Where to Act: Prioritizing Workplace Improvements

Nathan Bricklin
4 hours ago
3 min read

Reducing Friction at Work (Part 3: From Feedback to Action)

In a previous post, I focused on how to separate signal from noise — identifying which friction points are isolated and which reflect broader patterns.

The next step is deciding where to act.

This is where many organizations struggle.

Once friction is clearly identified, there is often a long list of potential improvements. Some are small and easy to address. Others are more complex and require coordination across teams. All of them can feel important.

But not all improvements deliver the same impact.

The goal is not to fix everything. It is to focus on the changes that will meaningfully improve how work happens.

In practice, that comes down to two things: breadth of impact and depth of impact.

Breadth of impact is about how many people or teams are affected.

Depth of impact is about how much a specific issue slows work down or creates unnecessary effort.

The most valuable improvements are typically those that affect a broad set of employees and meaningfully reduce friction in how work gets done.

For example, improving how decisions are made across teams may have a greater impact than optimizing a single type of workspace. Simplifying a core workflow may reduce more friction than introducing a new tool.

This is also where understanding root cause becomes critical.

What appears to be a workplace issue may not always be solved through changes to space or technology. In many cases, friction is driven by how work is structured or how expectations are set.

Addressing surface-level symptoms without resolving underlying causes can lead to limited or short-lived improvements.

Another important consideration is how improvements fit within the broader system.

Changes to one area can have ripple effects across others. Adjusting workplace design may require changes in work practices. Introducing new tools may require shifts in leadership behavior. Improvements are most effective when they are aligned across environment, work design, leadership, and enablement systems.

This is also where organizations can begin to connect workplace improvements to outcomes.

When friction is reduced in meaningful ways, employees are able to work more effectively. Time is used more productively, collaboration becomes more focused, and work moves more efficiently across teams.

That improvement in how work happens is what ultimately drives better performance.

Prioritization, then, is not just about feasibility or speed. It is about identifying the changes that will have the greatest impact on how work gets done across the organization.

Nathan Bricklin

Senior Consultant, Global Workplace Experience

Helping enterprise leaders close the gap between executive intent and lived employee experience at scale.

Email Nathan

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