Subtracting

In a world that feels more and more complex, the desire for simplification is increasing.

In one case, pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca had asked the question of how to radically simplify global operations with its 60,000 employees [1]. In the end, the initiative ended in a multi-year endeavor in which data, communication, templates, tools, and also the way of control were questioned. It is one of the rare examples in which the question was asked for every detail as to whether it could be done without it or whether it could be done more efficiently.

Subtraction is rare. But it creates space to create new things in a focused manner.

What can you subtract today?

[1] https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/astrazeneca-scaling-simplification