{"id":2351,"date":"2017-08-16T12:02:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T16:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=2351"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:40:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:40:01","slug":"lisa-bodell-if-you-want-to-stay-nimble-think-simple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/lisa-bodell-if-you-want-to-stay-nimble-think-simple\/","title":{"rendered":"A tip from CEO Lisa Bodell: If you want to stay nimble, think simple"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTrends & Insights<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA tip from CEO Lisa Bodell: If you want to stay nimble, think simple\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tKylie Ora Lobell<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The promise of technology to help us work “better, faster, smarter” is pervasive in today’s work landscape. But in some cases, the multitude of devices and tools we rely on at work may actually get in the way of productivity\u2014and make innovation harder to accomplish. With nearly every industry at risk of disruption, company leaders\u2014especially those at the enterprise level\u2014need to pay close attention to their ability to not only embrace change, but also predict it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Lisa Bodell, the CEO and founder of global innovation consultancy <\/span>future think<\/span><\/a>, this means businesses need to simplify. “I believe that ongoing innovation is impossible at companies that are suffering from complexity,” she says. “Simplification is what creates the space for change and innovation to happen.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her book, \u201cWhy Simple Wins,\u201d she asks leaders to imagine what they could do with the hours they waste writing emails every day, for example. With the average worker spending <\/span>28 percent of their workweek<\/span><\/a> managing email, that’s no small gain of productivity. We talked with Bodell about her methodologies, and how large organizations can use her simplification formula to stay agile and innovative no matter their size.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is everything so complicated at organizations these days?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lisa Bodell<\/strong>: Complexity is usually created unintentionally. We’re trying to solve a problem, to create something new, expand to a new market. But it’s easier to add on to an existing way of doing business than starting over fresh. The result is one more report, feature, metric, process or IT system\u2026 and we start to drown in complexity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human behaviors like risk, fear, power and control are at the root of many workplace complexities. People have anxiety around decision-making or meeting their goals, so they request more reports or another meeting in the name of \u2018gathering more information.\u2019 Around the world, employees are drowning in low-value meetings and emails that distract them from doing work that actually matters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you define \u201csimplification?”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lisa Bodell<\/strong>: There’s a big difference between organizing and simplifying. Just because a process is organized doesn’t mean it’s simple. In fact, many complicated things are quite organized, but that doesn’t make them any more valuable (or less annoying). My definition of simplification involves the following four criteria:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n