When we talk about optimisation we often think of
maximising the use of aircraft, airports, passenger loads, revenue,
competitiveness. This kind of action stresses the system and makes it dysfunctional in
many ways, including the overall performance and people involved in it.
In his post ‘Optimized or maximized?’ Seth
Godin inspires us to see the cracks in our professional (and private) lives
when keep pushing things to the maximum:
I
once drove home from college at 100 miles an hour. It saved two hours. My old
car barely made it, and I was hardly able to speak once I peeled
myself out of the car.
That
was maximum speed, but it wasn't optimum.
Systems
have an optimum level of performance. It's the output that permits the elements
(including the humans) to do their best work, to persist at it, to avoid
disasters, bad decisions and burnout.
One
definition of maximization is: A short-term output level of high stress, where
parts degrade but short-term performance is high.
Capitalism
sometimes seeks competitive maximization instead. Who cares if you burn out,
I'll just replace the part...
That's
not a good way to treat people we care about, or systems that we rely on.
As
a valuable contributor seeking to build a career, you benefit when you develop
a unique asset, because that asset gives you the leverage to choose a niche in
a system that respects optimization instead.
