Developing simplicity in strategy

COVID-19 has made routine modern-day disruptions for businesses even more challenging, impacting everything from supply chains to business culture. However, we don’t have to accept that complexity and uncertainty is the driving force in our life. In fact, as the world recovers from this pandemic, there seems to be evidence that if managers and executives put complexity aside and pursue an organizational reboot based on simplicity alone, recovery will be quicker.

Developing a culture and practicing simplicity requires intelligent leadership, but the payoff is significant. Take Apple, for example. Apple’s amazingly powerful brand was founded on Steve Jobs’ adamant commitment to design simplicity. As a result, an actionable plan aids managers in prioritizing, focusing, and cutting through the chaos. A design thinking method, termed the Simplicity Principle, is seen to be a driving element for growth in simplistic strategy.

So, how do we go about achieving this level of simplicity? The following is an overview of the hexagonal model, a six-point management approach. The  Hexagon model strategies are adaptable and can be used in a variety of situations, including personal success and innovative brainstorming. It is a six-part diagram that shows how to turn simplicity of purpose into performance. Alignment, transparency, participation, efficiency, productivity, and time are all factors that will need to be considered closely in the process.

The hexagonal action model ‘ACCEPT’ is a fantastic method that organizations can use. Alignment, clarity, collaboration, ease, productivity, and time are all represented by the acronym ACCEPT. Ensuring you and your employees are on the same page is what alignment entails. If you aren’t, your approach to a problem is asymmetric. A leader who grasps these disparities will have a better understanding of and control over what needs to change to restore equilibrium.

Clarity is a key element of the Simplicity Principle, and it applies to both the macro and micro levels. Driving engagement and excellent outcomes requires a culture of open communication and clarity. Leaders are more likely to succed if they ask themselves how clearly they feel about something and how apparent their purpose is.

Collaboration and community are closely linked, particularly at work. Collaboration is an important aspect of social health or the behaviors people use to connect and collaborate. The “hard–easy effect” is a well-known form of bias in which we believe we are better at difficult tasks than we are at easy tasks. In other words, “easy” is often mistakenly regarded as less better than “hard.”

Going to the first side of the hexagon action paradigm, productivity should be aligned with clarity and collaboration, which leads to improved well-being. Corporate well-being initiatives have boomed in popularity in recent years, and studies show that having a solid program in place boosts performance and productivity.

Time can also be viewed through the prism of simplicity. The way people handle their time is changing tremendously. There are two types of time: time that you control and time that is controlled by others. Leaders try to keep things as simple as possible by focusing on the most important tasks first thing in the morning. And with more people working from home, determining when to stop working has become much more difficult.

Complexity is unavoidable because our ability to design complex institutions has resulted in insurmountable control issues. However, we are increasingly required to break through and create new traditions, cultures, and practices. Because this is difficult in such a complicated environment, the simplicity method necessitates more leadership and not less of it.