Simplicity Myopia – a small theory as to why organisations just like humans fail to recognise the obvious and act swiftly.

Remember how fast you used to learn as a child? How open you were to new ideas and how easy it was to learn from your mistakes?  What happens when you grow older why is common sense not as common and why the obvious becomes invisible?   Is there a parallel between the human being and organisational cultures?  Are large and older hospitality organisations more at risk because they are closer towards the end of their life cycle?

Why do we have so many hospitality operations that fail to deliver the basics at a good standard and why can’t operators recognise the simplest of answers and adopt a solution that is so obvious, a child would recognise it?

It’s what I like to think as "simplicity myopia" 

It happens to us as we get older and we forget to trust our instincts. We reach a point when we believe know everything and as such we consider ourselves the experts. We stop using common sense and rely on hardware and software to give us the answers... the more we invest in stupidity the deeper we get in panic and we feel lost but we cannot stop because we already have invested far too much... it happens to individuals and it happens to organisations.

But every now and then a great thinker, inventor or leader comes up. Someone who has managed to silence the noise and has found the child within - reconnected with the true spirit of Philoxenia if you prefer. 

And he or she presents us with a simple idea which is so great and obvious...that makes us think...."Now why didn’t I think of that?"

PS. Is there a cure you ask? Yes “prescription glasses”! Just do not wear someone else’s or the answers will look blurry…