Dr.
Eliyahu Goldratt
The Choice
Productivity
& Quality Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2009. pp. 173, Rs. 269
The Choice is yet another gem from the author
of “The Goal” and “It’s Not Luck”, Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, famous for his Theory
of Constraints. This is one of the last books written by Dr. Goldratt in his
short illustrious life.
The Choice is a natural progression from the
two earlier books. In the first he enlightened readers about the concept of
identifying the key constraint in a system and trying to resolve it for better
output. While in the latter, he went a step ahead in explaining how to handle
complex problems using the cause and effect method. Once we define all the
probable causes, we can pinpoint the root cause and go about eliminating it.
The brilliance of this book lies in the basic
message that people perceive business to be something extremely complex and
thus requiring complex solutions for challenges. The honest fact is business is inherently simple if we look properly.
The reason for this mindset lies in our inability to draw a proper cause and
effect relationship between business variables and to analyze the common trends.
All it requires is a dose of common sense and a keen eye for detail. Dr.
Goldratt challenges the readers to think from a fresh perspective and shed all
the old long-held notions and assumptions in the process to develop a fresh
vision. He suggests that if we have clarity of thought, we can surmount any
kind of conflict and come to a harmonious outcome.
Dr. Goldratt professes the concept of
“Inherent Simplicity” in this book. A remarkable quote that he mentions explains
the meaning – “As Newton said: when you dig deeper, you will find out
that nature is simple and harmonious with itself.” He proposes that we pursue a
scientists approach in problem solving by designing a system and building
relations instead of looking at issues in isolation.
Look at the
following diagram, which system is complex? The first reaction is to say System
B; however it is System A which is more complex if we consider the systems
approach to degrees of freedom.
In System B,
if we touch one point we can impact the entire system which is not the case
with System A. Thus, once we identify the root cause and fix it, we can see
remarkable change in the outcome. He suggests that there are selected few
reasons for inefficiency in business and stunted growth – our idea of
everything being complex which stops us from looking for simple solutions, our
tendency to conceal the core problem by focusing on multiple fringe issues
(which increases the sense of complexity) and the worst of all is our
propensity to blame everyone for the problem but ourselves. The knowledge imparted in this book can be applied in all
kinds of industry segments with similar levels of success. If you look around,
you will be able to identify the situations highlighted in the book.
Through a series of concentrated conversation
with his daughter Efrat, Dr. Goldratt provokes his readers to find harmony in
their environment through simple thinking. He asserts that there is always a
scope to improve and create opportunities without getting bogged down by
obstacles which are all creation of our mind. People can achieve astounding
results by creating a win-win situation with their business collaborators,
suppliers and stakeholders. Here he cautions the readers to first identify the
“wins” for the other party. This builds trust. Often we try to search for our
wins and then selling the idea to our business partners thus hitting a road
block.
The foundation of this book is an internal
report titled “Freedom of Choice” by Dr. Goldratt written for his own
consultancy in 2007.
I strongly recommend this book to business
owners and senior management of companies who are keen to create exponential
growth of their business. The contents are most suitable for people who have
strong understanding of manufacturing industry without which you will not be
able to fully leverage the power of the contents of this amazing book.
Eliyahu Goldratt is a well-known scientist, educator and
business guru. His Theory of Constraints (TOC) is part of the management
lectures of leading business school MBA programs all over the world. Readers will
derive tremendous value and business insight from the discourse in this remarkable
book. However, this book will require your patience and attention and it is not
meant for all. One cannot read the whole book in two hours and learn any
valuable lesson. Unlike his other books, this one is more in-depth and provokes
us to peacefully think and ponder, to identify similar issues in our own
business and empower us to make some ground breaking changes in our approach to
increase our revenues and grow. I highlighted parts of the book while reading
it for the first time and go back to it quite often when I come across
obstacles in my workplace. It gives me a definitive direction and inspiration
to come out as a winner.
Published in TISA April 2013 Issue. 