You really should watch this inspiring Ted talk by Yves Morieux about how to simplify cooperation for better realization in companies. If you have 12 minutes to spare you’re in for a treat, as Yves gives an energetic speech about the counterproductive ways we handle the complexity in today’s organizations.

According to Yves, the pillars of management are obsolete and don’t work in the new complexity of business. To deal with it, companies add even more complexity. This results in miserable employees that often act against the interest of the company. Instead of adding complexity we should be removing it by focusing on the interplay between people and functions.

Here are the six rules to simplify cooperation by Yves:

• Understand what others do. Look beyond their job descriptions and into the real content of their work.

• Remove layers to support managers so that they have the power and interest to make others cooperate.

• Being empowering will allow others to use their own judgement and intelligence. When people have more cards to play, they will be more inclined to move out of insulation and take the risk to cooperate.

• Create feedback loops that expose people to the consequences of their actions.

• Increase employees’ reciprocity by removing the buffers that make them self-sufficient. People, projects and business units with independent budgets and goals will not be as eager to cooperate as those who are rewarded for achieving shared goals.

• Reward those who cooperate and expose those who don’t.

Enjoy!