|
|
Sign the Work 2.0 New Contract
Add your voice to the dialogue
How Simplicity started the movement
How Work 2.0 furthers the Cause
The New Contract
 Maria Donovan, Manager, Mancelin, Inc: Sign me up! Thanks for giving such a useful information.
Maria Kondova, President, Madley, Inc. Germany: I found these ideas both very insightful, empowering, exciting, and just a little scary! I hope I can live up to them in how I run my company
Peter McKey,
Ive been searching for such resource for a long time. Thank you!
Dale Davidson, Chair Assistant, Sharpstown Civic Association: Sign me up!
Peter McKey,
I've been searching for such resource for a long time.
I have done that, says my memory. I cannot have done that, says my pride, and remains inexorable. Eventually-memory yields.
Byratino,
Great Site! Well Done. All is excellent! Thanks!
Peter Nguyen, President, Share & Learn Network: Awesome! Keep up the great work! The cognitariat (knowledge workers) worldwide are ready for this kind of revolutionary talk (and walk!).
Greg Ferguson, Director of National Expansion, Camp Fire USA
: hanks for clearly (simply?)articulating what we all know is true.
Thanks also for the tools to articulate it to others!
The gerbils are taking over the treadmill.
Lisa Boerner, Marketing Consultant/Coordinator Company of
Friends - Seattle, Company of Friends - Seattle: This book offers a totally new way of looking at the value of work.
Employees provide value to an organization -- and employers are
beginning to see that the pool of talent is limited. Rewarding
employees, and making the most of an employee's resources guarantee
that the organization will continue to have value. Before reading this
book, I primarily thought of this paradigm from my position- but I now
can see that the view is different from the top. The leadership of
companies are responsible for providing reward and incentive. However,
the employees need to communicate how they would like to be rewarded
and feedback is essential to making Work 2.0 a reality.
Thomas A. Falter, Account Executive, Cadre: After reading this I realize I must enable or be the enabler of change
for my horribly leadership impoverished company.
Jane Barwell, Worker,
This is a revolutionary piece of work --congratulations!
Additional thoughts on the new way of working:
• Our employers told us that we had to continuously learn and upgrade
our skills, to become "Me, Inc." And I did.
• I invested my own time and resources to learn new skills, while
companies cut back on training, or substituted canned online learning
in my spare time.
• Now, you want me to dump what I know in your knowledgebase, just in
case you need to lay me off.
• Corporate America has attempted to transfer all of the costs of human
capital acquisition to employees, while trying to appropriate all the
gains. It doesn't work that way.
• We are in a knowledge market now, and I will sell what I know to
either the highest bidder, or the most agreeable provider of a work
environment.
• If you didn't contribute to my knowledge, you don't own it.
Steven Raft, CFO, Cerwin-Vega, Inc.: ince becoming the CFO and having 2 kids in the 5-9 age group,finding the right balance has been very important to me and my family. Luckily, I have a boss who sees this and is very accomodating to my soccer coaching, school events etc etc. I have worked elsewhere where this was not possible and they need to be taught the value of their human capital. This contract does just that.
Tom Kunz, Assistant Treasurer, Shell Chemicals: How refreshing to see the value of the individual's contribution to a company spelled out in such an explicit way. This contract not only helps the individual, but helps the company get way more productive by listening to the people who know best what needs to be done!
Nico Jong, Communication Manager, Ministry of Public Health, Welfare & Sport: Sign me up!
Charles Pixley, Angel, RAMA Enterprises: It is obvious that you have devoted much time and care to your synthesis of our working needs, concerns and preferences.
In the least it is a very good starting
point for those still locked into nepotism and/or military style egocentric
'my power over you counts, and you don't'
pyramids. By the time we have awoken to this model, there will be another. The Baby Boomer's kids are rising in the structure fast! Certainly, if we can raise to the 2.0 level then maybe we'll be ready to move on to the next. Surrender to willing re-creation is the healthy paradigm.
Doug Robertson, Internal OD Consultant, Saskatoon District Health: Sign me up!
Thomas R. Brown, Business Performance I.S. Manager, ITxM: I've read Covey, BSC, Six sigma, Warren Bennis etc. - all great stuff!!
But in looking for a way to articulate how I feel, and more importantly the general demeanor of the work force that get's to the heart of the real matters, this is the best yet. I'm looking for the right opportunity to share this with senior management who tend to think of
these kinds of approaches as "that religous stuff". I hope this hits home.
Thanks
Stephen Haines, President, Centre for Strategic Management: Simplicity and Systems Thinking are both the natural way the world works, if we didn't keep screwing it up and making it more and more complex. "Simplicity on the far side of complexity" is the goal.
Dave Schleif, Owner, NorthPoint Training and Consulting: As we continue to move forward - post 09/11/01 - we will all see the reality of what is contained in the message of Work 2.0 contract. The words are important, but the power is in the real message...very few of us possess the desire to waste any time or energy moving forward. We are also learning that we want to be part of a winning team. This
document is the manifest of our future.
Simplinaut Joe, Head Simpleton, Simplerwork.com: Cools things are happening at simplerwork.com!!! THIS POSTING IS A LINE OF DEMARCATION, of sorts. BELOW this posting are signer’s comments to the Simplicity Manifesto, which was based on Bill’s book, Simplicity. ABOVE this posting are signer’s comments for the New Contract. Think of the Contract as Version 2.0 (get it?!) of the Manifesto. We took the Manifesto’s ideas, updated them, shook them up, and — whamo! — out came the New Contract! For those ‘old-timers’ revisiting the site, we hope you’ll smile as you discover that many of the Manifesto’s ideas are folded within the New Contract, and are as valid and as important as ever. Hope you enjoy the results!
