Four Words That Make Us Cringe
March 23, 2009 As I was walking to another gloomy conference on the State of the University, I was thinking about the people who retired or left, and were never replaced. I thought about the extra committees, seminars and advising that those remaining must do because there are fewer of us, less funding and fewer resources. I asked myself, when did all this become so personal to all of us in that room?
And then I remembered. It was the first time an administrator looked us over and said those four words that made me cringe: “Do more with less!”
Have you heard them yet? Are there fewer of you than there were a year ago? In fact, at times, it seems there is nobody left working.
As of late February, 7.6 percent of Americans were unemployed. As awful as that is, that means 92.4 percent of the labor force is still working, and working harder. If you have lost people in your workplace, you have likely been asked to do more with less.
Lexicographers love that phrase because it so vague. The same four words mean very different things to different people. To Jason, an ambitious young man, the phrase means the company will rely on him more, and it’s a chance to make a difference. To Dr. Nalal Gremiata of Ben Nevis State University, “do more with less” means people will be losing their jobs, reduced emphasis on students and program cuts. To Polly, a purchasing manager for a large box store, those four words translate into: “How can I do that? It really means doing what I do less well.”
I listened to an explanation on this seemingly modern phrase and was surprised to learn it was probably first uttered in 1785 by Benjamin Franklin. Of course, he said, “By diligence shall we do more with less perplexity,” meaning things will become easier as we embrace new technology and new industries.
About 100 years later, the French philosopher Frédéric Bastiat stated that man should work to “lessen the ratio of effort to result, in a word to do more with less.” He was referring to allowing industrialization and innovation to help make work easier. He was not talking about working harder. In fact he was talking about putting our feet up.
That meaning did not change until World War II, when people were asked to observe rationing and price rules and “do more with less (resources).” The war completely transformed the meaning of “do more with less.” Quite literally, “do more with less” meant sacrifice was required. Even after the war was over and economic stability returned, the meaning did not budge and over time achieved catchphrase status.
And now it is back, like weeds in a field, showing up again during these difficult times. Perhaps we ought to be looking at it a little differently. Michael Kanazawa, in his 2008 book “Big Ideas to Big Results” suggests replacing “do more with less” with “do more on less,” meaning using more resources, more staffing and more focus but on fewer initiatives.
Kanazawa suggests prioritizing the most important and high-impact initiatives and providing new levels of resources in order to focus on delivering results on those top priorities. His mantra: determine the top priorities, and realign resources at the right levels to ensure success.
So times are tough, and if we are fortunate enough to retain our jobs, the truth of the matter is we will be doing more with less. As for me, I will be a Polyanna and believe I am more in demand and more valuable than ever. I will also tell my employees at the Trial Garden just that – because it is true. Additionally, I will reduce my projects so I can focus my resources on my most important initiatives.
As for the rest of you, get used to hearing that four-word phrase, and do with it as you see fit.
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