Simplicity is an art
BUSINESS has been perceived to be very complex and very mind-blowing. However, this is just a perception. Although there is no silver bullet in business, the reality is if you have simple processes and procedures, the likelihood of success is very high, even without putting too much energy.
Leonardo Da Vinci, the artist behind the Mona Lisa which is one of the most valuable paintings in the world, backs this up by saying “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.
In the technological world, industry is booming because of simplicity.
The players in this industry strive to make products and services that make life easier for their customers. They focus on making user experience very simple and less complex.
In the tech industry, those with gadgets and software that are easy to use tend to have a competitive edge over the others. This is why the video cassette movies evolved to digital video discs were much smaller.
Now we have DStv and Netflix, among others, which can be accessed through your smartphone. Very simple indeed.
For those in the Human Resources world which is the mouth piece of the management, simplicity is crucial when communicating with employees. If it is training, the training has to be clear and understandable. If it is the mission and vision of the organisation, it must be clear.
Job descriptions must be clear so that employees understand what they are supposed to do. Contracts
and job adverts must be simple and clear. Employee issues need to be handled in a simple and clear manner.
Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand well enough.”.
The failure by the employer to explain to employees what is required of them, as well as the values, mission and vision of the organization means they don’t understand it well enough themselves.
Simplicity gives clarity and clears any confusion, thus successfully communicating to employees without any confusion or complexity is an art mastered by a few.
In marketing, the simpler the message, the easier it is for customers to make positive conclusions. The marketing might be through a billboard, social media or radio advert but it’s worth noting that people have a bias towards simplicity and are therefore predisposed to choose products and experiences that minimize their cognitive load.
This also applies in the production sector. This means that the customer must experience the best at every point in their journey of buying and using your products and services.
This explains the rise of the e-commerce industry which focuses on providing an enjoyable, simple and logical shopping experience. E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services on the internet.
These goods can actually be delivered to the consumer and therefore buying cannot get simpler than that.
When businesses make their research on the needs of the customers, employees and the business, simplicity also plays a part.
In research and development, Occam’s razor, a problem solving principle, is applied. The principle states that in trying to understand anything, getting unnecessary information out of the way is the fastest way to the truth or best explanation.
This simply means that to understand a phenomenon, the needs and wants of employees, customers and the business are crucial in deducing all the information at hand. This gives people in business simple explanations of what they need to do to develop their businesses, what their employees want and what the customer requires for them to have good customer satisfaction.
This form of art is very good for business as it saves time, brings clarity on complex issues, creates customer loyalty and also increase revenues. Employees will be motivated when they are doing things they totally understand.