Management by Mathematics
Ever wish you had a magic wand that would solve work dynamics? You might actually have one already without realizing it. Mathematics may not be the first thing that comes to mind when trying to solve a problem, but it is actually the basis of life and work. We just need to consciously acknowledge and leverage it.
While the world of mathematics is vast (ranging from factors abstraction, counting, calculation, measurement, shapes, motion and so on), the mathematical aspect of logical reasoning comes pretty close to management dynamics. The mathematician, Benjamin Peirce, called mathematics: "the science that draws necessary conclusions".
To communicate and reinforce some basic ideas to motivate ourselves and build teamwork, we sometimes apply mock-mathematics.
1. Customer experience = quality + service
Quality can be defined in many ways but for the sake of simplicity let us consider this as “conformance to requirements and usability”. On the other hand, service is a function of turn time, risk-free solutions and overall management of delivery.
2. Output = capability * motivation
At times, an individual may be highly capable but not motivated and sometimes an individual is highly motivated but low on capability. In both cases, the probability of getting maximum output is lower than the desired level.
3. Success = individual output * teamwork
Teamwork ensures all dependencies are taken care of and synergy is institutionalized.
4. Synergy = ensuring that [1+1≥2]
In real life, team success rarely happens spontaneously, without focused team-building efforts and activities. There is simply too much potential for problems, due to the presence of different personalities, conflicts or struggles for dominance. Even if team goals are clear and accepted by everyone, there may be no commitment to the group goals or no consensus on the means of achieving those goals. There may be a lack of trust and openness that blocks communication and leads to a loss of coordination of efforts. This is why every team needs a good leader who is able to deal with all such teamwork issues.
