The Art of Subtraction: Tame the Bureaucracy Holding Back Your Growth
What does it mean to hoard bureaucracy, and how do we stop?
It wasn’t spring, but I had a sudden and unignorable drive to clear out my house. Maybe you’ve felt that too — the moment when there’s so much stuff spilling out of drawers and crammed into the closet that you can’t think clearly. Suddenly, you’re trapped in your home, and the only way out is to come face to face with everything you own.
What do we actually care about?
What do we really need?
Marie Kondo nailed it when she published The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It became a sensation, in part, because so many of us dreamed of a space that was purpose-built to support our dream life — without all the clutter. Maybe if we organized our spaces, our lives would fall into place. A clear mind and a clear path forward.
We’ve come to accept that things come and go in our spaces, but too often, our rules get chiseled in stone.
What is it about bureaucracy that turns us into hoarders? We accumulate rules for problems that have long passed or don’t exist yet without taking the time to clean out our metaphorical closets. Over years or decades, we accumulate so many processes that they threaten to snuff the spark of our potential.
On one hand, bureaucracy is essential to a company’s growth. If we are constantly experimenting, we’ll never get anything done. Our tried-and-true way of doing things gives us stability and saves us time. However, if we solve every problem with a new process, we add complexity that weighs us down and holds back innovation. Eventually, you can’t move an inch without bumping into a rule.
So, how can we apply some of Marie Kondo’s principles to bureaucracy? How can we create a workplace that gives people clear expectations while protecting autonomy, collaboration, and creativity?
How do we master the art of subtraction in our businesses?
From implicit to team-aligned
The weird thing about bureaucracy is that while many of our rules feel written in stone, some of them aren’t in writing at all. They’re the invisible tenets of culture, the traditions we abide by even when there’s no formal documentation. We usually see this kind of bureaucracy in how we run meetings or communicate with each other. We may discourage people from contacting a leader directly, have meetings instead of asynchronous updates, or save feedback for annual reviews.
Too often, that means our team members learn to play by the rules by breaking them first. We don’t need formal policy for everything, but if leaders have expectations, they should be explicit. Even better, those expectations should be formed in partnership with the team. Think of bureaucracy as a process of co-creation. Get feedback about what works for everyone. When people have a sense of ownership in the way things work, they’re more likely to uphold those standards, too.
From outdated to goal-aligned
The most common time to audit processes is during an acquisition, but there’s no reason to wait for an overhaul that can create significant change. The norms that work for us change as the company grows, shrinks, matures, and evolves naturally. Taking time to find the processes that are outdated, irrelevant, or redundant can help your teams be more productive now.
In my own business, I do an inventory once a month. I look at what we’ve created in the context of where my business is going. You might hire a leadership team based on where your company is headed next, and you can evaluate your bureaucracy the same way.
What are your goals? How can your rules and processes support those goals? How could they get in the way? And how does that compare to the bureaucracy you have now?
If there’s misalignment, is it because your rules are too restrictive? Unclear? Under-socialized? Under-resourced? Or are they just too tedious to be followed? It’s important to be honest so we can build bureaucracy that’s practical instead of just theoretical.
As leaders, we are constantly juggling too many priorities. However, our approach to bureaucracy impacts everyone’s ability to collaborate and innovate. When we use our influence to simplify “the way we do things,” we also make it easier for everyone to do their best work. And in that light, subtraction isn’t just an art. It’s a competitive advantage.
If you’d like to learn more about mastering the art of subtraction, register for my July 24th webinar, “Reclaim Your Time: How to Start Saying “No.”
If you find this helpful and want more support in practicing the art of subtraction, let’s have a conversation about how we might partner through coaching or consulting.
Find more information about me and Weller Collaboration at wellercollaboration.com
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I'm not sure if you're a fan of "The Bear on Hulu. In support of your excellent point about subtraction, the final episode of Season 2 has Carmy, the chef protagonist, being told that the secret to culinary greatness is to "subtract." One of my favorite quotes comes from the beloved author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who says “Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to take away.” That said, many thanks for adding to my day.