shmula

Not Accountable, Not Responsible

psabilla — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:56:26 +0000

Team size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counterintuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication. More insipid, however, is that the larger the team, there is a higher likelihood of accountability and responsibility being diffused across the team. When accountability and responsibility is massively diffused, then the mantra holds: if everyone is charge, then nobody is in charge.

In what follows, I show quantitatively how team size does have an impact on the effectiveness of communication and accountability and the eventual success of the service or product.

I’ve written about efficient teams before here and here. When I was at Amazon, teams were organized into small, delta teams called “2-pizza teams”: no team should be larger than 2 pizzas can feed. It’s a great approach to team size. In my short career, I’ve learned how true that rule is. Here’s another thing I’ve learned –

2 people are smarter than one
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 people are smarter than 2
a team larger than 9 people is just a big dumb gelatinous blob (acronym: BDGB)

Okay, that’s not true at a wholesale level, but it sure feels like it. A small team with highly smart and capable team members can do much more than 10 mediocre team members. The Wisdom of Crowds mentality doesn’t work that well when it comes to efficiency in teams.

A more quantitative explanation is as follows:

One of the root causes of failure in projects is communication — either a lack thereof, miscommunication, or hand-off’s. Large teams are inherently vehicles for bad communication. This is basic combinatorics — for a given project, suppose there are persons A and B. In this scenario there is only 1 communication link. Add person C, now we have 3 communication links, A-B, B-C, C-A. Add person D, then we have 6; Add person E, then we have 10 communication links. Inductively, as team size grows, the raw combinatoric communication link counts grows geometrically, not linearly. To demonstrate this, we use basic statistics of the form n-choose-r, where !, such as n!, is equivalent to n factorial, to arrive at the formula for how many pairs we can choose from n items:

For the number of pairs, we can reduce the above formula to the following:

Visually, as team size grows, the communication links grows non-linearly, but exponentially:

A Rejoinder

Do not let the above dissuade you from large teams; if the product requires a large team, then that is what is needed. Caution, is what I am arguing here. The facts are that the larger the team, the more communication channels there are and the entire process then becomes more error-prone. If the product requires a large team, then expect the above challenge and manage it.

A Conclusion

There is wisdom in Bezos’ notion of the 2-Pizza Team. Small teams — provided you have the right people — work incredibly well. Also, there is wisdom in Toyota’s usage of Obeya or “The Big Room” as a way to mitigate defects caused by large teams. A combining of the two will most likely make for a great team and a successful product.

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Maintain Forward Tension

psabilla — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:36:10 +0000

One principle in Wing Chun is the maintaining of forward tension. To explain, I’ll draw the distinction between Tension and Energy and show how this principle in Wing Chun can be applied to Change Management.

Tension is a type of Energy

A Wing Chun maxim goes as follows:

soft and relaxed strength will put your opponent in jeopardy

That maxim means that forward tension is not necessarily using force, or forcing through a barrier or “pushing through”. But, there is soft force, or tension, such that when a gap presents itself, then the hand or arm shoots forward like a spring. The “shooting forward” is not done with force, but is an unleashing of potential energy.

Using that definition, then, Forward Tension is much different than the overly-used business term “Breakthrough.” In the context of Forward Tension, the notion of “breakthrough” is ridiculous, because it connotes a forcing of oneself or of one’s ideas. Forcing anything only invites resistance and rebellion, not conversion.

So, in sum, tension is really potential energy and when a gap presents itself, that potential energy becomes kinetic energy. Forward Tension works with the current context in such a way that does not invite rebellion or resistance or eventual back-biting. It is open, but straightforward.

Application to Change Management

Don’t force things on people. The most humane approach to change management is to treat those involved in the change as human beings; this means having a dialogue — listen, speak, listen some more, argue a little, and steadily deposit goodwill.

As much as I like love data, I also fully understand that data does not soften hearts or change people’s minds: true change happens when people feel heard, have given their opinion, are willing to try something new, and are part of the change. The challenge in change management is largely an emotional one; a psychological one; a relational one.

