The CACTUS Way #2: Trust with a simple belief: everyone is good at heart.
“Editors cannot be trusted with making the best decision for customers.”
This is the impression I got when I joined CACTUS as the delivery head of Editage in 2015 and was introduced to the workflow management system. This homegrown system managed the allocation of assignments to around 2000 freelance editors working around the globe. Using smart technology, it automatically matched assignments to editors based on certain criteria, showed the assignment on their interface, and waited for one of them to accept the assignment.
But, as I soon found out, only 24% of all assignments assigned automatically were getting picked up. A whopping 76% had to be allocated manually after they were not picked up by editors within a time frame.
This was one of the first problems Abhishek (Goel, Co-founder and CEO) asked me to look into. The solution seemed straightforward to me: increase the probability of the assignment being picked up by making it visible to more editors. I consulted the managing editors who oversaw the day-to-day operations and freelancer management.
The conversation didn’t go as I expected.
“How many editors can see one assignment?”
“Anywhere from 1 to 12”
“Can we increase it to 100?”
“No…we cannot!”
“Why not?”
“Quality will take a hit. Editors will take on more than what they can handle. So we have to restrict the number of assignments each editor can see.”
These interactions made me think: Do we even trust our editors? Why do we assume quality will take a hit? I knew we had to address the problem, but I was new and my gut instinct went against everything more experienced people were saying. I didn’t want to force my ideas on the team, so I kept discussing the issues with them. It became clear to me that their apprehensions stemmed from their concerns for the customer. They felt that any drastic changes in the way we do things would have an adverse impact on the quality we deliver. I, on the other hand, felt it was important we work with the belief that our editors were as dedicated to our customers as we were. I believed that trusting the editors will make them care about our customers’ happiness.
I asked the team to start experimenting and making changes gradually. “Let’s try to change our mindsets,” I told them. “But let’s use concrete evidence. Your concerns are all valid, so let’s start by experimenting with new ideas and looking at the data to see if we’re on the right track.” We started by gradually increasing the number of editors who could view an assignment. The percentage of assignments allocated by the system jumped from 24% to 50% with no negative impact on business or quality. This gave us the confidence to expand the pool further. Today, 70% of assignments are allocated without any manual intervention and with no negative impact on quality.
A system to influence human behavior is built by humans; it reflects how we see and treat other people. Whenever we create technology and processes to optimize business, we should always ask ourselves, Is it based on trust? Does it enable people instead of controlling them?
This writeup is part of a series called The CACTUS Way Leader Stories. The CACTUS Way is what we collectively call our 8 guiding principles. We asked the senior cadre at CACTUS to share personal experiences where they practiced or identified with these guiding principles. These stories of struggle and reinvention, despair and hope, conflict and collaboration, and self-doubt and self-discovery make for an interesting read.
Learn more about The CACTUS Way here: https://mrp.ypa.mybluehost.me/wp/about-us/culture-and-values/
