The Productivity Revolution Why subtraction is the new optimisation

For many years, business leaders have approached productivity as a process of accumulation. But as we add layer upon layer of initiatives, approvals and activities, we rarely take the time to ask what no longer serves a purpose. In fact, over-committed calendars, and excessive meetings in particular, have been shown to diminish both productivity and well-being, prompting leading companies to adopt practices like meeting-free days and calendar audits to restore focus

What we overlook is that complexity, once helpful, can become a hindrance. Legacy systems remain untouched, outdated routines persist, and team members continue to operate under assumptions made long ago in a different context. In time, these invisible accumulations begin to weigh heavily on an organisation's capacity to think clearly, move quickly and perform effectively. This weight is not always obvious, and that is precisely why it is so dangerous. The modern business environment demands a new kind of optimisation - one that begins by considering what can be removed.

As someone who has spent the last two decades helping leaders simplify and sharpen the way they work, I've seen that the most powerful performance improvements often come not from doing more, but from choosing less.

A new lens on organisational clarity

The concept of strategic subtraction invites leaders to rethink the way they drive performance. Rather than seeking improvement solely through addition, it suggests we make space by releasing the structures, processes and beliefs that no longer deliver value. I refer to these elements as red bricks. Things that are embedded in our culture and systems that quietly accumulate over time and create unnecessary friction. Some of these red bricks are small and easy to shift, like recurring meetings that have lost relevance or reports that are no longer used. Others are more deeply embedded, including legacy policies, ingrained behaviours or long-held assumptions about how things should be done.

In one of my workshops, I use a simple LEGO® bridge to demonstrate this idea. When asked how to fix its imbalance, most participants instinctively reach for another block to add. Very few consider that the most effective solution might be to remove the one block that is causing the instability. This small moment often triggers a significant mindset shift. We are conditioned to solve problems by adding, when in fact, the most powerful and sustainable solutions may lie in subtraction.

This tendency is backed by research from the University of Virginia, published in Nature, which found that people overwhelmingly default to additive solutions even when subtracting is faster, cheaper or more effective.

When leaders begin to see red bricks for what they are - obstacles rather than obligations - they can begin the process of untangling the unnecessary. This is not an act of reduction for its own sake, but a deliberate clearing to reveal what truly matters.

Leadership with lighter hands

The pressure to perform, innovate and stay ahead has created a culture in which doing more is equated with leading well. In reality, the leaders who consistently generate momentum are those who cultivate a habit of stepping back, observing with a wider lens and making decisions that reduce noise.

Organisations that perform at a high level tend to be those that question their operating assumptions frequently. They resist the pull of tradition when it no longer serves them and have the confidence to simplify even when complexity appears more sophisticated. These leaders empower their teams to name what is no longer useful and create environments where subtraction is viewed not as a failure to innovate, but as a mark of strategic clarity.

Letting go of outdated processes, redundant meetings or unexamined expectations requires a level of discernment that often runs counter to conventional leadership norms. Yet this practice, when embedded into the culture, can transform how decisions are made, how time is spent and how teams align around what truly drives performance.

Creating a culture that values space

The long-term opportunity in subtraction is not just operational efficiency but cultural transformation. When teams experience the freedom that comes from reduced clutter, both mental and procedural, they begin to approach their work with more intention and engagement.

To fostering this shift, begins with asking better questions. Is this activity still useful? What would happen if we simply stopped doing it? Who benefits from this process, and is that benefit still relevant? These questions can be embedded into project reviews, leadership conversations and strategy sessions to help identify and release the red bricks that slow progress.

Ultimately, subtraction is a practice that, when adopted at all levels of an organisation, allows clarity and focus to become part of the culture. It is through this lens that we begin to see the future of productivity not as an arms race of activity, but as a considered approach to impact. One that prioritises space, sharpens attention and makes room for what matters most.