Hold The Tension

Without forcing or pushing of people, maintaining the tension encourages discussion, debate, and invites people to inquire and become curious about the topic of change. That is the key: behave in such a way that it invites people to learn, argue, debate, and eventually try it out.

Tension in Wing Chun

The video below shows Sifu Grados in Chi Sao (Sticky Hands). This sensitivity exercise demonstrates the principle of holding the tension and visually explains the principle of transformation of potential energy to kinetic energy very well.

NOTE: none of the movements are rehearsed. What is taught and practiced are the principles and how those principles are applied during Chi Sao depends on the situation.

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We Adopted Again

psabilla — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:46:59 +0000

Our little baby boy was born June 23, 2008. Lakin (pronounced “lay-kin”) is our 8th child and we brought him into our family through the blessing of adoption. For long-time shmula readers, you might remember that we just adopted Mylie in November 2007 and we adopted Preston in November 2006. Yup, we did it again, and we’re very, very happy.

Some people ask why we have so many kids, or why we’ve adopted so much. I’ll attempt to answer those in the People Are Dang Nosy Section Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section at the end of this post but, first, I want to explain a little about the Adoption Process.

The Adoption Process

The process is challenging. Because there is a lot of ourselves invested — in time, money, and emotion — in the process, we’re willing to put-up with things that I normally would not. This is not surprising; in fact, this is Queueing Psychology at work. As a reminder, below are the tenets in the Psychology of Waiting Lines:

Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time.
Process-waits feel longer than in-process waits.
Anxiety makes waits seem longer.
Uncertain waits seem longer than known, finite waits.
Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits.
The more valuable the service, the longer the customer is willing to wait.
Solo waits feel longer than group waits.

The process itself can clearly be improved. Below is the process that we went through for both of our adoptions. Because there is no “adoption” Standard Work, then you will find a lot of variation in the industry and, we all know, that variation from a process perspective isn’t a good thing and leads to an inconsistent and poor customer experience. Nevertheless, below is our experience — someone smart like Karen, Mark, Ron, Jon, Kevin, Ted and Lee, Mark, or Mike can probably map this quickly and build a culture of improvement around Adoption in general:

Search for Adoption Agency
- Download Packet
- Print Packet
- Fill-out Packet
- Mail-in Application

Submission
- 3 Reference Letters
- Fingerprints (6 week wait)
- Health Assessment for everyone in family
- Proof of Marriage
- Employment Check including Financial Health
- Homestudy (took about 1 month)
- Family interview
- 1:1 interviews
- Agency Write-up

Approval
- Agency Committee reviews file
- Accepted as Adoptive Family
- Create Profile (parallel process above, 2 weeks)

Matching
- Agency calls us to tell us situation & ask permission to show our profile
- If no, then we continue to wait
- If yes, then Agency shows our profile to Birth Mother
- If Birth Mother chooses our profile, then we meet Birth Mother
- If we like birth mother and she likes us, then we are matched.

Birth
- Make arrangements for day of delivery
- Relinquishment in Utah is 24 hours after delivery
- After Birth Mother signs relinquishment papers, then Adoptive parents sign documents & pay Agency Fees.
- Bring baby home.

Post-Placement
- 3 post-placement visits by the Agency at 2, 4, 6 months.
- After last post-placement & 6 months after relinquishment, then can finalize with attorney and judge.

Adopted Versus Biological

Guy Kawasaki — a fellow Asian and someone I admire — has adopted a few kids also and said this — something that I believe is true and important:

You can love an adopted child as much as a biological one. A man’s contribution to a pregnancy lasts about ten seconds — five if he told the truth — three if you asked the mother. And yet I’ve met many men who who were skeptical about adoption because they didn’t think they could “bond” with a child that didn’t have their DNA — ie, the ten-second commitment. This is simply not true: when you hold your precious jewel for the first time, no one cares if none of those chromosomes came from you. Certainly not the baby. Certainly not your wife. So get over it. Your DNA isn’t the Holy Grail — to mix several metaphors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Dude, so why so many kids?

