user: Memo To The CEO: We Are Too Efficient

Yes, that’s an odd thing to worry about. But worrying about odd things is part of what you pay me for, so let me explain.

We work very hard to optimise our processes and business models, and on the whole we do it very well. But we need to remember that nothing lasts forever. The world changes, a competitor comes up with a new idea, and what we are doing stops working so well. As a general rule, this happens when we least expect it, and once it has happened it takes us time for us to notice and respond.

The danger with efficiency on its own is that it makes it harder to notice, and harder to respond.

Becoming more efficient means narrowing the focus. Break the process down and look for the tiny incremental improvements in each one. This produces results, but often at the cost of peripheral vision. If big things are going on on the edges of our world, we won’t notice them. We may actually not want to notice them, if they invalidate what we are working so hard to improve.

Different people add value in different ways. Some add value by putting their heads down and working the plan. Others add value by looking around them, wondering what’s happening and coming up with new ideas. Efficiency values the first type but finds the second type rather annoying, because they create distraction. But we need both types. If you want an example of an organisation which seemed to have great difficulty looking around and responding intelligently to what was going on, take General Motors. The second type of people are the ones who guarantee your future, but in an efficiency-focussed organisation they don’t feel very valued or very comfortable. I must say that we don’t seem to have as many of them around as we used to.

Efficiency also makes it more difficult to respond to changes. Any innovation involves some amount of mess. You could call it waste, mis-steps or false starts. Or you could call it experimentation. Whatever you call it, you can’t innovate without it. I wonder whether we allow enough of it.

Being responsive and innovative doesn’t mean throwing efficiency out of the window. Look for example at Toyota. They have a world-class production system incorporating continuous improvement, and are second to none in efficiency. But they also launched the Prius, which they wouldn’t have done had they cared only about efficiency.

The balance between efficiency and innovation is the balance between short term performance and long term sustainability. We should have a longer discussion about where we are currently striking that balance, and whether we have got it right.

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Summary: Yes, that's an odd thing to worry about. But worrying about odd things is part of what you pay me for, so let me explain. We work very hard to optimise our processes and business models, and on the whole we do it very well. But we need to remember that [...]


Problem: The View Celebrates Nurses After Losing Advertisers Following Controversy : People.com

The View co-hosts and nurses

By Aurelie Corinthios and Lanford Beard

09/18/2015 AT 12:55 PM EDT

is doing some damage control.

announced they would be celebrating nurses in the wake of the recent

that erupted when Behar and co-host

"After we made comments about the Miss America broadcast and the talent performance by Miss Colorado, we heard from many of you," said Behar. "You let us know that you were offended by some of our comments, and, believe me, we were listening. We apologize for our remarks, and we know how vitally important nurses are."

With that, the panel turned into a segment focused on the stressful, emotionally challenging work of nursing, as well as their education and accreditation process.

"We've invited the dedicated professionals from NYU College of Nursing to share firsthand what these hard-working nurses do on a daily basis," announced Behar, 72.

Clinical Assistant Professor Larry Slater elaborated on the "countless heroic nurses" that are "impacting lives every minute of every day without so much as a whisper."

"They're doing it because of their passion and their love and the impact they can have on those they care for," said Slater.

Collins, 34, also used the broadcast to apologize for the incident: "We all learned a lot this week," she admitted. "I didn't really understand the challenges facing nurses and the need to improve how people view and appreciate what you guys do, and I think the comments made Monday played into that, and I'm sorry about that. Every day, you guys deal with life-and-death situations."

occurred on Monday when the co-hosts were discussing the recent

. Behar questioned why contestant Kelley Johnson wore a "doctor's stethoscope" during the

she performed during the talent competition portion Sunday's show.

on Wednesday's broadcast after facing serious backlash on social media for her comments.

"I didn't know what the hell I was talking about," said Behar, 72, who also said that she was "just not paying attention" and didn't realize Johnson was a nurse, thinking perhaps the pageant contestant was in costume.

Following her apology, the American Nurses Association

addressing Behar's "disturbing" decision to use "her national platform and influence to mock Miss America contestant Kelley Johnson," but that they were pleased she apologized.

Also on Wednesday, Johnson, who was the second runner-up in this year's Miss America competition, appeared on

, saying she was happy to "have everyone be standing up for our profession and giving them the voice that they deserve."

On Wednesday and Thursday, two advertisers of the ABC talk show

over the controversy, including Johnson & Johnson and Eggland's Best.

On Friday, Behar made it clear she had learned a valuable lesson: "One thing, I have to say, one thing that became abundantly clear to me this week was that nurses wear stethoscopes," said the comedian to laughs from the audience. Then the nurses on stage gamely donned their own stethoscopes.

Added Collins, "Hopefully by focusing on this today we can help better understand the recognize the critical role that nurses play in caring for others and making such a big difference."

The segment concluded with the audience rising for a standing ovation as dozens of nurses joined the co-hosts on stage.

Write a one or two sentence summary.

Summary:

assistant: The View co-hosts brought dozens of nurses on stage in an attempt to recover from recent gaffe