Surface Ripples

Design Flaws?

In one of the very first apartments in which I lived, a unique design feature caught my eye…

The feature in question was plug sockets 3 feet above floor level. When I finally ask somebody why they were so high, the response was “that’s the way they do it in case of floods.”

To put this in context, the country in which I was working did suffer from flooding and so houses built at ground level had plug sockets 3 feet above ground level so that any flood water that entered the house would have less chance of getting into the wiring system, shorting it out and causing a fire.  An electrical fire is not something you want in a flood zone!

Back to my flat: this was located on the third floor of a block of apartments. If floodwaters made it that high, the country was in serious trouble!

It was clear what had happened: whoever the contractor was who built the flats simply followed whatever code there may have been at the time (that plug sockets should be located at least 3 feet above the floor). Perhaps there was no such code and the contractor was simply doing it “the way we’ve always done it”.

At times, doing something in a particular way may make sense. In the case of my flat, this wasn’t true. When the flat was renovated, I had the plug sockets dropped down to a more manageable height above floor level.

When we design something, or install something, or do something in a particular way, there are a variety of reasons for doing it in that way. The question is, are those reasons still valid in that situation? In some cases, whether the reasons are or are not valid doesn’t matter: if “the rules” say you have to do it that way, then you do it that way. Otherwise, there may be penalties.

If there’s a chance that one can change the way of thinking in such a way that the result makes more sense, then this is something we need to encourage. Blindly doing it because “we’ve always done it this way” is no longer an excuse. Imagine how the world would be today if, for example, we still believed in using leeches to cure diseases!

In our day-to-day lives as business leaders, we will often come up against “things that make no sense”. Our question is: can we change them? If not, can we accept them? If not, will we be granted the wisdom to know the difference?

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  

Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy

posted by William Martin @ 16:15