My wife and I love children and we believe in the institution of the family. We have 5 biological kids — 3 singletons and 1 doubleton and 3 adopted — but they are all thankfully ours. By the way, the ’singleton’ and ‘doubleton’ talk is old Set Theory talk coming out. Fun.

Even more fundamental, though, is this: when all is said and done, on my death bed, I will not wish that I had spent more time at work or other similar activities. All I will take with me are my relationships and my memories. The most meaningful relationships are those with family and with dear friends. We believe in the family; it’s where my wife and I receive our greatest joy, experience our toughest challenges, and also where we gain our deepest learning.

So, are you a white guy? What are you, bro?

Actually, I’m not Caucasian. I’m Filipino, my wife is Caucasian, we have 5 biological kids together (so they are 1/2 Filipino and 1/2 White, and 3 kids that are African American.

Hey man, why adopt? — Why you gotta be doin’ that?

Good question. My wife and I can produce biological children. My wife has always wanted to adopt — her heart is big, kind, and charitable — and she teaches me everyday. I have come to believe in adoption and am a huge proponent of it now.

There are many children in the world that need loving parents. We are doing our part to help in the most meaningful way we know how: bringing children into our family, parenting them, teaching them to be the best they can be, and watch them grow and contribute back to society. We’re really blessed to be the parents of our children.

What kind of car fits all ya’ll?

We drive a big 15 passenger Ford Econoline Van. I’ll be the first to admit that the Van is not cool, incredibly offensive to our environment (I’m really sorry), but it’s what fits our family. I have attempted to make it less uncool by installing 2 DVD players in it that drop from the ceiling. The 2 DVD thing is pretty cool.

Ummm, so wachu tizzle, wizzle?

I’m not sure what you mean, but drizzle, fizzle.

Hey, so where’d your hair go? — You are balder than an eagle, man. Dang, you ugly.

Thanks for noticing. Yes, I have no hair. I am developing a theory about hair and here it is: I believe that hair is for the insecure. Deep inside, you’re hiding something.

Do you drive like a big ‘ol bus or something?

Please see response above but, to answer you briefly — Yes.

Man, your house must be packed. How many bedrooms you got in that thing?

We live in a modest home. We have 10 bedrooms, but our kitchen and living room are a little smaller. Pretty much all of the square footage in our house is in bedrooms, but every child has their own room and my wife and I have our own room that she let’s me share with her.

That’s pretty cool that you’ve adopted so much. Good job, man.

Thank you.

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Fast Food Congestion

psabilla — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:40:34 +0000

Every system has constraints — sometimes several — minor bottlenecks and major bottlenecks. What makes managing constraints even more challenging is that bottlenecks move: up-and-down the process paths.

I saw this phenomenon recently during a visit to a fast food restaurant, which I discuss in this post — but, my application of the Theory of Constraints, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma as applied to a Restaurant can be applied to any Dynamic System.

One of the key lessons in The Theory of Constraints is that the contraint or the bottleneck determines the throughput for the entire system. This means, then, that if we optimize and improve a non-bottleneck, then those efforts have almost zero impact on the overall throughput of the system. It is only when we improve and optimize the contraint that we will see improvement in the throughput of the entire system.

Every system has a constraint — that is neither good nor bad — but just a fact of dynamic systems. Once you’ve identified the constraints in your system, then the next step is to manage it.

I was able to obtain some empirical volume data for a Burger King. The data below is taken from one Burger King restaurant. I imagine the numbers would be significantly different if we were to average the volume by geography, restaurant size, or by other factors. Now, consider the following process map for a typical Burger King:

Click on the image for a larger view.

For this restaurant, over the course of an average month, Burger King produces 34227 sandwiches. This means, then, that for an average hour, Burger King produces 198 sandwiches per hour during normal hours.

