University:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Course:
15.992 | S-Lab: Laboratory for Sustainable Business
Academic year:

2023
Views:

190

Pages:

33
Author:

Willie Craig

Laboratory for Sustainable Business Overload, change, and sustainability OR WHY YOU’RE SOMETIMES TEMPTED TO THINK THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR YOU ARE LAZY & WHY THEY DON’T THINK SO MUCH OF YOU, EITHER Outline Sustainability: Just another transition? Why we get stuck: – An introduction to the dynamics of overload & the dangers of firefighting Why we stay stuck: – The obvious solutions often make things worse What can be done The Schumpeterian Puzzle Performance Maturity Discontinuity Takeoff Ferment Time Incumbent Replacement: Some Empirical Results Many industry level studies suggest that incumbent firms are often replaced by entrants at moments of “discontinuous” innovation: – Photolithographic alignment, Ice making, Radial Tires, Scrap steel, Color television, Vacuum tubes, Hard disks, Mini computers, Personal computers…. This is not always the case: – Typesetting equipment, Calculating machines, Pharmaceuticals, Specialty glass, Branded consumer goods… But even when incumbents do retain industry leadership they often: – Buy entrants (or their technology) – Or spend an enormous amount on internal development Incumbent failure in semiconductor photolithography… Cumulate share of sales of photolithographic alignment equipment, 1962-1986, by generation Contact 44 17 Cobilt Kasper Canon P-Elmer GCA Nikon Total 61 Proximity Scanner <1 8 67 21 78 75 99+ S&R (1) 7 9 10 55 81 S&R (2) <1 12 70 82+ Henderson & Clark, 1990 Tires Shipped By Construction Type: 1961-1989 80 radial 60 % 40 belted bias bias 20 1961 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 Existing Explanations Stupidity – If I ran GM… Market Structure – Fear of cannibalization Innovator’s Dilemma problems – We won’t make nearly as much money Blindness/Cognitive limitations – Digital photography will be like conventional photography.. Only digital Old Patterns of Behavior – That’s not the way we do things around here WE THINK FIRMS ALSO GET “STUCK” Overload at PreQuip Active Projects (formal development projects by number) Resources Required for Completion (months) Months to Completion (desired) Implied Development Resource Allocation (months) This year Next year Year after that 54 123 86 286 24 8 24 12 20 4 40 38 50 92 24 14 62 36 172 0 0 23 0 22 0 352 75 215 153 29 36 9 30 18 3 48 62 40 60 29 150 13 80 93 0 120 0 95 0 0 All Other Support Activity (customer support, troubleshooting) –– –– 430 430 430 Total Development Requirements –– –– 2783 2956 2178 Available Resources (months) –– –– 960 960 960 Utilization (percent) –– –– 289.9 307.9 1 2 3 4 5 . . . 26 27 28 29 30 226.9 Overcommitment destroys productivity Average 100% Value-Added Time on 80% Engineering Tasks 60% 40% 20% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 Number of Projects per Engineer 6 And shifts attention away from early stage work Phases Knowledge Acquisition High Basic Design Prototype Building ABILITY TO INFLUENCE OUTCOME Index of Attention and Influence Low Concept Investigation ACTUAL MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY PROFILE Pilot Manufacturing Production Ramp-Up Productivity falls Overload Early stage work neglected No time for maintenance/ training Performance degrades So why don't we fix it? Part 1 The usual “solutions” nearly always make things worse Common responses to overload Blame the people who work for you – After all, last time you pushed them a little they came through for you… – So the problem must be with them – let’s put in more controls, tighten up our processes… Performance degrades Overload Or the “My people The Fundamental are Lazy” Loop Attribution Error We need more accountability, controls…. The people who work for me are lazy.. Common responses to overload Blaming the people who work for you – After all, last time you pushed them at little they came through for you… – So the problem must be with them – let’s put in more controls, tighten up our processes… Working really, really hard – so hard that there isn’t time to make decisions Why is it so hard to kill project #26? It’s a “good” project! Good managers can meet stretch goals (and I’m a good manager) Making difficult decisions would imply that we: – Had a strategy that we could use – Could talk to each other in productive ways It’s very hard to do either when you’re overloaded Declining performance Overload The “what on earth do they think they’re doing” loop We can’t make decisions We don’t have time to reflect My people are lazy Overload What are they thinking?! Productivity falls Early stage work neglected No time for strategy Declining performance My people are lazy Overload We’re not so bright, either Productivity falls Early stage work neglected No time for strategy !! Part 2 Really fixing the problem will hurt (short term) performance Work smarter or work harder? Working harder yields “better before worse” * = Working smarter yields “worse before better” * = What can be done? Then: Have a clear strategy and live by it Manage capacity & make decisions – We found that we’d never shipped more than one new model… Face (and manage) “worse before better” – One bold leap or many small steps? Change your habits around problems – Respond to a screw-up as though it were a capability problem Build new kinds of conversations – This would only work if we told each the truth, wouldn’t it? WHAT DOES THIS IMPLY FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LEAD THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABILITY?