Since the field exists even in a vacuum, should one conceive of the field as state of a ‘carrier’, or should it rather be endowed with an independent existence not reducible to anything else? In other words, is there an ‘aether’ which carries the field; the aether being considered in the undulatory state, for example, when it carries light waves? The question has a natural answer: Because one cannot dispense with the field concept, it is preferable not to introduce in addition a carrier with hypothetical properties. The field thus becomes an irreducible element of physical description, irreducible in the same sense as the concept of matter (particles) in the theory of Newton.

Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, 1954

The definition of the principle of relativity superimposed the novel concept of curved space-time to the existing paradigm of the luminiferous æther as an extra-terrestrial medium through which forces are conveyed; but since the former was sufficient in explaining all observed phenomena, Occam’s razor was applied to the latter, relegating it to the bottom drawer of scientific history.

Occam’s razor can also be applied to modern enterprises. They too have redundancies in their approach to businesses that need to be shaven off, while safeguarding the necessary complementarity between the various departments to ensure that each task is being carried out exactly once.

This can be applied to two levels. It can be used to assess the efficiency of the current management process, reducing the volume of information required to make informed decisions on strategic matters; and analyse the established operational process to ensure all activities being carried out add value to the final deliverable.

IKU Consulting can help you rediscover the beauty in simplicity by scouting harmonisation opportunities between the various elements of your organisation, to prevent the same tasks from being carried out multiple times throughout your firm.