But, on Friday and at 12:00PM, Burger King experiences higher-than-normal volume and so we add a “Peak Multiplier” of 18% and 17.9% to arrive at 256 sandwiches during Peak Hours. The “Peak Multiplier” is not completely arbitrary, but a quasi-educated guess at the volume increase during those hours. In both cases of Fridays and Lunch Hours, we add a ~20% multiplier.

Now, let’s take a look at the process map above. We see the Assembly Step producing 200 sandwiches an hour. We consider the Assembly to be the constraint in the system. The upstream processes produces more than 200, but when we arrive at the Assembly, the capacity of that step is lower than its upstream processes. So, the maximum throughput of the entire system above is 200 sandwiches per hour.

Under normal hours, the constraint functions reasonably well. Since normal hour demand is 198 sandwiches per normal hour, the Assembly Step can produce at least at that amount — but, it’s cutting it close. Under peak volume, the constraint is not able to fulfill demand.

How To Manage a Constraint

Under normal hours, it appears that the Assembly Step can produce at expected demand. But, there are several things that could put burden on the constraint and cause it to producing less than capacity. Here are some of those items:

Rework: Having to Re-Assemble sandwiches adds undue burden on the system and exaggerates the effects of the constraint, leading to a potentially higher-than normal work-in-process, or build-up.
Set-up & Changeover: If all the parts aren’t immediately available in the Assembly step, then it could lead the operator to slow down which could lead to build-up and higher-than-normal work-in-process.

It’s easy enough to see that the Assembly Step needs some help. Here are several things Burger King — or any system with constraints — can do to better manage the natural constraints that are in every system:

Eliminate Defects at the Constraint: This means that all waste is eliminated or reduced at the constraint.
Have the Quality Steps in Front of Constraint: In support of the first bullet, make sure that the parts entering the Assembly step are free of defects.
Support the Constraint: Add labor to the constraint or more lines, if that is prudent.
Appropriately use Buffers: Systems with Constraints exhibit a feast/famine phenomena. To avoid having too much coming into the constraint or too little coming into the constraint, have a buffer of parts large enough that the constraint stays appropriately busy. Put another way, reduce the variation in front of the constraint as much as is possible. A Drum-Buffer-Rope system might be appropriate for some systems.
Evaluate the overall system: How much of the steps in the system are really value-add to the customer? What is the process-cycle effeciency of the process?

Conclusion

All systems have constraints. Identify what they are, quantify the effects, then manage it. The above Burger King example shows how this can — with some effort — be done. What are the constraints in your systems? What can you do to better manage those constraints?

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Do Not Run From Your Customers

psabilla — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:16:46 +0000

I’ve spoken extensively about the unheralded — but, arguably, the most important — Pillar of The Toyota Production System: Respect for People. Today, I want to highlight an interesting company that appears to have done an amazing job at Participative Management and in eliminating fear and mediocrity in the workplace: Semco Group.

I was first made aware of Semco Group after watching this amazing video on the MIT website. I sought to learn more about Semco and found some pretty amazing case studies such as the following:

Semco appears to have operationalized a very humane workplace and has also produced some impressive results, proving that fear and intimidation and mediocrity are not necessary ingredients to do well in the corporate world:

Reforms implemented during that time led to 65% reduction in inventories, a marked reduction in product delivery times and a product defects rate that fell to less than 1%. As the business climate improved, Semco’s revenues and profitability improved dramatically. As of 2003, SEMCO had annual revenue of $212 million, from $4 million in 1982 and $35 million in 1994, with an annual growth rate of up to 40 per cent a year. It employs 3,000 workers in 2003, as opposed to 90 in 1982.

Semco publishes and collectively live by the “Semco Survival Guide”, opting for something much simpler and thinner than a big, thick manual. Here are two points that I personally appreciate:

Our People: We avoid using terms like “employees”, “staff”, “collaborator” and similar terms. We are a team and we only have “people”. This is what we call everyone who works with us. Try as hard as you can not to use terms which are so common, but which do not express equality.