Allister Hain, Editor, Carleton University
: Sign me up!
Stephen Cotterell, Principal Consultant, Capco: Sign me up!
Dave Osowski, Vogel Industries: Sign me up!
Julie Carlyle, Mktg Mgr, S1 Corporation: Sign me up!
Antonius Aji, Marketing Manager, indo.com: Sign me up!
Brenton Furniss, MD, Generator Communications: Sign me up!
Pamela Smith, VP Business Development, eLuminate Benefit Systems: My respects to the gerbils. Love the manifesto - our company's tagline is "bringing meaning to work."
Don Rickert, Ph.D., Director, Market & Consumer Research, S1 Corp: Year's of research had led me to the vague conclusion that simplicity is the answer, but I was not sure what the question was. This book made it all clear--Simplicity is the answer to
EVERYTHING--thanks!!!
Catherine de Grandpré, Internal Consultant, Iron Ore Company of Canada
: Sign me up!
Greer Cummings, Knowledge Nomad, Knowledge Mobility Networks: Sign me up!
Mark A. Burling, DBA Mgr./Sr Systems Analyst, Straub Clinic & Hospital: With waves of information crashing down around us... it is most grand to be able to see the path that leads us to where we want to go.
Akiko Schenk, Program Manager/Process Consultant, Agilent Technologies: Sign me up!!
Terry Smirle, VP - IT Practices & Outsourcing, Bell Canada
: I agree with the manifesto. Simplifying what we do is the key to increasing Corporate value and imptroving employee morale
Howard Rowley, Head of Business, e-Government, SchlumbergerSema
: It's easy to hide and be anonymous in complexity and confusion. Simplicity reveals. Now I know why people love complexity!
Billy Waters,
Sign me up!
Dellwyn Stuart, General Manager, Communications, Carter Holt Harvey: Sign me up!
Dr. Paulette DeGard, Vice President, Consulting Services, Domain Knowledge: Sign me up!
Graham Westwood, CEO, Domain Knowledge Inc.: While the ideas are sound and profound, the trick is to move from PowerPoints to effective action. We are still in the dark ages with respect to tools that can leverage these ideas. As leader of a group of software toolmakers, our task is to build simple effective levers that turns passion into reality in real time.
Arthur S. King, Director of Human Resources, Schick Technologies, Inc.: The book, "Simplicity," says it the way
it should be communicated. Keep up the good work!
Hasmukh Modi, Proprietor, Creative Seminars: Your book is profound and simple. --Hasmukh
Christian Wiesner, Germany: Sign me up!
Ken Thornton, Training Manager, Eraring Energy: Sign me up!
Budianto Hariadi, Logistics Manager, P&G Indonesia: Thanks! I found 'Simplicity' to be very inspiring in the way we make choices. It
increases personal effectiveness as a prerequisite of efficiency.
Brian Bach Kjeldsen, Student, Aarhus School of Business: Thanks! This has helped me tremendously in my thesis and theoretical assumptions, about how important it is for any organisation to be prepared for implementetion issues.
Benny Woenardi, Deputy Business Unit Head, PT. Global Mitra Unggul: Simplify our work and life.
Bernd Gremse, M.D., Medical Network Goslar: You are on the very right way!
Colin Maiorano, CEO, Strategyworx : Sign me up!
Rob Hughes, Principal, Management Consulting, DMR Consulting (Canada): Ask yourself what makes getting things done so complicated...then consider whether the 'work' that you do is needlessly complicating anyone else's life. We all have the power to help simplify things. Give the simplicity 'ball' a nudge...it may roll forward more easily than you think!
Jane Cudmore,
Sign me up!
Ajay Kapoor, Business Relationship Manager, Tata Consultancy Services: The challenge for all of us is to achieve Simplicity by understanding and recognizing complexity, wherever it exists.
Tom Hogue, Elected official, City of Lafayette, Colorado: You started me thinking about the local government operates. We bemoan the lack of civic participation, but... If we defined our job as the creation of clarity, perhaps participation would rise.
Heru Setiawan, Engineer, Pertamina
: There are a lot of variables and parameters in decision making. Now is the
time to think simply. Don't think too much, just do it!
Sandy Roggero,
The Manifesto serves as a great start to making an end run around the current dysfunctional corporate workplace endured and lamented by so many of us.
I would like to suggest two books whose ideas complement one another AND mesh with the goals and principles of the Simplicity Manifesto:
(1) "We Build The Road As We Travel" by Roy Morrison - explores the dynamic evolution of the Mondragon Cooperatives established in the Basque region of Spain in 1957. A democratic system based on
principles similar to those in The Simplicity Manifesto.
(2) "Uncommon Sense" by Mark Davidson -
how understanding the concepts of systems thinking -- the interactive relationships of social systems, principles and values -- can create a workplace that embodies the values stated in The Simplicity Manifesto.
Mike Wittenstein, e-visionary, IBM: Enabling approaches include: Adaptive Enterprise, SuperStrategies, Experience Architecture
ryuwonjin, patent manager, daesung co.ltd: Thank you for your great masterpiece. It helps me. I'm pleased to join you.
