Joakim’s Reflections CW2504 - Bottlenecks

A couple of colleagues and I are currently putting our heads together, thinking and writing about bottlenecks.

When I hear the word bottleneck, I immediately think that there is an implied flow that we are talking about. Flow of what? As the word bottleneck also comes with an attached negative connotation, we already assume that we want to improve, or increase flow. But what is flowing? Furthermore, in order to improve, or increase something, we must understand the baseline. What does the flow look like today, and how are we measuring the flow? 

Three Bottlenecks…

All too often do we make these assumptions and take them at face value. My experience over the years has taught me, however, that we must unveil the underlying assumptions and question them. We must also scrutinize the underlying assumptions in its context. As Schein describes in his model for organizational culture, the foundational layer consists of the underlying assumptions people in the organization base their decisions on (reference Edgar Schein Org. Culture). This is why the context is crucial. To understand the underlying assumptions, we must view the bottleneck in its context (artefacts) and listen attentively to how people talk about the bottleneck so we can identify the espoused values that build on the underlying assumptions.

First then can we begin to understand where the problem truly lies.

Viewed from a different perspective, a bottleneck is not only limiting the flow, it also acts as a way to provide increased control for the direction of the flow. This then becomes the coaching question: Given the context, what is more valuable, increased flow at the cost of directional control, or vice versa?

With this change in perspective, I can also argue that most organizations need more bottlenecks! Over the course of my professional career so far, the goal has always been growth. Growth for the sake of growth with the hope that it will lead to profitability at some point in the future. When something simple as growth is the goal, you become narrowminded and view anything that does not lead to more headcount and larger total revenue as a bottleneck, or a failure. My personal view on growth is that it is best measured as revenue per employee and ultimately profit per employee. With this minor shift in focus you immediately add the concept of sustainability to the equation. In this light the concept of bottlenecks also becomes a powerful way to prioritize, make decisions and focus your energy on what you believe will have the highest impact. You must look for opportunities that have the potential for exponential return.

So, bottlenecks can be good. Bottlenecks can encourage you to slow down. Bottlenecks can add friction to your processes. In complexity, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. To encourage the right conversations and identify the most important problems to solve, you need to deliberately design your organization with friction in mind.

And stay tuned for the combined thoughts on when the bottlenecks need busting!