Tedded - Business Book Review

I’m reading The Future of Management by Gary Hamel and Bill Breen. Actually, I finished it already, this is my second time doing my personal summary. It is already in my all-time favourite list.

I’d like to talk about the two companies you know, one is in this book (in details), the other is the world-famous in its practice already.

1. Google’s 70/20/10

2. 3M’s 15 percent rule

Google allows its employees to dedicate 70% of their time to core business tasks, 20% to projects related to core business, and 10% to “fringe ideas”. To cut the story short, the 20% and 10% work absolutely fine and generate lots (you know? Google’s “lots”) of profits to both the firm and the teams developing them. You can find a (very) brief explanation here and a bit longer here (2005).

As of 3M, it’s too obvious, the 15% gives the world Post-It note. Type “3m 15 percent” in Google and you’ll find some good explanations but I recommend Built to Last by Jim Collins. If you read the book already, like most people, then good!

…

What I want to ask you is “How many percent are you free?”

I’d like to give you a bad example here, it’s my company, duh. Currently, I’m more than 70% percent free (after I told my boss I’m going to resign). In the past, my freedom range somewhere between 50% to -50% (meaning it consumed my personal life!)

This is ridiculous.

It is even more ridiculous when you notice people having different percentage of free time leading to an innovation drain.

A: “Hey! I have the new idea!”

B: “What? Well, later alright?, I’m busy”

A: “You wouldn’t believe it!!”

B: “You wouldn’t believe how much work I have”

.

.

.

B: “What did you say again?”

A: “Whatever, I have a meeting right now, later, beeseeguy”

It is like in a blackhole, no light, innovation is a taboo, free time is a sin.

I tried to start an HR project last year. I tried to draw many hungry young employees who want to change the company by having discussion sessions every Friday’s afternoon. Our issues were mostly about recruiting new staffs, interviewing, coaching, and probation period. We faced a seriously high employee turnover rate (not a surprise, by the way!).

HR thought we were rebels

Managing Director turned down our first project proposal (on tests especially personality test before an interview session in the recruitment process); he said something like “I don’t need it, I can see through the person during an interview”

yeah right

He did encourage us to continue though, but his initial reaction is anything but encouraging.

At first, there were 17-20 of us and after the reject from M.D. we were reducing to around 13 to 10 to 5 and I gave up. I might be wrong but our company has nothing, zero, zip, nil, process promoting free time innovation.

So, in short, in order to allow your employees to spend “systematic” free time innovatively we need lots of factors but the most important ones are

1. Democratic Management (or non-management): Command and control are poisonous to innovation

2. Reward and Recognition: People do it for fun but they must be rewarded for their contribution

3. Systematic Process: Innovation and system?? yes, we need a systematic process to keep innovation a journey, not a fad

4. Passionate Teams: This is, by far, the hardest part to achieve.

An army of robots is beyond powerful following orders

An army of robots for innovation;

>> critical failure

>> all functions terminated

>> shut down

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