Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking

by Shane Snow

Ferrari crewmembers operated with lots of physical space between each other; the hospital staff constantly got in each other’s way—by virtue of the small space, they claimed. But a dozen grown men with power tools managed to gather round about as small a space during every race without bottlenecking anybody. Ferrari pit crews had a dedicated overseer who ran the show. This overseer, often called a “lollipop man,” would stand back to watch and direct the operation holistically. Only when he waved his flag would the car be allowed back onto the track. In a hospital room full of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses, there was no conductor, no lollipop man. Each staff member simply helped out where he or she thought help was needed. Finally, the GOSH doctors noted that the Ferrari technicians worked in silence. In contrast, hospital handovers were full of chatter; they not only talked through what was happening (“Ventilator is reattached!”) but just chatted during the procedure.