Julio Teixeira, Planning & Cost manager, Cotia & Penske: AWSOME, Simplicity saved my job! "Simplicity is small and solid, as a stone against the windows of our
management difficulties."
Mark Wallner, Project Manager SFA, Moore: Sign me up!
Nobuyuki Sambuichi, Department Manager, Hitachi Systems & Services, Ltd.: I read Japanese translated Simplicity book. As a manager of R&D Center,
I totally agree with Simplicity.
We have lots of smart people, but they are busy doing urgent tasks not
so important. To make our life simple is a key success factor.
Bruce M. Sauter, Dir. Engineering & New Product Development, Baldwin Hardware: Sign me up!
Paul Caswell, extreme java programmer, ASC Ltd: Thanks, Bill, for the book. Thanks to all the signers – it is good not to be alone. Glad to add my voice, excited to make a difference.
I work in a world of infinite complexity, I am a software architect. My engineering skills are focused on the quest for the truth, what I ‘know’ and these are not enough. I am now learning to look for
something beautiful, how I ‘feel’, balancing my scientific brain with an artistic eye. The question that remains is what to ‘do’ and I’m struggling…
Inquire what can be done before advocating what should be done.
How can we affect people, to free themselves to ask what can be done?
I find them much more comfortable debating what should done.
(I see it as changing paradigms from 'Thou shalt' to 'I can'.)
Dave Rose, General Manager, Herman Miller Inc: I can only aspire to live up to these powerful thoughts. Wish me luck!
Geoff Maffett, Manager, Business Systems Improvement, CII: Superb concept. The ability to achieve "rich ends through simple means" is a fundamental part of the way nature works. It's about time that humans learned what every other living thing already knows. This is a huge step in the right direction!
Niek du Preez, Professor, Stellenbosch University: Sign me up!
Deborah Smith, Sales Operations Manager, Wix Filtration Products: Sign me up!
Peter Svensk, Co-founder, Copious LLC: Sign me up!
Stephen P. Stelzer, VP Sales & Marketing, ADiction Media Group Inc.: Simplicity = excellence
Richard Guha, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Remedy Corporation: This is even more relevant to newer high-growth companies, where often most of the employees have been with the company less than a year. When colleagues do not know each other or the company, there is a
tendency to confusion as each person makes up his or her own process. It is key to focus on simplicity.
Ron McIntyre, Director - Chicago ATC, CBSI: I found the book liberating and able to increase the amount of productivity of my small organization if applied correctly.
Glenn Keyes,
Supervisor, Space & Assets, Looking as of 1/3/2001: Thank you. Our work lives have gotten so complex and impersonal. This manifesto is right on the mark.
David Peter Young, Leadership Evangilist, Nortel Networks: My fellow leaders...
I'm going to post this at the coffee stand and watch the reactions of passersby. This is good stuff. It identifies the root cause of so many
symptoms that often go misdiagnosed in our hasty daze. I read the book, and especially like the idea of planning time to think/reflect as well as do. Now if I can only get the time off to go to the 2001 conference - good thing it's only 2 days long :) David Young, Ottawa, Canada
Lynette Green, Communication Specialist, Brown-Forman: Sign me up!
Steven Harrison, Person, John Crane UK: Synchronicity seems to be hitting the world. More and more I read of the fact that its the PEOPLE who matter. Who make the difference. Although I have yet to read the book (& I will) my Karmic Best Wishes go to the authors. And some jealousy that they say it so simply!
Lim Chin Oon, General Manager, ABB Industry: Sign me up!
Max Harre, Waitakere City Council: Important, overdue, refreshing, inspiring ... thanks!
Eric Snyder, Pres/CEO, TCM.com, Inc.: Yes! It's about time someone did this!
Michael A. Sogomonian, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Business Banking Group
: Sign me up!
Beth A. Sawickie, Library Assistant II, Rutgers University: Sign me up!
Dana VanDen Heuvel, Sales Force Automation Manager, Warner Bros.: Sign me up!
Carlos, WCM,
The more you get wise the more you are able to make simple the most complex things. Nature is not simple, it is very complex. If you try to describe its complexity you become fool.
Richard Adler Jr., President, Fort Dearborn Company: I love it! It's about time. I'm now responsible for making our company simpler and will need help. The concepts are great but now it's time for practical application!
Alan Maybruck,
I've read the book, and I've read the study. You have helped me verbalize the frustration I was experiencing from working 12 years at Hewlett-Packard. Simplicity and the follow-on Manifesto is a very significant avant-garde approach to business in the 21st century. The precepts of Simplicity are having a very profound affect on my next career move.
I've never been much of a joiner or an evangelist about these types of things. Now I can't get enough information. Thank You, Thank You
Sal Lupo, Vice President, PMNet!, Marsh USA, Inc.: Help, I'm trapped in a complex world! ...From Small Is Beautiful to Simplicity in one lifetime is about as exciting as it can get!
Ron Hubbard, Manager of Customer Services, www.Schoolpop.com: Sign me up!
Aubrey Rhodes, Business Development Manager, Aubrey.Rhodes@ca.com: Sign me up
Jane Slattery, Communications Associate, Eli Lilly and Company: Sign me up!
Susanne Williams, Director, TBA: My job is to clear enough clutter away from the minds of the people I am around so that they can see and grasp what they really want to do. Then clear the way for them to do it. Then I have to ask others to help me to this too.
Ivan Hrdina, IMAG Information Management AG: Sign me up! I'm just getting started....
Carolyn Dietrich, Funding Consultant, Texas Education Agency: Sign me up!
