2 Red Work, Blue Work

REd work, Blue work

Making time for thinking, as well as doing, for everyone

Start

Icons Explained

Throughout the course, you will encounter various icons that indicate the focus of each section.

Question or Quiz

An activity to help you think about yourself or test your knowldege.

Information

Some knowledge to help you develop your understanding of IBL

Original content featuring David Marquet and the Santa Fe.

From the submarine

Observation

An activity to help you better understand your current situation

Reflection

Questions to help you think about the results of your IBL experiments

Additonal bonus content

Original David Marquet content and reading, links and videos designed to deepen your understanding.

IBL in Practice

An example of IBL being used in practice to support your understanding

An experiment

A challenge to help you put your new knowledge into practice

Audio

Unmute and turn the volume up there is audio on this page

Select the person doing a job that requires thinking and decision making

Yes most of the other people seem to be doing the same task

Unmute here for voiceover

Click if you need a hint?

here

Imagine you were looking at a job description for the person doing this work.

Now lets think about the people doing the other work?

We call this Red Work (the doing) and Blue Work (deciding).

Traditionally organizations have been designed around decision-making

More about Red Work and Blue Work

Our objective is not to imply that Blue Work is superior to Red Work or vice versa. Both types of work are essential and must be executed effectively.

Blue Work

Red Work

The key is making sure the people doing the red work are included in the blue work

A Story about Red Work & Blue Work

Blue Work Examples

By empowering employees who typically do Red Work to participate in Blue Work everyone wins, you unlock a new point of view, improve creativity and engagement, and open up to continuous improvement while the employee feels valued and that their thoughts and opinions matter.

Red Work, Blue Work Key Takeaways

• Red Work is about execution, efficiency, and getting things done

• Blue Work is about strategy, problem-solving, and decision-making

• Traditional leadership separates them, leading to disengagement and slow adaptation

• Intent-Based Leadership encourages blending Red and Blue Work so that thinking includes those closer to the work

• By involving more people in thinking and planning, you create an organization that is more engaged, adaptable, and innovative

End of Unit

Make a note of your key takeaways, and then you are ready to move onto Observation. Press escape to exit full screen and continue to the next section.

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More Information

Junior Team Member in Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning

Example: An entry-level employee typically follows instructions without being involved in high-level planning (Red Work). Blue Work Opportunity: Invite them to a leadership meeting as an observer and ask, “What’s one thing we could do differently to be more effective as a team?”

Factory Worker in Safety and Efficiency Planning

Factory Worker

Example: A machine operator typically follows set procedures on the production floor (Red Work). Blue Work Opportunity: Instead of only supervisors making efficiency adjustments, invite the operator to a meeting and ask, “Where do you see waste or inefficiency in our process?”

Customer Support Representative in Policy Decisions

Call center agent

Example: A call center agent primarily answers customer queries and follows scripts (Red Work). Blue Work Opportunity: Include them in a discussion about customer pain points and ask, “What are the most common complaints, and how could we solve them?”

An example of Red Work and Blue Work from David Marquet

Blue Work

Thinking​ Decision Making​ Challenge​ Embracing Variability​ Divergence​ Change​

Frontline Employee in Process Improvement

A cashier in a retail store

Example: A cashier in a retail store is usually focused on scanning items and handling transactions (Red Work). Blue Work Opportunity: Ask the cashier, “What’s one thing we could improve to make checkout faster or easier?” Then, invite them to a team meeting where process improvements are discussed.

Red Work

Doing​ Execution of tasks​ Compliance​ Reduces Variability​ Consistency​ Repetition​

What is Blue Work?

Bluework consists of the creative, collaborative, and analytical aspects of work. Brainstorming, problem-solving, and designing are all integral to bluework. Designing the processes that factory workers on an assembly line will use, the products they will create, and how those products will be updated is a crucial part of bluework. Variability is an ally to bluework. Embracing variability, independent thinking, and alternative perspectives enhances the effectiveness of bluework.

What is Red Work?

Red Work is about doing, and reducing variability. Red Work focuses on a proving mindset and a performance mindset. In Red Work, you seek to complete a task without needing to decide what or how. Red Work is about being in control and taking charge. For example: Process work effectively and avoid errors. Achieve predictability and maintain controllability.

Housekeeping Staff in Guest Experience Planning

Housekeeping Staff

Example: A hotel housekeeper cleans rooms and follows standard procedures (Red Work). Blue Work Opportunity: Ask them, “What’s something small we could add to the rooms to make guests feel more welcome?” Then, invite them to a meeting where guest experience is discussed.