# Slowing Things Down to Speed Things Up By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-04-05 In human progression, the crawl-walk-run sequence is well established. As a metaphor, this progression is used to describe that before one becomes proficient at an activity (i.e., “run”) one is likely not so good at it (i.e., “crawl”). Proficiency takes time and effort to develop. In business, there is often a focus on efficiency. This stands to reason as efficiency is a competitive advantage and a source of potential profitability. An unintended consequence of this is that management, organizations, and workers focus exclusively, or at least predominantly, on those things that they can already do efficiently. Such a view has an internal logic but is potentially constraining. It might be interesting, at least as a thought experiment, to envision a different approach. One such approach might be a time-based approach of strategic, organizational disfluency. A person might work in an area of expertise and increase efficiency for a specified period. At that point, one would select a new area to explore and cultivate. An organization operating under this approach might have a pre-specified percentage of its workforce actively exploring areas that are initially inefficient. Not all of these will materialize in production efficiencies. However, some might. As this continues, the organizational perspective broadens. The organization becomes intellectually expansive as it integrates and synthesizes. In short, it is a thinking-learning-growing organization that is unconstrained by the dictates of operational efficiency. This will undoubtedly slow things down. In the process, it might speed things up. Development can be paradoxical. Efficient proficiency addresses one side of the paradox. An alternative approach is needed to address the other side. #### Related Items [[Progress]] [[Proficiency]] [[Efficiency]] [[Paradox]] [[Development]] [[Organization]] [[Work]]