Andy O'Hearn, Managing Editor, Atlantic Mutual Companies: Count me in!
Paul V. Carlisle, Loss Control Casualty Manager, Atlantic Mutual Companies: Simplicity is Simple. A concept only few can understand.
Chris Barclay, British Telecom: At last a management structure that uses what many companies do not - common sense !!
Rob Crawford, Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting Canada: So many companies talk the talk but seem unwilling or incapable of walking the walk and fail to create a sense of passion in their greatest asset, their employees. Hopefully, the manifesto will help bring about a much needed understanding of basic common sense and
simplicity to business processes in both business and government. In so doing, the passion necessary for innovation and creativity will return to the work force, not just for the new generation of workers entering the work force, but for all ages.
Failure to do so will result in a substantial number of organizations
missing golden opportunities to increase shareholder value due to
their knowledge worker's inability to effectively harness key relevant
information in a timely manner to facilitate strategic business
decisions.
Diane Chen, Sr. Financial Analyst, WPNI: Being simple is essentially increasing the knowledge density of information and helping everyone make better, faster decisions!
Mats Hansson, MindMatter: This Manifesto points out an constructive way to walk and we who choose to walk it need patience, creativity and humbleness both for our self and followers.
Bruce Faulkner, Internal Consultant (Change Management),
Thinking is hard for people with an urgency addiction!
Franz Schreiber, Managing Partner, Convergent International
: A excellent idea in turbulent times needs a while and excellent ideas are always simple and clear. To create simple solutions is much more difficult and complex in thoughts than complex concepts. If you cannot convince...confuse, as Garfield would say
Tom Mackey, VP Sales, HAHT Commerce
: Clarity, Simplicity, Elegance: I have been talking about and around this for years but never, quite, getting my point across. Now Jensen has written the book that I should have written and I am ... grateful. My company's products have an elegance (an eloquence) of their and I am excited to explore with my own team just why THIS is of such value and, is actually, the Holy Grail of e-biz. When I think of elegance I think of Audrey Hepburn. When I think of the web I see her shadow and look for the reality.
James Trott, Senior Consultant, Computer Associates: I work in the areas of Knowledge Management and Artificial Intelligence. I know that technology can play a piece in this game. But it is only 10% of the solution...I am convinced that 90% of the challenge is the human side and my tech bretheren almost always ignore this...and their efforts fail. Sometimes I feel like a Luddite, but working the human side sure makes it easier to build smarter computer applications!
Óskar Skúlason, Consultant, TM - Software: Sign me up!
Theodore Lamoreaux, Retired, Philco, Ford, Litton, Xerox, etc: It is about time that someone has called
a spade a spade and indicated that every
individual is responsible for his little piece of the world. Just like every cell in my body. If each cell didn't do 'its own thing" my body would have cancer. To make this world work we must all learn how to be responsible. This is a going to be a "real tough job". Religions have "side stepped it" by teaching about an "after life", rather doing the hard
work of learning to make the world we "now" live in work "effectively". Or at least put in a lot more creative effort than anyone has done so far. I don't think ideas that were created thousands of years ago are going to help make this world better today. It is not the
same world. It has thousands of years of new experiences. Let's learn to use all the new experiences we have learned during those thousands of years.
Joe Stafura, Managing Partner, Iron Bridge Partners: Open business modeled companies will rule the world!
James J. Janisse, Manufacturing Consultant, IBM Global Services: I became an instant Simplicity/Jensen disciple when I read the book yesterday!
William B. Shatz, Director, Primary Care Services, University of Colorado Hospital/Health Sciences Center: Sign me up!
Kevin Davidson, Mfg. Eng., Boeing C-17 Wing Production
: A good idea is always the simplest.
Mark Dembo, Executive VP, West Glen Communicatrions: Sign me up!
Esther Chaffin,
Corporate America could learn so much from the manifesto. Going back to "basics" (and getting it right) is the formula for success.
Terrence Theobald, Data Warehouse Specialist, Baptist Health Systems Of South Florida
: Simplicity is the essence of knowledge!
Marie Bernu Murray, Change Agent, Transitions Optical, Inc.: I can't believe there's other people like me out there! We must complete a PLP (personal learning plan) each year to explain our plans for the company. I said I wanted to wipe out the silliness of bureacracy and all the "poopyness" that goes along with it. My boss wouldn't let me leave that comment in ...HR wouldn't like it.
David Moller,
Manager, Planning & Systems Integration, Cable & Wireless Optus: Speed and complexity just lead to confusion. Simplicity and time to think provide for clarity.
Anthony J. Moll, Computer Systems Programmer, Department Of Treasury
: Starting at the end and working backwards
is simple as it is novel. For once you
can establish a simplistic approach to the end product, you can provide the user a better understanding of the "whole picture". Which the user will then be better prepared to understand because you have made their current job simplestic and hopefully the user will desire to apply the simplistic approach and in turn develop continuel "Aha" moments.
Peter Anders, R+V Allgemeine Versicherung: Sign me up! I hope to find the glimpse of an answer here...why it is so difficult to find simplicity and clarity in the daily challenges of my job. I, luckily enough, do find this clarity regularly but I still wonder why it sometimes takes such a long time with a lot of effort.
Lyle Gray, VP, Berbee: This concept is very "over due"
Gregory King, Solicitor, Enron: It really is this simple!