Customer Services: This is very important. Never fail to serve a customer well; do not run away from the customer, and do for the customer exactly what you would expect if you were in their position. Be honest about deadlines, prices and service conditions - never promise something you cannot deliver.

I find “never run away from your customer” an interesting thing to say — I think this point requires some reflection:

Do we — as an act of omission — run away from our customers — either in action or mentally or emotionally?

Below is their survival guide, taken directly from their website:

Leadership
We believe that organizational structure is required to ensure good business processes. However, only people who have respect for their followers can be leaders. Situational leadership will always be stimulated and respected.

Position
At the Semco Group, it makes no difference whether someone has a high ranking or a humble position. The most important thing is to always try to learn and teach new things.

Job Rotation
Whenever possible we rotate people: Some people change area and other people change business unit. This is another development opportunity offered by the company.

Freedom
There is no space at the Semco Group for formalities. The doors are always open and people should say what they really think, without worries or inhibitions.

Honesty
Everything at the Semco Group is based on trust. Whenever there is dishonesty, and there is always the possibility that there will be somebody dishonest, the company takes hard action.

Accusations
The company does not encourage people to accuse others - this should only occur when you believe you have access to concrete facts that somebody is benefiting while harming everybody else. Anonymous letters are not considered.

Gambling
No gambling of any type is permitted within the company.

Weapons and Violence
It is completely unacceptable to carry weapons inside the company. Any type of violence employed by one person against another is seen as an extremely serious event.

Unions
Unions are an important method of protecting workers. Unionization is free within the company. The Semco Group believes that constant relationships with unions are healthy for the company and the employees. The presence of union members at the company is always welcome.

You… and the Others
Based on the fact that everyone can say what they think, rumors and gossip should not be stimulated. Any attempt to harm another person is looked on very seriously. Take part and speak openly of what you are thinking in order to improve things.

Sales at the Company
The entry of salespersons to deal with personal issues is only permitted when scheduled by the interested party.

Loan Sharking
Any employee lending money to another while charging interest is considered abusive and this is dealt with by the company as a serious matter.

Discrimination
The Semco Group does not permit discrimination based on sex, colour, religion, politics etc. Everybody must have identical opportunities at the company - help to make this a reality.

Use of Authority
Many positions of the company involve the use of authority. Pressure, tactics that involve people working while afraid or any type of disrespect are considered incapable leadership and improper use of authority.

Working Hours
The Semco Group has flexible working hours where possible. This is a method of meeting the needs of each person, without harming the company.

Employee Timesheet Control
At the Semco Group, each person controls their own working hours. This is a method of transferring responsibility to each person.

Commissions
People at the Semco Group usually create commissions to deal with issues of collective interest. Take part to ensure that the commissions are active channels which effectively defend your interests, which may often not coincide with the interests of the company. Here, this conflict is seen as healthy and necessary.

Internal Promotions
At the Semco Group, people already working for the company are given preference when a new position or a promotion appears, as long as they fill the requirements for the job.

Vacations
The Semco Group does not believe that anyone cannot be replaced. Everybody must take their annual vacations, always. This is fundamental for the health of the people and the company as a whole - no excuse is good enough to justify accumulating vacations.

Recruitment
Where there is recruitment or a promotion, people in the department have the chance to interview, analyze and take part in the decision to choose the candidate.

Evaluation by Subordinates
Every six months you will fill in a questionnaire and say what you really think about your immediate superior. Be open and honest, when filling in the form and during the discussion that should take place afterwards.

Retirees
We have no restrictions on active or part-time work for retirees or people of an advanced age. Nobody is too old for us - on the contrary, we believe that experience comes with age.

Everyday Participation
The Semco Group philosophy is based on active involvement and participation. Do not sit back. Have an opinion, put yourself forward as a candidate, always say what you think - do not be just another cog in the wheel. State your opinion about everything that interests you, even if you weren’t asked for it. Be active about your feelings.

