What do you think of when you think of friction? Is it a necessary action to get a desired result, like rubbing sticks together for fire? Or is it the start to an inevitable ending? According to Stanford Professors and Co-Authors of ‘The Friction Project’ Bob Sutton and Huggy Roa, Friction is both a force for good and evil. Exploring instances of fiction within different levels of a workplace, they’ve developed ways to reduce bad friction, and increase good friction. For some, bad friction within the workplace makes it hard to explore a more curious and generous version of themselves, leading to overwhelm and burnout. While good friction leads to deliberation, increased engagement, thought and wiser decision making.

Bad friction often stems as a result of time consuming steps and unnecessary tasks. Here are 4 ways to conduct a “Good Riddance Review” and reduce bad friction in the workplace:

The Good Riddance Review

Calculating Email Burden

The average American spends about 5 hours a day going through emails. Saving time by unsubscribing to emails you no longer want to receive, sorting emails into assigned folders & noting across company what emails can be reduced & or written with time saving intent.

Collaboration Overload

Social network analysis. A primary roadblock can look like having too many people reporting to one decision maker. Causing log jams and obstacles to getting their work done. These frustrations are clearly linked to disengagement and burnout.

Reimagine Onboarding

Ask new recruits with fresh eyes to go throughout the organization and point out where they notice potential friction points. Collecting an inventory of things to actually address. Giving new employees permission to suggest targets right from the start, embedding psychological safety from the start.

Slow Down & Understand

To make systematic shifts that reduce friction we must slow down, take inventory and truly figure out what is necessary to make all the pieces fit. This takes prototyping and patience.

Overall, Friction reduction is often first noticed by the employees. Elevating the need for psychologically safe workplaces. Pointing out frictions can be scary for many people as it’s generally seen as a negative source to derive further negative consequences. However, having an environment that is safe for employees to share and discuss friction they notice in their day to day workflow can help companies succeed. Improving employee satisfaction, engagement and lowering burnout.