J-P Voilleque, Senior Editor, LookSmart: Strongly recommend that people investigate the study in conjunction with the book - I've been to three trainings that elaborate "the four most common
workplace complaints" and none of them helped as much as rooting around the
data myself, rereading chapter 2, etc. Anyway, it's free. :-)
Bruno Leblanc, Professor, EAP-Europäische Wirtschaftshochschule: Sign me up!
Toni Nikolov, DG BANK AG: Sign me up!
Jim Allen, Software Engineer, Unisys: Keep it simple stupid!
Hairuddin Munip, Project Delivery Manager, CH2M HILL Malaysia Sdn Bhd: Projects, Project Team, e-mails, knowledge management - the common ingredients of works for the new millennium. They immobilize more than speed works. There is a need for a new approach.
Ron Guida, CEO, u1.net: Keep it going!
Stuart Smith, Senior Facility Planner, Strategic FM: Sign me up!
Liz Bromley, Director, be@one: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You give added power to my thoughts and
visions for a simpler world. A world where people matter and decisions make
sense. Your book and this manifesto have given me the backing and proof I needed to know for certain that my ideas for simpler ways of doing things are not the
idealistic dreams i have been told they are, but a way of working that is
desparately needed if businesses and society truly is to develop in a
positive direction. I would be delighted to hear from any liked minded souls out there. please get in touch. Yours truly,
Liz Bromley
Budi Kuncoro, MIS Sr. Manager (Director), Hotel Indonesia Natour: Sign me up!
Amanda Wilson, Organisational Development Consultant,
If only I didn't have to spend so much time helping people understand the complex systems and procedures that their bosses invented, rather than working with them to develop simple, common sense alternatives that would free us all up to really make a difference to the business! Simplicity can make a real difference....and will!
Steven W Smith, Marketing Director, SportsTech Services, Inc.: New ideas are a "dime a dozen" and
overpiced at that. But the effective
execution of a new (or the right) idea
can be priceless. To me, execution is
the key...if the ideas in "Simplicity"
can be executed in our company, I can
easily imagine a huge transformation.
paul youlten, Marketing Director, iSOCO: 'Less is More'. nuffsaid.
Lana S. Reister, Technical Writer, ACS Shared Systems, Inc.: Sign me up!
Grant Hodgkins, Business Projects--Strategic Group, Alcon Laboratories: Sign me up!
Andrew Newton, Managing Partner, Carbon Labs: Simplicity rules -- and don't you forget it!
Gary English, Continuous Improvement Guru, BorgWarner: As a business theorist charged with implementing change, I understand that complicated things just don't work. Things must be made simple, almost intuitively obvious. I know I've succeeded when those around me go 'Duh!! Why didn't I think of that?'
Lynn Borek, Business Manager, Boeing Aircraft and Missiles: The Simplicity revolution (and I do mean revolt) has got to take hold for the sake of intellectual pursuit, competitiveness in the market place, but foremost for the sake of sanity in all of us workers and managers/coaches of workers in the market place. If this takes hold Dilbert will have no more material. When the tool is harder to use than the analysis was to do by hand. When you are constantly feeding the data monsters and you have no time to look, think or analyze the data trends. When your measures for success require a PhD to calculate the metrics, you know you have truly lost touch with the sane world. We have more and more data and we are starving for information. We have more and more tools but we can not transform the data into actionable
information. We have more and more need for smarter and smarter people but they are fed up and will go where people respect them with tools, policies and processes that do not insult their intellegence. Good luck with this endeavor....I am handing out your book at every turn of the corner......can I get
a quanity discount?
Donald W. Mitchell, Chairman, Mitchell and Company: The future best practice in any area will be consistent with the principles of this
Manifesto. Too many executives are uninterested in pursuing the future best practice, being comfortable with dropping their weak processes onto their unhappy colleagues. With everyone focusing on being the best, life can be both better and simpler, simpler and better. We have to be more demanding of ourselves and others to make it happen.
kim brooks wei,
I'm all for it! (Follow-up Note from Simplinaut Joe: After signing the Manifesto, Kim emailed us to say that we need to practice more of what we preach.
At least one of the pages she was interested in took too long to load. Ouch! But we agree with her and will continue to work on it. a) Without comments like Kim's we can't get better.
b) Some of this simplicity stuff can hard work, for us included!)
Michael Erwine, Learning & Performance Consultant, Michigan Dept. of Transportation: Seems everything is over complicated these days. No one seems to know what our managers want. Or what we are saying in training. We might as well be talking in different languages.
Low Choong Leng, Senior Manager, RFC Distribution Pte Ltd: Sign me up!
Charley Wisdom, Sr Engineer/Scientist, Boeing: Sign me up!
Douglas T. Lowe, Corporate Operations Manager, Powermation Inc.: Sign me up!
Ernest Shippey, Systemic Process Designer, NASC: This approach should be viewed upon as groundbreaking as that of Taylor, when he
created the manual labor model that corporations have been following for the better part of the 20th Century.
The Simplicity theory shows how the knowledge worker and corporations which can not make the leap to "out of the box" will be so grossly overstaffed that the "how many workers to change a lightbulb" joke will be the biggest reason for company failures.
Denise A. Washington,
President, D.A. Washington & Associates: Sign me up!
Stephen Squire, Director of Advertising, Procter & Gamble: Sign me up!
Edwin (Eddie) L Ericson Jr, eericson@unioncentral.com, Union Central Life Insurance Company: Thank goodness for commonsense! The complexity and volume of information may be an ocean but this means we should start utilizing principles of navigation. These thoughts will go a long way in managing change and setting clarity as a top priority. I am going to actively recruit my entire team to join in the search for simplicity.
