The Friction Project

What you can learn

Sutton and Rao distinguish destructive friction, which wastes attention and blocks useful work, from helpful friction, which slows unsafe or careless action. Their organizational examples examine burdens such as needless additions, broken connections, confusing language and frantic work. Leaders are encouraged to take responsibility for other people’s time. [1]

That distinction makes the book more valuable than a simple call for speed. A repeated form may deserve removal; a review before releasing private information may deserve protection. For a small organization, the central question is whether a process makes service more dependable for the person using it.

Read critically

A frustrating step may protect someone whose needs are invisible to the manager. Before deleting it, ask workers and customers what it accomplishes. Large-company stories also need adjustment for unreliable connectivity, limited staffing and scarce equipment. The book is especially useful for supervisors, teachers, nonprofit organizers and anyone maintaining a recurring service.

A seven-day value experiment

Choose one routine request, such as confirming a reservation or borrowing equipment. On the first two days, follow it from start to finish and count handoffs, repeated questions and waiting. Ask two users where they became confused. Replace one unnecessary handoff with a clear instruction and named contact.

Use an existing notebook and communication channel. Preserve receipts, consent and safety checks. Try the change on a few voluntary requests, with a simple way to return to the old process if it fails. Compare completion time, errors and the user’s effort at the end of the week. A faster process that creates more mistakes has not improved.

Discuss: What inconvenience have we accepted because the person experiencing it has less power than the person designing the process?