We don’t set out to be purposely misconceived. Our natural instincts though can deceive us into thinking that we’re already doing something in the best way possible. The problem is that we only view a problem, task or job from a single perspective, our own perspective! The solutions we derive and implement therefore appear to be common sense… to us. To someone else who deals with a different part of the problem or are responsible for the job or task further down the line, these solutions can seem not so common sensical. This is because they have a different perspective to you.
So how do you go about justifying one solution over another? Well, there is only one way to find out, and that’s to just try it! Whenever a potentially advantageous solution presents itself, just try it out for a day and measure the results. Essentially the purpose of a business is to use the tools, knowledge and skilled people it possesses to derive the most effective way of performing a particular activity. That desired activity can then be provided at the greatest margin, the lowest cost, in the fast time. Fundamentally in the way that most exceeds customers’ expectations.
All of this might sound like common sense! However, my experience within industry has seen on numerous occasions, a lack of a team member’s willingness to ‘just try’ a different way, hold back and stagnate a whole business’s growth.