Brett Leary, Business Development Director, agency.com: Great Book! Great Concepts! Sign me up!
Manjit Syven Birk, Principal, True North Corporation: I am a simple individual who greatly values my time on earth. Whether it be the Cluetrain or the Simplicity Manifesto, I will always be a human magnet for common sense. I live my life as a True North Principle and I love simplicity because the complex form of it is called life and this much I know, life always begins with 1+1.
William Wynne, Consultant, SAP America: Sign me up!
Colleen Dwyer-Bonura, Owner, Stray Cat Communications: Unbelieveable! Finally someone has given my thoughts words! My #1 goal thoughout my organization has been to "simplify." Technology has been a leading force in that effort and now I understand the next steps more clearly. This is definately something needing to be shared with both employees and customers. Knowledge rules!
Dan Henley, Sr. Consultant, SAGA Software, Inc.: Sign me up!
Lou Schendl, VP Business Development, Cyberdesic: Applying Simplicity to all factors of oneself is a key element to living life...Thank you for sharing this Manifesto.
Tom Morris, Principal, Morris Communications: Sign me uo!
Michael Sanders, Chief Culture Officer, Goebel Marketing Associates: This manifesto touches on the key issues we need to be addressing as we develop the men and women who make our businesses successful. It makes it clear that we have make it all too hard for people to do their work much less be good at it
or enjoy it. A great revolutionary manifesto - but who has the "balls" to live it out - and how long will the Kings of Confusion and Deans of Difficulty let us get away with it?
Diane Caslow, Helix: Sign me up! I wish I had not been living under a rock for so long and should have known that there were others out there like me, thinking that most of what we need is right in front of our noses, if we only had the common sense to evaluate its use. I used to call myself the the Queen of Common Sense. It's time to renew that title.
Hui-Ying Hsu, Student,
Sign me up!
Neil Samuels, Senior Organization Development Consultant
Consultant, BP Amoco: Elegance at it best. The Cluetrain Manifesto, plus "Difficult Conversations" plus Simplicity have given me powerful approaches to helping leaders understand and thrive with everything swirling about them. Now I have some language to show how much of that swirling is self-induced (myself included).
Christopher Shockey, Knowledge Services Innovator, Hewlett Packard Digital Workplace Services: I am committing to incorporate the manifesto into the fabric of our services. We think its that important.
Jan-Kees van Dijk, Ormit, Network for Management Development: Without having read the book I knew this was the book, the idea, the movement I have been waiting for. I only saw it by chance on the Internet, it wasn't even availabale in Europe yet, but I had to get it, I had to read it. I have been focusing on doing things simpler all my life. This movement of Bill Jensen is the answer to many - if not all - company and managerial issues we have right now and are going to have in the coming years. Let's move on and develop this into a worldwide movement of simplicity!
Jan-Kees van Dijk, Breda, The Netherlands.
Al Williams, CEO, ChangeLeaders, LLC: Sign me up!
Steven Stewart, Director of Production, Press-Seal Gasket Corporation: Sign me up!
Carol Coletta, Chief Solutions Officer, BusinessThinkers: Bill Jensen is right on! Email this manifesto to every CEO you know. Simplicity works. And we have to start now. He has shown us the way and given us the tools. Thank you, Bill. Thanks for making the complex clear.
Terry Anderson, Lewan and Associates: Sign me up!
Rami Reddy Sama, President, Foursee Solutions.com: It is simply so simple.
And we missed it so long.
And it is simply amazing to me,
and it is easy for me to say it now.
Tom Abeles, Resident Iconoclast, Sagacity, Inc: Alice's Red Queen can be checked.
Jude Derick, DMR: Sign me up! Simple living and high thinking. That is the only way we can cut the signal from the noise.
Ann Ernst, Product Marketing, Great Plains - Manchester: Finally, again...Less is more! Sign me up!
John K. Needham, U.S. General Accounting Office: Sign me up! I have read the book and have been putting the five questions to work -- it is helping. Some of this Manifesto is intuitive and some of it I have seen before, however the book puts the solutions into one nicely organized package.
Derek Schultz, President, Media Design Associates: Nice work! Dovetails well with aspects of work by Shenk (Data Smog), Cooper (Inmates are Running the Asylum), Garson
(Electronic Sweatshop), Shapiro (Control Revolution), Weil & Rosen (TechnoStress), and Norman (Invisible Computer), as well
as much of what I've been focusing on for several years. Zeitgeist, perhaps? Certainly, an idea whose time has come!
Thanks for adding an important building block to the literature.
Joseph T. Dager, President, Burke Heating Systems Co.: Sign me up!
D. Cook,
I've just left my job with a start-up because of the thoughtless, directionless, need for activity which has only resulted in poorer performance. You would think they would learn... The need for balance, a sense of purpose, some greater good, time for myself and my family have necessitated my move to simplify. I'm sending the Simplicity Manifesto to everyone I know.
Brett Johnson, Managing Director, Targus Europe: Simplicity is the best book that I have read in years. I have had it for only two weeks and have already purchased copies for all of my associates. Thank you for your help. Sign me up for this Manifesto!
Marsha J. Wheeler, Senior VP and COO, National Bank of Commerce: As a career banker I have found that simpler is better and nothing much I do is rocket science. Instead it's knowing my skills and using then along with my common sense and street smarts to build people to be the best they can be by enthusing them, nurturing them and talking to them. A little attention to
detail in conversation can open pathways to a better workplace.