Suggestions
We want everybody to participate; opinions will always be welcome and should be spontaneous. The Semco Group does not use and is not wish to implement suggestion box programs. Whenever there is a need or interest, we can institute campaigners that encourage specific suggestions.

Dynamism
The Semco Group is normally a company that implements major changes from time to time. Don’t be scared - we think this is positive. Look at the changes without fear - these are typical characteristics of the Group.

Salary Policy
The Semco Group seeks to involve people in discussions regarding what is a fair salary for each employee. Of course, there are times when people think their salaries should be higher and the company believes it cannot pay more. What is important is to always provide an opportunity for discussions regarding this type of issue.

Strikes
The decision to take part or not in this type of event is an individual one. This is part of democracy and is respected by the company.

Personal Life
Each person’s life belongs to themselves and the personal life of each person at the Semco Group is sacred. Providing it does not interfere with the work of the environment, the company is not interested in what each person does with their own life. The human resources area is available to provide support in any area, but the company will never get involved in people’s private lives.

Former Semco Employees
Whenever anybody leaves the company, they are always welcome back - we have nothing against former Semco employees. On the contrary.

Severance
Whenever there are dismissals the company spends hours and days carefully considering the case (or cases). The company avoids dismissals as much as it can and is extremely involved in protecting justice - we must all take this line - dismissals are very serious and must be dealt with carefully by everybody.

Occupational Safety
This is not only a company responsibility. Keep your eyes open, always avoid accidents, use safety equipment even when it is bothersome - we cannot take risks with our health. Make a special effort along these lines, demand that the company do its part and do not let CIPA become a pro forma commission.

Statement of Results
On a periodic basis you’ll find out the results for your unit and for the company, and will be able to discuss them. Watch the results closely and ask any questions you want - there are no issues that cannot be discussed. Very few companies offer this - take advantage!

Profit Sharing Program
The Profit Sharing Program at the Semco Group is for real. This is a participation in which each unit wins. Each company and the Group have its own program, according to the characteristics of each business.

Relations
In order to avoid injustice or embarrassment, close relations do not work at the same unit, workplace or with the same leader, except in special cases. In completely different and unrelated locations, there are no formal restrictions.

Hourly/Monthly Workers
At the Semco Group there is no discrimination - Here everybody is a salaried worker and everybody is treated the same.

Our Personnel
We avoid using terms like “employees”, “staff”, “collaborator” and similar terms. We are a team and we only have “people”. This is what we call everyone who works with us. Try as hard as you can not to use terms which are so common, but which do not express equality.

Use of Company Resources
Do not mix company work and resources with personal services. During working hours, nobody should provide services to other people only for personal benefit, which does not stop people using a colleague’s services outside business hours, agreeing the conditions between themselves, without involving the company.

Customer Services
This is very important. Never fail to serve a customer well; do not run away from the customer, and do for the customer exactly what you would expect if you were in their position. Be honest about deadlines, prices and service conditions - never promise something you cannot deliver.

Communication
The Semco Group and its people must communicate openly and honestly. You must be tranquil and believe what is said in company notices – demand transparency when you are in doubt.

Pregnancy
Pregnancy is considered a time of great importance and happiness by the company. Never allow an injustice to be committed with one of our pregnant women – they deserve our respect and care.

Informality
Having a birthday party at the end of the working day or using nicknames is part of the company culture – don’t feel intimidated, and don’t stick to formalities.

Pride
It’s only worth working for someone you are proud of. Create this pride in the quality in what you do. Never deliver a product or service that fails to meet customer expectations, do not write a letter or communiqué that is not honest, and do not let the company’s stature fall – always fight for your pride.

Respect to Visitors
Give our visitors all of your attention and respect. Never let anyone wait more than 5 or 10 minutes. Meet everyone with courtesy, be they a supplier, customer or anyone else.

From the little I’ve seen, I’m quite impressed with Semco. If there are any that would care to chime-in on what they know of Semco — I’d love to hear about it in the comment section. Below is an interview with Ricardo Semler, the CEO of Semco.

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