The mid-market transition: Addressing top team bandwidth constraints
Why this issue matters
Managers in growth companies expect to work hard and it is desirable that things run reasonably ‘hot’ because that forces teams to ignore trivial issues. But frequently that can tip over into unhelpful over-loading where we see the following phenomena:
The proportion of time available for activities which are discretionary in nature – i.e. where managers are being proactive - is very low meaning that medium-term growth initiatives will likely suffer. Catalysis measures this and, although there are issues with capturing something so complex and subjective, our rule of thumb is that anything below 20% (a day a week) for top team members is too little and creates a nasty cycle where a team is too busy to take the actions to become less busy.
In team questionnaires we note that often the teams who score their bandwidth lowest also signal that management time is being wasted. That apparent contradiction (surely time pressure would cause only top priorities to be pursued) can be explained by what could be thought of as a managerial traffic jam. Pressures in one function cause bottlenecks for other functions who then create complexity and inefficiency by trying work-arounds.
Plenty of research on major accidents has shown how influenced they are by tiredness on the part of decision-makers which causes inflexibility of thought. Mistakes in growth companies are less likely to be deadly, but performance, problem-solving and well-balanced communication are all diminished by excessive work.
Overall, for most of the companies we deal with, the bandwidth ‘budget’ is even tighter than the financial one. However, the mechanisms used to measure and manage it are usually haphazard which is why the issue can be persistent, even intractable, especially if new projects and requests arrive faster than bandwidth is being increased.
What can we do about it?
The good news is that there are multiple approaches which can be deployed to shift teams from a vicious downward cycle to a healthier upward one. If discretionary time can be raised above a minimum level, then some of that time can be ‘reinvested’ into new bandwidth-enhancing improvements.
The list below is not intended to be comprehensive or handled as a big change programme. Instead, it is something to be brainstormed to identify the quickest wins and/or the biggest wins. The list divides into approaches to reduce the demand for bandwidth and those which increase the supply of it.Reduce bandwidth
Reduce demands
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When we analyse activities, clients, initiatives, offerings, geographies etc. we normally discover that some are much more valuable than others, especially when time costs are taken into consideration. The simplest and most powerful effect of strategic thinking is to simply stop doing low value stuff. Eliminating time-eaters not only releases the bandwidth they currently consume but allows higher value priorities to benefit from more time.
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If we get managers to list all the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities they hold, it becomes easier to spot which of those are essential and which ones are just leftovers from previous decisions and might be better reallocated. Comparing lists as a team can be even more powerful.
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One reason that we can end up muddled between our priorities is that business-as-usual (BAU) activities get mixed up with strategic initiatives and things which are just interesting ideas. Those three categories need careful separation using a clear and formal process by which activities can transition from ideas (which may receive carefully limited resource) to initiatives (limited in number, but benefitting from serious time and cash) to BAU (stable and well-controlled on-going activities). The airlocks are agreed criteria policing the boundaries.
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It is frequently the case that the same few people are involved in most major change and improvement initiatives and find themselves overloaded – with bad consequences for the individuals and initiatives themselves. It is not difficult to estimate the time budgets of key people and see whether their theoretical commitments significantly exceed 100%. If so, get real and adjust expectations appropriately.
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Most teams have at least a weekly catch-up to think about current priorities and trade-offs. That usually deals well with client demands and one-off events but often misses more proactive efforts. The latter can be added into resourcing tools where those exist (project-based organisations usually have them) or even just included in meeting agendas.
Increase bandwidth
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Bandwidth can be brought in through paying for new hires, of course. But, when cash is tight, or requirements are temporary, there are fractional, interim and project-based options available which can act as a ‘bridge to a bridge’.
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The main people who can pick up activities being ‘peeled off’ the activity portfolios of top team members are their direct reports. That requires clear definition of desired outcomes main tasks and accountability, as well as some level of support. In turn, second tier managers can cascade some of their activities to more junior colleagues.
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The internet has made any number of on-going and project-based activities easier to pass to third parties who are often cheaper and better than a generalist employee could be. Book-keeping, virtual assistance, design, logistics, and code development are all well-established examples. Cost structures and the need to protect core IP will determine the boundaries of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ but considering the topic is worth serious effort. Even just a part-time VA could save top team members hours of crucial time per week.
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Targeted forms of learning and development can help first and second-tier managers become more productive in their roles. Identify what is slowing people down and then get input from someone who knows about training and development options.
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Most managers spend a significant slice of time involved with activities which are insufficiently structured – and therefore time consuming – or repetitive and manual. There are almost unlimited options and tools to help with tidying up chunks of data, knowledge and processes.
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In many companies there are a few areas which slow down everyone’s work. Spotting and addressing those specific bottlenecks within and between functions can have a disproportionate effect on both freeing up bandwidth but also in reducing frustrations.
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Managers often need to jump into issues faced by their subordinates where existing processes, structures and systems are creating uncertainty, drag and inefficiency. Many of those don’t necessarily need major projects to fix them: there are often quick wins available. Asking a small cross-functional working group to identify options for improvement in those areas can be a virtually cost-free way to increase bandwidth and decrease friction for everyone.
The majority of these bandwidth-increasing options require an investment of time (and sometimes also money) before benefits flow. That is why, generally, the best place to start in addressing bandwidth issues is by first finding ways to reduce demands to free up a little capacity for those investments.
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