Wayne Yeung, MD, Teleplus: Great book, now if people could only slow down, put the time in to think about what they are really doing, that will make such a big difference. One major problem though is that there is so much money in complexity!!
Bruce Appelbaum, Sr Consultant, A Major Consulting Organization: Many of my clients refuse to work simpler
because they say that others make their work more complicated. What a laugh!
Rich McLaughlin, President, The McLaughlin Community, Inc.: Bill's thoughts are very consistent with the principles I have laid out for how I run my own business. I am energized when I see others who recognize some of the silliness that we allow to get in our way from doing the real work.
Ramachandra, Project Manager, Alternatives: Sign me up!
W. Reid Spratling,
Rings of things I have been saying for years and a lot of helpful insight into helping others!
Bill Fox, Owner, Performance Manufacturing: This couldn't be more timely! My company's business is all about making information systems work harder for people. We creat add-on tools and strategies to simplify. I think you are leading a new wave that will transform industry yet again!
David Pacella, Division Manager, LTV Steel Co.: The book behind this Manifesto is much needed and at least begins to answer the question of how to operate effectively in the digital age.
Sabyasachi Ray,
Add me to the list of signer's!
Ann Beard, Corporate Trainer, United Wireless: I bought the book, I read the book. The simplicity is elegant. I am up to my neck in technology and it's my job to train it. My hope is the book will be my template for effecting change and fostering skill acquisition for our employees and ultimately our customers. In today's work environment sorting through "information, methods & madness" is akin to seeking that one "true love." I know it's out there, I put it on my to-do list, to do/find-----later. I am passionate about my work, after reading this book I am going to lead through navigation!
Cyn Chandler, Partner, Cynergy Partners: I'm an "outtahere"'er, and have never looked back. Still, the most important of the Simple Seven is #7: We Accept Personal Responsibility. These attitudes ring passionately in the hearts of the people I now consult with. But there's an additional ingredient that muddies their credibility for living by the manifesto: FEAR. They, We, have got to overcome our own inertia and really live this manifesto. We can help each other, and we should. Until we really do it though, fear speaks louder than these 7. LET'S GO!
Layton Payne,
CEO/Founder, earmagnet: This is a snout-full of clean air in the
midst of info-pollution and its slippery sidekick, Knowledge
Management. Like the refreshingly funny and trenchant Cluetrain
Manifesto, who do Corporate Marketing and PR think the masses are?
These types of grass roots movements are ratoon. Visceral + "how" =
The New Experience we seek.
(Simplinaut Joe Comment: We at simplerwork.com are thrilled to be paired
w/ Cluetrain when describing breaths of fresh air. This Manifesto apparently is the "how" twin, separated at birth from
Chris Locke's et al Manifesto. Let's all get a clue and get simple!)
Sean Paltrow, Lay Leader, Santa Anita Church: We recently discussed this Manifesto at one of our church meetings. On the surface, if you don't read every point, it could sound too centered on "self" and not enough on the greater community to which we all belong. Yet, when you really debate what this is about...it’s about creating personal clarity through conversation and respecting other people, and spending time on them, caring about them. It's about using the communities to which we belong to help everyone create personal clarity. While, many of us at the church would say the real Manifesto came from a certain carpenter...we ended our debate by signing this one too. Sign us up! Let’s get simple together and make a real difference.
Charles Adams, Training Manager, EDS: Simplicity starts with simplifying your own life!
John Brande, Social Studies Department Head, Sharon High School
: Much of Jensen's book applies to organizing high schools as well as businesses. Each department within a school is a mini-company with the same problems as large organizations. Working with 10 or 20 colleagues requires the same directness and simplicity that working with hundreds requires. Our school administration and my department can benefit from Jensen's principles. I place some of his graphic organizers on my desk to remind me daily.
Albert Lesser (again), VP, educational marketing company: Couldn’t agree more about Cluetrain (They’re like twins separated at birth)...But there’s something super important about Jensen/Simplicity that goes way beyond the Net’s Rageboys. This Manifesto is "implementable." Simplicity goes beyond "markets are conversations." Simplicity (the book) gets down to the nuts-and-bolts-here’s-to-do-it! Which is more radical: The voice that loudly screams "revolution" or the voice that gets into how to do it?
Joe Katzman, Senior Consultant, KPMG Consulting : Interesting work. Makes sense. Logical counterpart to the Cluetrain Manifesto.
Peter Marijnissen, Human Factors Engineer, Eindhoven University of Technology: Finally somebody standing up for the rights of users to have make our high-tech life easier and more fun. I especially like the call for user centered design; this can really
make a difference in making software and products more usable.
Daryl Tronnes, Business Development Specialist, Tronnes Business Development: The need for simplicity in business and
life in general is long past due! There is no need for an MBA to figure out what is right and wrong in the ethics of business and life. Two, and only two rules need to be followed, 1) the Golden Rule, and 2) Keep It Simple.
Robert Morris, Independent Management Consultant,
This Manifesto is connected to what I think this is a carefully-reasoned, thought-provoking, and eloquent book--Simplicity. What I consider to be one of Jensen's most important insights: that simplicity enables us to cope much more effectively with complexity. Think about all the clutter you haul around in your mind; all the clutter piled up within your workstation and probably on your computer’s hard drive; all the clutter your organization staggers and stumbles through each day. Many of our accumulations (including business assumptions) no longer have value. Jensen correctly affirms the value of the "KISS Principle" to how we think. He understands that our values and perspectives generally determine how we behave. Obviously, it would be Stupid to Keep Everything Simple. But surely it makes sense, "in a world of infinite choices", to use Simplicity as a leadership tool to help us think smarter. I highly recommend this book to those who are determined to do so.
