In efficient systems, people spend their time creating value. In inefficient ones, they spend time trying to cope. What percentage of the work in your organization exists only to manage the consequences of a poor system?
Imagine a team stuck in recurring coordination meetings. The meetings initially seem helpful as everyone is trying to stay aligned. However, as time goes on, the same topics are repeated. Progress stalls and decisions are revisited. The meetings soon become part of the problem, but without them, the lack of structure and clarity would become even more visible.
This problem is defined by our CEO Niklas Modig as superfluous work. It refers to all the activities that wouldn’t exist if the system was functioning efficiently. It's work created, not because it adds value, but because people are trying to compensate for a system that doesn’t operate.
Why is it dangerous? Because it becomes embedded in a work culture and masks itself as productivity when it’s really a sign of deeper inefficiencies. It’s often created with good intentions to avoid errors, ensure communication, or reduce risk which is why it rarely gets questioned.
The Root Cause of Secondary Needs
We recently worked with a client that needed to improve their productivity. The managers wanted to squeeze more from every person and the employees demanded an increase in manpower. No one really knew what the actual situation was until they did a Flow Efficiency Analysis with us. From the results, the team identified several blockers for collaboration and inefficient countermeasures. After digging even deeper, they realized they spent most of their workday (5 hours) doing superfluous work and only 3 hours focusing on tasks that made an impact.
The outcome of this was that their customers were often left frustrated and waiting for answers. The problem arose from silo thinking; different functions weren’t communicating properly during handovers which meant time was lost, responsibilities were unclear, management were sometimes the ones causing the stoppages and the flow broke down. Once they created a common understanding and a clear sense of the current way of working, things started to improve.
The diagram below illustrates their current state and what they were aiming to improve – step by step.
We have seen how quickly organizations regain energy when they stop treating the symptoms and start addressing the system itself. When flow efficiency improves, handovers are simplified, roles are clarified and resource availability is made transparent, the need for superfluous work decreases. People no longer need to compensate and they can focus on creating real value.
Think about your typical workday. How much time do you spend in meetings where the only outcome is scheduling another meeting? Or creating detailed reports that you suspect nobody ever reads?
Superfluous work is not always easy to spot. It hides behind busyness and good intentions which is why it's important to take a step back and start asking yourself why certain activities exist. By doing this you can uncover where time and energy are being lost and more to the point, you can do something about it.
Here are some tips on how to spot and eliminate superfluous work:
When you recognize superfluous work as a symptom, not a solution, you can start tackling inefficiency at its source. When that happens, you'll find your organization not only saves time and resources, but your teams become more engaged, motivated, and focused.
If your curious about how barriers arise from silos, check out my previous post: https://hups.com/blog/whats-your-baton
