DESIGN ORGANISATION AND ENVIRONMENT / TOMÁS RODRÍGUEZ

But what is this 'slow' movement? What about 'slow work'? The message preached by Philosophy slow is very simple: do things at the right speed. There are times to go fast but there are also times when we need to go slow, and within both there is an infinite range of speeds. Prioritise quality over quantity, be aware of what we are doing, be in the present, here and now. 

Along the same lines is the concept of 'slow work', i.e. the application of Philosophy slow to the workplace. It basically proposes the regulation of energies in the work, the carrying out of one task at a time (as far as possible avoiding the so famous multitasking) and working with awareness. This Philosophy advocates a balance, a harmony between the working life and staff of workers, which does not mean less productivity. Numerous studies and experts affirm with certainty that work carried out in a calm and conscious manner and not under high levels of stress are the ones that achieve the best and greatest results. 

However, the big question that arises in the business world is how can we - if at all - slow down in an environment where agile methodologies are prioritised? 

 How do we know how to stop, if we reward the "minute to minute", the daily value of the share (in listed companies), immediate results and profits for tomorrow? 

As we know, the use of agile methodologies(Line, Scrum or Agile) is something that has swept in recent years with the design of the experience of employee, the methods of work and the organisation of teams in companies. The principles and values on which agile methodologies are based have as their most important characteristics to deliver quickly and continuously, generally in teams that are multidisciplinary. It has become common to hear words like daily, retro, sprints and agile coach, as well as praise for model Spotify, in the day-to-day life of large organisations. We live in a frenetic business world, and, what's more, it seems to have become fashionable. 

But then, can we harmonise two concepts that at first sight appear to be opposites? The answer is yes, but beware, it will not be a simple path. 

According to the study Enhancing creativity through mindless work, our brain needs to alternate between cognitively demanding tasks and much simpler ones in order to be more efficient, so that we can perform better when it is really necessary. 

This article points out that "the qualities of a piece of music are not only captured in the arrangement of the notes, but also in the arrangement of the rests between notes". In other words, just as it is necessary to go fast in the different circumstances that the work merits, it is equally essential to go slowly and know how to slow down. Just as we need speed, noise and complexity, we need breathing, stopping and simplicity. Because both make the whole, both achieve the best result and together they achieve the best version of the melody. Agile and slow, sound and silence, and between them, an infinite range. 

They are not opposing concepts, they are concepts that complement each other, and each has its place at certain moments in the conference of work. Of course, challenge is about knowing when to slow down and when to slow down, when to move forward and when to stop. 

What is clear is what Honore shouts out loud: "the idea that to be successful it is only possible to go at turbo speed is the most poisonous, toxic and absurd lie in the world" . This is because we need to stop, because stopping is as valuable as moving forward, because silence is as valuable as notes, and because agility is as valuable as slowness. As we said, they complement each other and both are necessary in our working life. We cannot be agile all the time, and this is perhaps the most complex thing for companies to understand: a worker who knows how to stop is a worker who will know when to really move forward, and when he/she does, he/she will be much more productive. 

Agile methodologies seek productivity, and the slow movement has exactly the same consequence, so the organisations that best know how to combine both practices will be the ones that obtain the greatest benefits. Benefits in terms of experience, work-life balance, and undoubtedly, in their bottom line. 

The logic of all this is quite simple: there is no human being who works at full speed for an indefinite period of time, and if we expect him to do so, his results will not be good. But even if the results are "good" (or convenient for business) through a fully agile methodology, there is no doubt that they would be much better if there were clear guidelines for breaks, stops, slowness, organisation, digital disconnection and 'slow work' that interact harmoniously with the agile culture in the day-to-day work. 

Because here is the big issue: this is not idealism or a dead letter, knowing when to speed up and when to stop is a great virtue (with tangible benefits) that is sadly lacking due to the misconception that "faster is always better". 

One thing is clear from the above: to succeed in a fast-paced world, we must slow down, stop and look where we are going. Companies will be challenged to understand that "faster is always better, but not always", that slowness well applied produces greater economic benefits and that employees -sooner rather than later- will demand a pace from work that is manageable and does not make them collapse.