Albert Lesser, VP, educational marketing company: Do you know how radical this is? You’re saying all this "learning organization" crap was just that. That companies won’t get there until they start becoming learner-centered in how they use people’s time attention. Sign me up! Let’s make simplicity a criteria for any place we work!
Jackie Mignault, Business Analyst, City of Victoria (British Columbia): I read the original study when it first came out and said ah hah! This validated many of the issues I have found in organizations over the years - now there is research to back it up. If all businesses and organizations took heed to this information, imagine the quality that would be generated in our work, our services and ultimately, to our communities.
Miles Stobaugh, Consultant, KnowledgeCorp: Yessssssssss! To anyone reading this...Sign the Manifesto, then run--don’t walk--to Amazon or a dirtworld bookstore and buy thousands of copies of Bill’s book. Hand them out on street corners! Start a movement! We just used it at an offsite and it completely changed what we talked about. Simplicity is about real work. As somebody said in Amazon’s reviews, think of this book as the Net’s Rageboy’s meets Studs Terkel. Jensen is focused on implementation...day-to-day work. He’s detailed how to reinvent the workplace according to the needs of the people doing the work. Radical! Now, that’s a Manifesto! Go simplicity, go!
Ken Compton, Chief Knowledge Officer, Major Law Firm : Before coming to this site I got the book, Simplicity. Right now, Jensen’s right...Our companies aren’t capable of
creating user-centered knowledge packets that help everyone work smarter. Cuz knowledge management is still too into the codifying, collecting thing. (Tom Davenport, of Andersen’s Consulting Institute for Strategic Change, calls this Knowledge Management, Round One.) Most of Jensen’s book is pointing the way to Round Two.
Wendy Buckley, Senior Functional Analyst, Amadeus Marketing: Way to go, Bill!
(Actually we don't use that expression here in Europe, but you're worth the exception.) I'm trying to design simpler user interfaces in the face of enormous resistance from everyone - except the users! Thanks for your inspiration.
Mario deSantis, Educator/Consultant, DigiCare: Our complex world is getting more artificially complex because of the
business emphasis on money speculative
economic infrastructures. Business
should shift emphasis from making money
to pursuing healthier communities. And
SIMPLICITY of work means bypassing the
artificially created business rules and giving back power to the creativity of people.
Steven M Schneider, Director of Operations, Monarch Marking Systems/Paxar: Bill, your manifesto is dead on target. It's preached by many, practiced by few.
I'm proud to say at Paxar/Monarch that when we use these techniques, it works well.
Hugh Strickland,
My son (now 19) introduced me to the concept several years ago. I encroached on his time with some rambling, unfocused, generic fatherly advice on wide-ranging subjects. As I paused to catch my breath, he inserted the question, "That's important because?"
Matthew Landry, Founder and President, LEL Network Services: The well-needed complementary statement
to the much-buzzed-about Cluetrain Manifesto. These two revolutionary tracts go hand in hand to explain reality to those who have spent too much time imbibing traditional corporate doublethink.
Seth Berger, Teacher, NYC Board of Education: Many of the principles from Simplicity can be used in areas other than business. As a teacher, time is the most precious commodity. Using the ideas from this manifesto will help me to make my classroom a more productive place, for not only me, but also more importantly my students.
Mike Jay,
Business Coach & Author, LEADWISE, LLC: I appreciate the opportunity to declare my support of simplicity and a simpler way of being and doing towards creating generative outcomes for everyone.
Mike Bronstein, President, Channings LLC: "Finally! The Simplicity Manifesto is exactly what I’ve been trying to articulate to our clients as to our competitive advantage. Thanks for putting sharing and generating excitement in our mission."
Joe Terrone, Consultant, Big-Six firm: "You’re proposing the discipline of common sense. You’re advocating that the workforce has had enuf of consultant and management logic. You believe that people’s time will sway what they do more than that logic. Whoa! How anti-consultant of you. Lead us to the promised land!"
Jody Miller, Manager, Hi-Reach Rentals: "Let me get this straight...You want companies to stop designing their infrastructure just around their needs and start designing it around what me and my teammates are trying to do? What are you, some kind of anarchist? Sign me and all my teammates up!"
Kim Robins, Student, Depaul University: "You nailed it. So did Bill Jensen in Simplicity. I’m one of those Net Geners who just ain’t gonna deal with all the crap that my older brothers and sisters did. Corporate America watch out—-those three measures [see #5]...that’s how I’m gonna be tracking who I do and don’t work for."
Luke, Lathe Operator, Consolidated Packing: "I posted the Manifesto alongside this month’s performance indicators. Wow! Did that instantly change the conversations several hundred people started having with management. Thanks!"
Matthew R. Versaggi MS, MBA, E-Commerce Professor , DePaul University, Inc: Finally someone has figured out that in the information age the employees now own the means of production and thus the economic power really has shifted from management to the workers. The question is: Has management figured that out?
|
|
THE BIG
So What?
Most Boomers
and some GenXers
wouldn't bet
their careers on
this New Contract,
but to GenY,
the New Contract
IS their career!
|
