The modern workplace – specifically the enterprise – can be stressful. Overflowing email inboxes, numerous tasks and projects with tight deadlines, and too many enterprise systems with too many buttons and too many features. As if that weren’t enough, complex business processes also exist with multiple stakeholders that need to be managed. The information systems that once promised to help us soon became so complicated that nobody knows how to use them properly. The enterprise reality is that employees spend too much time organizing their work and trying to simplify so they can understand what they need to do, how to do it and when to do it instead of doing actual work.
The Information Systems Paradox
Information systems are typically implemented to make life easier by gradually helping the user automate many of their manual tasks. But as the pace of doing business moves faster and faster, more functions typically get added to the mix, and today’s enterprise information systems are full of functions that aren’t easy to use. In the end, we need to ask John Doe to guide us in understanding where to click, how to click and when to click.
Many struggle through the technical process of actually executing their work. Workers constantly need to make decisions as to what to work on and finally find themselves asking questions such as, “Where do I click to approve the project budget?” These unanswered questions can literally halt the employee’s work.
Working in the Enterprise Requires a Plan and a Map
Imagine moving to a new city in a new country with no street signs and no Google (News - Alert) Maps. Today, most people would probably get lost, as celestial navigation has long been forgotten. In other words, we need our street signs and maps.
The maps metaphor can be applied to life in the enterprise. Working in the enterprise requires a map and directions about whom to talk to, what to do, when to do it and how to do it. With our increasingly fast-paced environment, employees get lost in the narrow alleys of the enterprise, not sure of their next work-related step.
Simplicity as a Solution
Simplicity is a rare word in the enterprise, where it is usually replaced with the word complexity. But aiming for simplicity is actually aiming to make people’s lives easier, which should be an objective. Many people make the mistake of choosing simplicity while compromising functionality: “We will make our software simpler, by providing only one feature with a big button.” The too-simplistic approach is not viable either.
Choosing simplicity should not come at the expense of functionality. Look at your smartphone, for example. The success of this amazing device is due to the fact that is both functional and intuitively easy to use! You can take pictures, call, text, surf the web or play games.
Enterprise software should be like your smartphone: functional and simple to use.
Creating Simplicity in the Enterprise
For enterprises, “How do we create simpler solutions?” is not an easy question. It is, however, the right question to ask. Focusing on simplicity means adding the street signs, the right guidance at the right time/right place in order to prevent stakeholders and employees from getting lost. Creating simplicity is not easy. It requires asking questions, consulting with stakeholders and having the right technology tools that are flexible and customizable enough to provide a simple solution.
So, how do you effectively create simplicity within the enterprise? Choose an information management system that allows your organization to enable its business processes, while making work simpler. Ensure that you can easily add enterprise “street signs” so employees and stakeholders understand where they stand. By empowering your employees with a better understanding of the path that lies ahead, employees will become more proactive, and will feel empowered to become the leaders of change within their organization.