INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: when every minute of the day is spoken for, innovation dies a slow death

We’ve gotten so good at eliminating wasted capacity that we’ve also eliminated the time people used to have for new ideas. Companies used to have enough spare capacity for people to experiment, research, and mess around with ideas that had nothing to do with today’s deadline.

Now everything runs lean. One person does the work of several, schedules stay packed, and every hour needs a deliverable attached to it.

He compared it to a pump. If you need 150 liters an hour, you don’t buy one rated for exactly 150 and run it flat out forever. You buy more capacity than you need because running below the limit gives it a longer life.

People aren’t any different. Run everyone at full capacity and you don’t just burn them out, you eliminate the spare thinking that leads to better ideas.

Free time isn’t wasted capacity. It’s room to explore.

Building something?
Crafted by works with companies on product strategy & research, industrial design, engineering, UX/UI, branding, packaging, and manufacturing.
[See how we can help →]