of the workforce.

Should we re-focus our priorities on the most essential organizational objectives and then set aside the appropriate level of resources required to meet them?
Yes, in my experience this is the best response to the often unreasonable mandate to do more with less.

Let’s face it; everything is not created equal in the workplace. One of the most common mistakes managers and leaders make is to treat all outcomes the same. This is called whitewashing because everything is made to look the same on the surface. When we treat all goals and outcomes the same, we inadvertently divert our energy and attention away from the most critical priorities. In a challenging business environment, this distraction from essential priorities can be a fatal flaw. The valiant, but miserable attempts to do “more with less” risks leaving the more difficult challenges left undone.

Focusing on priorities in this way requires us to be brutally honest about what matters most and to make hard choices about which goals are just not that important. In the end, you’ll get more of what matters most – done.