Microwave Thinking

By Michael Nir

It’s all in the microwave: the problem, the needs, the decisions, the product solution, and the waste, the incredible waste.

Do you own a microwave?

You probably do.

Take a short trip to your kitchen and have a look.

How many buttons are on your microwave’s keypad? How many features does it offer? How many pre-preprogrammed options are available?

Now, honestly, how many do you actually use?

If you are like most people that I’ve met, you probably use two or three, four max.

Most people readily admit to using just one button. I’m guilty of the same; I place the food-loaded plate onto the revolving dish, close the door, and without hesitation press the 1-minute cook button.

Sometimes I’ll hit it three, four, or ten times, depending on what I’m heating, basing my decision on trial and error, or in other words, previous times I used the appliance.

I know that there’s a specific button for cooking a sweet potato and another for meat and yet another for soup. I read the instructions at one point and actually tried the features out, but I just can’t remember if pressing the button once cooks a single sweet potato that weighs between 10 to 15 ounces or maybe it is for two sweet potatoes? Who cares? I just want a cooked meal, and so, like so many others, I’ll hit the one-minute fast cooking button a couple of times and hope for the best.

Based on feedback I’ve received in numerous presentations and workshops I delivered, I think I am in good company. Many of us don’t really care about the plethora of features our microwave offers.

We buy them, but we don’t use them the way they are engineered to be used.

There’s a recurring pattern that emerges as we examine the devices that we gingerly purchase and then live with. We pay for many functions that we don’t use on most of the appliances. They are usually over-engineered. Don’t be fooled, though; it is not an engineering problem, it is a business challenge.

It is wasteful to engineering, to production, to the business, to the consumer, and above all to the environment! We all pay for this waste.

The businesses always blame the consumer–for not knowing what they want, for not using it the way they should, for not reading the manual, and for generally being stupid.

We were not stupid, and people are not stupid. People and companies don’t create features just for the gist of it. Often, there is a lengthy, tedious, time-consuming process for vetting the features that the company will develop, and yet two-thirds of the time the people and the business are wrong.

This problem between what we, the employees, leaders, and managers, think will be the “killer feature” and what actually creates value from a consumer perspective is difficult to accept.

By now I hope that you agree with the premise that we, the people, create stuff we never use. Since this challenge is known, have there have been efforts to solve it? How have companies been approaching the issue of developing the features that we don’t need? Traditionally, businesses tried a catch-all approach of develop whatever you can and hope for the best. It worked for some time when consumers didn’t have a choice or access to the Internet; presently it is a surefire method to go out of business.

So, what now? Is it even possible to meet customer needs when the customers themselves generally do not know what they need until they try it out? And even if we do, the world is changing more rapidly than many companies can even build their products. In the era of digital disruption, high customer expectations, and commitment to quality, how can an enterprise of a significant size survive the uncertainty of the business landscape, market demand-related high customer expectations, and produce the products that customers need fast, with excellence, and at scale? If anyone says that there is a “one solution fits all” answer, they would be unrealistic. However, over years working with multiple enterprises in different industries and observing multiple successes and failures, I noticed that there are patterns that succeed across industries and cultures, and there are antipatterns that force companies to backslide and lose to the competition. I have been searching for the right sequence for these patterns, and I have synthesized five steps that have universal significance. These patterns are not unknown to the world. They utilize lean, agile, design thinking, lean startup values, and principles in a structured methodical way, allowing for predictable outcomes in an uncertain business environment. We can use these patterns to create an ecosystem that allows enterprises to rapidly respond to the changing environment while maintaining their historic strengths and market presence. In my book, The Pragmatist’s Guide To Lean Corporate Strategy, I will share with you the framework that allows for flexibility of response to the market while maximizing the brand and scale. You are probably wondering how this is possible given the legacy thinking, frequently hierarchical culture, and cost of running an existing business, and you are right. It is extremely difficult.

To explain how is this possible, I’ll use an example from software design. By having a modular software architecture, we are able to reuse and maximize the use of software components, as well as retire those that are no longer needed without any impact to the whole ecosystem. A former colleague, who leads one of engineering departments for a health insurance giant, used a great example of a cruise ship vs. a speedboat. It’s hard to steer a cruise ship because it’s huge and heavy and takes a lot of time and effort to gain momentum. If you have many speed boats with advanced communication mechanisms, you can point as many of them as needed in any direction that is required, as long as they have an ability to align and return back to base to recharge and get ready for the next highest priority task. Similarly, the framework that I am sharing with you in my book is modular and component-based. Each chapter defines the sequence and the nature of each components, as well as provides implementation examples for companies of different sizes and industries. My intent in writing my book is to describe the required successful foundation for linking collaborative innovation, cultural transformation, and product execution in the context of true business agility.

About the Author

Michael Nir is a keynote speaker, best selling author, and Lean Agile inspiration expert; known for his passion, creativity, and innovation.

Michael's master degree in engineering, certification in project management, and training in Gestalt balance his technical know-how with emotional intelligence. He inspires people and teams to change, experientially and emotionally, while climbing the hill AND reaching the summit.

The author of nine books on influence, consumer experience, and Agile project management, Michael delivers practical skills gained from 18 years of experience leading change at global organizations in diverse industries such as: Intel, Philips Healthcare, United Healthcare, DnB, Volvo, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Unilever, and many others. He is masterful at connecting the dots between human behavior, business systems, and work environment to drive highly productive teams and lead individuals to communicate effectively.

A passionate guide and mentor for organizations undergoing change, Michael has developed Lean startup training and delivery programs as well as Gestalt team-building and conflict management workshops.

Learn more about in Michael Nir's book, The Pragmatist's Guide to Corporate Lean Strategy: Incorporating Lean Startup and Lean Enterprise Practices in Your Business, now available in both digital and print formats.