“Everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler” Albert Einstein…maybe?
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of participating in organizational development and social network development, primarily in church and nonprofit settings. I’ve witnessed the formation of networks of communities from the grassroots level, growing from zero activity or involvement to numbers of people much greater than zero. One of the principles that early on started guiding the work I was doing can be best summed up in the quote above: “Everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler.” While the origin of this quote is uncertain, its essence has been incredibly helpful and meaningful to me.
As this quote became a guiding light for me, I strove to apply its wisdom in all aspects of my work. I believe that finding the perfect balance between simplicity and complexity is crucial for building strong, sustainable and resilient networks and organizations.
That balance though is a tough chord to strike. I’ve come to realize that there are dangers in both under-simplification and over-simplification. If we don’t simplify enough, we risk building heavy, cumbersome structures prevent organic growth; any work that needs doing gets bogged down in red tape rather than healthy systems. On the other hand, if we simplify too much, our networks, organizations, and structures may not have the necessary foundations to support themselves. The opposite then happens - work stalls out because there is no guiding system or thread to support what needs to be done.
Again - it can be a hard balance to maintain but that sweet spot of as simple as possible but not simpler can empower so much!