The Frustration of the "Superfluous Buns"
The last official BBQ gathering of the season is coming up in September for those of us who live in North America. Thus marks yet another year...and another occasion where we get to ask ourselves...
Why do the number of buns not match the number of wieners in a package...and WHY are we ok with that?
This clip from the 1991 rendition of Father of the Bride starring Steve Martin sums it up perfectly...
Did the Big Shots Collude Against Us?
Steve Martin's premise...dripping in palpable frustration...is that...
some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don't need rather than make a stink
Now... this is where I disagree with him... and I believe the simple answer is they are two separate companies....they don't check in on what the other does and ultimately don't think about the impact their lack of coordination has on the end user experience. So we have to do math...buy more...use the extra buns for a PB&J before bed or accept fuming about it because WE need to calm down.
By Now the Light Bulbs Should Have Gone Off
This story has nothing to do with the American pass time of BBQ and hotdogs. It has everything to do with teams...departments.. groups... being so focused on THEIR goals...projects...outcomes...user experience...that they continue to ignore the things that can frustrate others.
My thought on this scenario is it applies when each party feels they are equal or the one who is the decision maker. Each one thinks "the other party should have come and asked THEM and bowed to their lead". This is in contrast to other scenarios we experience in our daily lives where there truly is a LEAD product or group...i.e. an Apple iPad and the accessory makers. The company that makes the covers doesn't make one and expect Apple to adjust their product to match it.
In Closing...
The challenge is that... more often than NOT... we are living the frustration of the "Superfluous Buns"...NOT the harmony of iPads and accessories. The groups involved are too busy innovating new types of buns...new flavors or sizes of wieners...and they have work to be done that seemingly has nothing to do with the other. And even if they did...who would surrender first?
I know YOU are waiting for the answer to this dilemma and I DON'T have it figured out but will start the "crowd sourcing" with the following suggestions..
Include other stakeholders/team members as often as you can. This is a good start but my experience is...it isn't just that simple. The stakeholders are often "passive" participants and aren't comfortable escalating. It is also "one-way" unless the stakeholder is very vocal to be the bridge between the two groups.
Senior Executives have to be in every meeting. It sounds crazy but once you get a few senior executives in a room they have the ability to "break ties" or make decisions very quickly. i.e. We will re-tool and this year there will be 10 buns in a package and the wieners will remain at 10. As a compromise...the wieners will have to postpone the launch of the "foot long" product and the buns can launch the new "top split" rather than the "side split".
Communicate Often & Share User Feedback. Again...this is a good start but everyone is busy so this only hits home when colleagues feel it "applies to them" not just casual information that is half-heartedly interesting to them. It's a lot of work...but you have to use multiple mediums for communication (written & verbal)… multiple venues and voices (a highlight by YOUR boss gets more attention than coming from someone like me) AND last but not least...one on one conversations often are really effective.
Now it's YOUR turn...how would YOU solve it?
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
What do YOU think of the analogy of the mismatch between equal products? DO you have a better one?
What is YOUR most recent experience and what observations or learnings would YOU share with others?
What do YOU think of the suggestions above on how teams... groups or departments can improve on this? What would YOU add or change?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
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