Steve Jobs famously said, “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.”
No doubt, keep things simple if you can. However, the opposite can be equally useful.
I stumbled on this idea while chatting with a guest on a recent episode of the Management Blueprint podcast. We were talking about the perils of complexity when he turned the table on me by saying something like: “We don’t mind productive complexity, as it creates a natural barrier to entry in our business.”
It got me thinking about the Einstein quote: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
What my podcast guest meant was that simplicity is important—but complexity should not be reduced beyond the point at which critical details or accuracy are sacrificed.
In Business, You Want Both Simplicity and Complexity
So really, I think we want both.
We want to master big problems that our competitors have not cracked. Then we want to streamline our solution so that we can execute efficiently.
In other words: Embrace complexity. Strive for simplicity.
So Why Embrace Complexity in the First Place?
Here’s the thing: big problems are rarely solvable with easy fixes.
There are few silver bullets, if any, out there.
What I found researching my book Strategy OS was that the most successful companies actually got there by solving such big problems.
Consider IKEA and Ryanair
IKEA:
- Initially had no capital.
- No salesforce.
- Later boycotted by suppliers.
Ryanair:
- Started nearly bankrupt.
- Became the dominant European airline.
How?
By becoming more operationally efficient than the national flag-carrier airlines who had ruled the skies for decades.
IKEA has been the unchallenged leader for 60+ years in furniture retail.
Ryanair is a newer story, but again—few challengers are in sight.
These companies turned their insurmountable challenges into complex systems that made them unique and created a competitive moat around their businesses. That’s the power of distilling complexity into an operating model—something the Vision & Strategy Map™ helps organizations clarify and align around.
They didn’t do this by simplifying from the start.
They did it by embracing complexity and turning it into the secret sauce of their business.
How Do You Create Your Own Secret Sauce?
This is exactly what Strategy OS is all about. It describes a six-step process any well-executing business can follow.
