📚 Should You Read This?
Toby's Rating: 7/10
The Friction Project tackles a really important challenge we all face at work. This book helps leaders identify and address friction—those hidden forces that slow down productivity and burn out teams. It’s a practical guide for creating an environment where the right things flow smoothly while intentionally adding friction to prevent undesirable behaviours. Leaders seeking to streamline operations, eliminate waste, and build a more agile organisation will find tremendous value in the book.
✅ Toby's Top Takeaway From The Friction Project by Robert Sutton, Huggy Rao
Why is it so hard to work here?
Getting stuff done can be so damn hard.
These are perfect examples:
The healthcare CEO who bombarded thousands of employees with so many long, dull, and complicated email missives that they nicknamed him Dr. TLDR (too long; didn’t read).
The convoluted forty-two-page document inflicted on 2.5 million Michigan residents each year who applied for childcare, food, and healthcare support from the state. At eighteen thousand words and more than one thousand questions, it was the longest benefits form in the United States.
Three hundred thousand hours a year. That’s how much time executive committee members and their underlings spent preparing for the weekly ExCom meeting at a big company.
The exasperated hiring manager, to onboard just one new hire, struggled to complete over 50 manual requests to get access to the tools needed. Even worse, it turned out that they missed the most important request, a badge, which meant the new hire couldn't access the building when they arrived.
This pain is explored in The Friction Project by Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao.
They spent decades analysing friction within organisations. They identified five ways you can be an effective Friction Fixer:
Less Is More - Avoid “addition bias,” which assumes more meetings or roles improve productivity. Use the “rule of halves”: reduce time or complexity by 50%, and only add back what’s necessary.
Be a Trustee of Employee's Time - Great friction fixers prioritise others’ time. Sutton shares a story about a DMV worker streamlining the process by handing out forms early, cutting waiting times significantly.
Cut the Corporate Speak - Replace convoluted lingo with simple, clear language that everyone can understand. Straightforward communication reduces confusion and speeds up decision-making.
Embrace Slowing Down - Not all friction is bad. Slowing down creative processes allows for better ideas to emerge. Practice "previctorems" and "premortems" to anticipate success and failure.
Involve Everyone in Fixing Friction - Elimination must be a collective effort. Campaigns like Hawaii Pacific Health's “Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff” empower everyone, from top executives to frontline staff, to contribute.
One of the most important Leadership tasks is to be a trustee of employee's time.
Be a Friction Fixer.
💡 3 Big Ideas From The Friction Project by Robert Sutton, Huggy Rao
Leaders as Friction Fixers - Sadly, leaders are often friction creators, not friction fixers. It's not intentional, but often simple decisions can lead to hundreds of hours of waste. The book introduces the concept of leaders as “trustees of others' time.” Effective leaders remove obstacles that waste time and energy, empowering teams to focus on high-impact tasks. These leaders know when to add constructive friction, encouraging thoughtful decision-making rather than impulsive actions.
The Help Pyramid for Solving Friction - The authors outline a five-level Help Pyramid to tackle friction. It ranges from reframing the issue to reducing its psychological weight, navigating around systemic obstacles, shielding teams from unnecessary burdens, and ultimately redesigning organisational structures for long-term improvement.
Good Friction vs. Bad Friction - Not all friction is detrimental. Leaders must differentiate between helpful friction, which promotes debate and critical thinking, and harmful friction, which saps morale and slows progress. The book guides readers through making deliberate choices about when to smooth processes and when to introduce friction for better outcomes.
💬 Best Quotes From The Friction Project by Robert Sutton, Huggy Rao
"Being a trustee of others' time is a hallmark of skilled friction fixers. They take pride in removing obstacles that squander time and energy."
"Organizations are malleable prototypes; friction fixers treat systems as changeable and temporary."
"Friction requires constant vigilance. Like mowing the lawn, it's a never-ending task."
"Celebrate and reward doers, not posers—those who take action rather than merely talking about it."
"Good leaders flatten hierarchies when creativity is needed, but activate them to prevent destructive conflicts."