A Man and His Razor



Learn Management Articles on management-info.biz. A Man and His Razor article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

It is vain to do with more what can be done with less. 

William of Ockham

This is Ockham’s famed Razor.  A shorthand version of the razor might be, “keep it simple.” When complexity is added to a relationship, process or organization without good reason, the result is usually a loss of focus, clarity and effectiveness. Roles become blurred, goals are uncertain and success is haphazard. 

Bureaucracies are prime violators of the principle. Clinging to management structures designed in the 19th century to help the railways run on time, many organizations maintain complex supervisory relations that unnecessarily slow work. Even in companies that have slashed middle management, the supervisory web remains—though often working under a new name. Team captains may have replaced department heads, but someone is still signing leave requests.

The reengineering movement brought a significant corrective to this complexity.  While the quality initiative asked, “how can we do it better,” reengineering asked, “should we do it at all?” The question is an excellent filter for leaders striving for simplicity. It should be asked before any decision is made or action taken. It is a modern extension of the Razor that helps “keep it simple.”


Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81


More Articles:


1. Business Leadership Skills - Managing the Human Being Behind the Business By Megan Tough
Managing the Human Being Behind the Business It’s a common problem and we’ve all seen it - business owners that are just ‘too busy’ all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had hoped for. Let’s not kid ourselves, there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised and managed. But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked – the effectiveness …
High Cholesterol Levels Health Tips

2. Managing: New Managers are Usually Too Hard on Themselves By Helen Wilkie
Moving from staff into management for the first time is exciting—but it can also be scary.There’s so much you don’t know. Somehow managing looked so easy from the outside, but now that you actually have to do it, you realize it’s more complicated than you thought. Before, you had certain tasks to accomplish and you knew you had the skills to do them. You still have responsibility for those tasks, but now you have to see that the work is done effectively by other people. That’s a whole new …

3. Forget The "Sandwich" Technique By Alan Fairweather
Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:"Fred, I'm really pleased with how you've been progressing since you joined us and you're doing a great job. However you're not getting your reports in on time and we're missing deadlines. I'd like you to tighten up a bit on this. Anyway,thanks for all you've done so far and keep up the good work."Have you ever said something along these lines? You probably needed Fred to…

4. TRANSITION TO LEADERSHIP TRAINING
Introduction: “Why the need for a transition” Human beings generally thrive on personal achievements. True leaders, on the other hand, thrive on the achievements of their team members. Highly effective leaders guide, assist, and coach team members rather than do the work themselves. Successful leaders learn to trust others and spend time developing people. They often do not possess these abilities when they first assume a leadership position. These abilities develop over time. New leaders can c…