Simple Changes, Big Results

Content

There's Got to Be a Better Way By Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer Basic Venture, 320 pp., $30

There's Got to Be a Better Way
By Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer
Basic Venture, 320 pp., $30

Content

It's easy to believe that modern companies can't avoid overly complex organizational change. Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer beg to differ. The authors of There's Got to Be a Better Way diagnose why teams spend energy on work-arounds, firefighting, and bureaucratic friction instead of creating lasting value, and they offer a clear, pragmatic blueprint for undoing the clutter that keeps real work from happening.

It's easy to believe that modern companies can't avoid overly complex organizational change. Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer beg to differ. The authors of There's Got to Be a Better Way diagnose why teams spend energy on work-arounds, firefighting, and bureaucratic friction instead of creating lasting value, and they offer a clear, pragmatic blueprint for undoing the clutter that keeps real work from happening.

Content

The authors organize their case around a handful of deceptively simple ideas: Solve the right problem, structure for discovery, connect the human chain, regulate for flow, and visualize the work. Those five principles recur across examples from government agencies, healthcare units, and Fortune 500 firms, and the narrative draws on rigorous research to translate them into hands-on guidance.

The authors organize their case around a handful of deceptively simple ideas: Solve the right problem, structure for discovery, connect the human chain, regulate for flow, and visualize the work. Those five principles recur across examples from government agencies, healthcare units, and Fortune 500 firms, and the narrative draws on rigorous research to translate them into hands-on guidance.

Content

What sets this book apart from others on similar subjects is the authors' eye for flow. Repenning, a longtime Massachusetts Institute of Technology management scholar, and Kieffer, an operations leader and lecturer, combine theory with tools—visual workflows, rapid experiments, and clear diagnostic questions—that teams can apply without a costly transformation program. Their emphasis on visual management as a way to reveal hidden dependencies and surface problems early is especially persuasive and practical.

What sets this book apart from others on similar subjects is the authors' eye for flow. Repenning, a longtime Massachusetts Institute of Technology management scholar, and Kieffer, an operations leader and lecturer, combine theory with tools—visual workflows, rapid experiments, and clear diagnostic questions—that teams can apply without a costly transformation program. Their emphasis on visual management as a way to reveal hidden dependencies and surface problems early is especially persuasive and practical.

Content

Reading There's Got to Be a Better Way felt less like slogging through another management tract and more like getting a field manual. Chapters alternate client stories with short, replicable solutions. For example, one chapter dives into how a casino and resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, used data to assess its performance. The wins the authors discuss show how modest changes compound into significant relief for overloaded teams.

Reading There's Got to Be a Better Way felt less like slogging through another management tract and more like getting a field manual. Chapters alternate client stories with short, replicable solutions. For example, one chapter dives into how a casino and resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, used data to assess its performance. The wins the authors discuss show how modest changes compound into significant relief for overloaded teams.

Content

The book makes it clear that better work design is not a one-off program but a management posture—an ongoing commitment to remove blockers, see work clearly, and protect people's capacity to think. The strategies the authors offer are scalable; small teams can try them tomorrow, while senior leaders can sponsor broader work redesigns. For any leader weary of constant motion without measurable progress, Repenning and Kieffer supply not only critique but a way forward.

The book makes it clear that better work design is not a one-off program but a management posture—an ongoing commitment to remove blockers, see work clearly, and protect people's capacity to think. The strategies the authors offer are scalable; small teams can try them tomorrow, while senior leaders can sponsor broader work redesigns. For any leader weary of constant motion without measurable progress, Repenning and Kieffer supply not only critique but a way forward.