When Doing Less Adds Up to More

Companies that reduce and simplify workload on the front lines find that they can position employees to deliver a better customer experience.

Zeynep Ton

May 11, 2023

Imagine that, as a new executive at a retail company with stagnating sales, you’re tasked with finding new ways to grow revenues. After studying the market, you propose a new line of products to be sold in all of your locations. Upon launching the new product line, however, sales aren’t as robust as expected, so you introduce price promotions and give the new lineup more prominent store placement. Yet sales still don’t budge.

When you visit stores to investigate, you find that some locations haven’t rearranged the store layout and others haven’t ...