Too Little Too Much

A lot of changes are being made in the business world being new technology, new practices, or new improvements. Change and progression can be very good for a business, to stay fresh, and find better and more innovative ways of doing things. But a problem often arises from information overload. To be able to take in information and use it effectively it must be given in a concise and succinct way.
    This article “The Trouble With Too Much Information” tells a story about a company who gave their factory workers improvement initiatives with hundreds of pages of training material causing the workers to make stupid mistakes. “production performance slipped and safety issues surfaced” The factory workers were experiencing too much information to be productive, and as management the last thing wanted is an unproductive team. (Chakravorty)
    As management it is important to know how to directly address your audience with clear, professional language without sounding repetitive or overwhelming. As Markus Reitzig of London Business School points out, idea proposals as management shouldn’t be too skimpy on information, too lengthy, lacking of focus, or insufficient in explanation, but it has to be just right. He says that tone is important, that being a positive attitude toward the topic at hand. He explains, “the fact is, the lower-level managers who screen proposals are busy and have short attention spans.” (Brokaw)
    I completely agree that too much information can be just as unproductive as too little, so as managers it’s your job to be clear, concise, succinct, and always professional.

• Chakravorty, Satya S. "The Trouble With Too Much Information." MIT Sloan Management Review - The New Business of Innovation. Massachusetts Institute Technology, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. <http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-fall/53116/the-trouble-with-too-much-information>.

• Brokaw, Leslie. "The Best Length for an Idea Proposal." Web log post. MIT Sloan Management Review - The New Business of Innovation. Massachusetts Institute Technology, 19 Sept. 2011. Web. <http://sloanreview.mit.edu/improvisations/2011/09/19/why-250-words-is-the-ideal-suggestion-length>.