The Shipping Game

• 6 Ships in the harbor• 1 crane per pier• Each 1 crane offloads 1 ship in 6 days – Two cranes can offload in 3 days, 3 in 2, etc…

• Cranes can be moved at no cost• All captains want their ships offloaded now• Be prepared to defend your strategy

5 Minutes

The Shipping Game

All 1’s: 6+6+6+6+6+6 = 36/6 = 6 days avg

All 2’s: 3+6+3+6+3+6 = 27/6 = 4.5 days avg

All 3’s: 2+4+6+2+4+6 = 24/6 = 4 days avg

All 6’s: 1+2+3+4+5+6 = 21/6 = 3.5 days avg

The Shipping Game

• You make $$$ when ships at sea

• If all 6 ships in port x 6 days = no money

• If one out/day, first 5 make money

What can we learn from The Shipping Game?

The Acceleration TrapScott Grogan, DO, FAAFP

Faculty Development Fellow

Objectives

• Witnessed benefits of resource concentration

• Defined problems w/ org multitasking

• Listed strategies to manage “The Trap”

• Explored our workplace Acceleration Trap

• Committed to Trap-avoiding strategy

Take Home Points

• Multitasking is killing your effectiveness

• Concentrate resources intensively

• Bury unnecessary projects (& celebrate!)

The Acceleration Trap

• Market/corporate pressure, organizations do more…and more…and more…

• Succeed initially, but furious pace = new normal = chronic overloading

• Leaders fight the symptoms, not the cause– Low motivation ≠ laziness

Multitasking Problems

• Student Syndrome

• Parkinson’s Law

• John Medina

The Student Syndrome

The Student Syndrome

Task scheduled available start

Task scheduled completion date

The Student Syndrome

• Delay starting because we have time– Other pressing priorities come first

• Murphy's law sets in

• A difficult project is due in 5 days? – “Can we negotiate for 10?”– Waste built-in safety

Parkinson’s Law

“The demand upon a resource tends to expand to match the supply of the

resource.”

Parkinson’s Law

“The amount of time which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will

take to complete the task.”

Parkinson’s Law

“The amount of time which an organization has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete

the task.”

Parkinson’s Law

• We will fill all available time–Will barely finish on time

• Why?– Judged on results – Future time and budget will be cut

• Pad estimation & budget

John Medina

“Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth.”

Multitasking

• Overestimation of required time

• Rarely have time for multiple projects

• Multiple projects = switching costs

• Bouncing between projects = switching costs

• Poor multitasking = project extensions

Multitasking is killing your effectiveness

Your Responses• Is it hard to get the most important things done because too many other

activities diffuse focus?

• Is there a tendency to continually drive the organization to the limits of its capacity?

• Is it impossible for employees to see the light at the end of the tunnel?

• Do employees talk a lot about how big their workload is?

• Is busyness valued?

• Are managers expected to act as role models by being involved in multiple projects?

• Is “no” a taboo word, even for people who have already taken on too many projects?

• In their free time, do employees keep their cell phones or messaging devices on because they feel they always need to be reachable?

85.7%

100%

50%

85.7%

85.7%

71.4%

85.7%

85.7%

How Can We Proceed?

10 Minutes

Getting Out Of The Trap

• Stop the action

• Be clear about strategy

• Decide how to make decisions

• Declare the turmoil over

Avoiding The Trap

• Institute spring cleaning

• Cap annual goals

• Filter new projects

• Introduce a “burying” culture

Change The Culture

• Focus on one thing for only limited time

• Institute time-outs

• Indulge in successes

• Slow down to speed up

• Model better behavior

• Use feedback systems

Now What?

• Concentrate….

• Bury…

PROJECT

Concentrate & Bury

• As individuals

• What (org) initiatives are you working on?

• Prioritize your list

• We will list all responses 3 Minutes

Concentrate & Bury

• As small groups

• Prioritize the list

• We will hear each group

3 Minutes

Concentrate & Bury

• As a large group

• Prioritize the list

• We will list all responses

3 Minutes

How Can We Proceed?

• Getting out of the Trap

• Avoiding the Trap

• Change the culture

• How can we concentrate our efforts?

• How can we change our culture?

• What can we commit to for the future?

Objectives

• Witnessed benefits of resource concentration

• Defined problems w/ org multitasking

• Listed strategies to manage “The Trap”

• Explored our workplace Acceleration Trap

• Discussed a project to bury

Take Home Points

• Multitasking is killing your effectiveness

• Concentrate resources intensively

• Bury unnecessary projects (& celebrate!)