Occam’s Razor is the idea that when comparing multiple possible options, the simplest solution is the best (or most likely) solution. William of Ockham was a fourteenth century English philosopher who is credited with the theory. Born in 1285 in Ockham, England, he spent his life writing, thinking and debating ideas in philosophy, theology and logic. Today, his theory of simplification steers everything from product design, to management strategy to business structuring. Whether someone is looking at a new strategy for launching a product, testing scientific hypotheses, deciding on a recruiting strategy, or anything with multiple options, Occam’s theory argues the simplest one (the one with the fewest assumptions, variables, or moving pieces) is best. In a similar vein, Albert Einstein summarized it well in his quote, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

Simple solutions are preferable because they have fewer moving parts, there are fewer interactions or hand off points that can cause issues, fewer unknowns, and friction is generally minimized. If alternative A requires new funding, C-suite approval, and a board meeting while alternative B requires a subscription to a new software tool, option B is likely the better bet.

Additionally, simple solutions can be executed faster which means you can learn from them faster. If the simple solution is in fact the wrong solution, you’ll figure that out relatively quickly compared to going with a complex option only to find out it’s wrong after a longer timeline and more money and effort are expended.

The term razor refers to distinguishing between two hypotheses either by "shaving away" unnecessary assumptions or cutting apart two similar conclusions. Remember Lean, aka having nothing extra? Sounds familiar.

Occham’s actual quote has been translated as “We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances. Therefore, to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes.”

Occam’s Razor can be applied to both people and process problems. As a manager, at some point there will come a day when two employees are fighting about something that from the outside appears trivial or benign. One person might think there was some malicious activity or plotting against them going on. Another person is thinking a simple mistake was made. Who is right? The first time it happens, the simplest explanation is most likely right; some kind of mistake (with no malicious intent) was likely made. The simple response is to establish exceptions (e.g. everyone needs to get a long).

With processes, when faced with multiple options for how to go from “to do” to “done” the set of steps in the middle that has the fewest moving parts is likely the best option, so long as it gets everything done that is required. A simpler process that misses steps is not in fact a simpler process as it will lead to rework at some point (one of the deadly wastes we saw earlier).

So, whether solving for people related problems or process related problems, establishing a few options and selecting the simplest one that gets everything accomplished is the act of using Occham’s Razor.

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