I find it puzzling that people often refer to business software as “productivity apps.” They infer that the mere usage of those software programs will make our tasks faster, less cumbersome and more profitable.
Experience has taught us that the opposite is the case. After putting lots of effort into learning to use the software, the only visible results are stress, chaos and disappointment. Indeed, the software has brought about some advantages, but it has created other problems that we need to solve.
I am in favour of innovation, but not blindly and at any cost. The whole point of working and enterprise is to generate value added, not to detract value. Before adopting innovations, it’s up to us to check the downside and calculate the hidden costs.
In this sense, I must resolutely oppose the modern tendency to conflate innovation with technology. If our objective is to do things better, the solution is not always technology, especially software.
History proves my point. The standard of living in Ancient Rome, for instance in the 2nd century AD was vastly superior to the Middle Ages. After the barbarians started to invade France, Spain and Italy, free trade became the exception rather than the norm, and productivity came down crashing.
Wasted energy and time
Did Ancient Romans have better technology than people in the Middle Ages? Did they know more about architecture and agriculture than people ten centuries later? No, they obviously did not, I mean, not overall. We can find buildings from the 9th and 10th centuries that are impressively well-built.
The problem in the Middle Ages was not technology, but an appallingly low level of productivity. It’s not that people lacked agricultural and industrial tools, but that they lacked the desire to design them, build them, and use them.
Nowadays, we face exactly the same problem in many areas of society and in many countries of the world. The technology could be acquired and employed productively, but instead of doing so, people have other priorities. Or even worse, they get down to acquiring new machines, but when they install them on the factory floor, the results prove disappointing.
The wrong mindset will harm productivity, no matter how much innovation, software and financial resources are factored into the equation. Narrow-mindedness, blind conformity, and ethical confusion can undermine any attempt at increasing the output of a company, a country, or a continent.
For most individuals living in Europe, the standard of living of Ancient Rome in the 2nd century AD remained unsurpassed until the 16th century. If you do not believe me, take a walk in the ruins of ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum, and compare them to a medieval European city.
The key insight
My point is that, even in the absence of improved machines, software and financial resources, we can raise our productivity if we improve our mindset. The benefits would be tangible and intangible: on the one hand, less effort and a larger output, and on the other hand, less stress and stronger feelings of harmony.
The experiment can be performed in many ways, but for the sake of simplicity, I am going to base my explanations on the Taoist mindset. It’s easier for me to provide the details because I have seen first-hand the increased productivity resulting from the Taoist mindset.
When Lao-Tzu conceived Taoism in the 6th century BC, I’m sure that he was not aiming at increasing our productivity, but I regard productivity improvements as the inevitable benefit of a sharper, more determined mindset. That’s the kind of mindset that ensues from studying and internalising the Tao Te Ching.
My comment about Lao-Tzu’s ideas also applies to those of Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu. When ancient Taoists wrote stories to warn us against blind conformity, they did not realise that, in doing so, they were delineating the path to higher productivity.
For what concerns the Tao Te Ching, chapter 78 formulates the key idea in this area, namely, that softness overcomes hard obstacles. How is the victory achieved? By undermining hard obstacles, by dissolving them, or by circumventing them.
Without thorough understanding of this insight, it’s unlikely that someone will achieve a productivity breakthrough. Taoists are familiar with this chapter of the Tao Te Ching, but the same insight can be gained by other means.
In the Middle Ages, the mindset remained unchanged for a very long period of time without any noticeable improvement. Nothing improved despite the fact that generations succeeded each other, century after century.
The medieval mental structure was congealed and inflexible despite the physical suffering generated by low productivity. If the harvest proved poor one summer, people would go hungry the ensuing winter and many would starve, but still, they kept going without asking any question.
Why did they not improve? Because they couldn’t conceive of soft changes and peaceful victories. The medieval idea of social change was a peasant revolt, which more often than not, ended in bloodshed and things went back to the starting point.
In contrast, Taoists concentrate on softness and flexibility. They discard confrontation from the very beginning, and will devote their energies to finding a workable path. I mean ways to circumvent, undermine or dissolve the main obstacle.
In the Middle Ages, someone possessing the Taoist mindset might have moved to a location that enabled him to employ his talents freely and grow his own business. In current times, that same person might decide to relocate to a more promising city or country.
How it works in practice
Taoists will immediately identify the blocking point and go about circumventing it. Thus, they won’t spend time discussing the need to change the whole world because they regard those discussions as unproductive.
Huge productivity gains are possible if we identify the main obstacle that is keeping us down and then find a solution. Does it sound easy enough? In theory, it does, but then, we may ask ourselves why so few people operate in this way.
The problem is the mindset, just as Lao-Tzu had predicted. I cannot emphasize this insight strongly enough. No amount of financial resources, new technologies or software can remove this type of obstacle. It is primarily a philosophical issue.
By focusing our energy and skills on removing the primary obstacle, we can move from losing to winning, from marginal player to major player, and from stagnation to growth.
Nobody needs to waste years or decades, hoping that things will get better on their own. If we do nothing, the situation will remain unchanged. If we don’t change our mindset, we will not be able to identify the opportunities.
Problems may appear daunting, unassailable or impregnable like they did for generations during the Middle Ages, but that’s not a reason for discouragement. The Taoist mindset can prove invaluable in setting crucial obstacles apart from the rest. Let’s focus on the former and enjoy the benefits of high productivity.
If you want to apply effective ideas in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “Asymmetry: The shortcut to success when success seems impossible.”