Numbers Tell a Story… (Cerita)
I was eager to read, [1] “How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers” by Tim Harford. Numbers intimidate me. My history with math exams in school and college was challenging, but upon reading the reviews, I convinced myself that it was time to overcome my intimidation of numbers and absorb the teachings offered by Harford. The book cover, featuring an orange-goldfish with a shark’s fin, intrigued me, sparking my curiosity about the symbolism behind the fish on the cover of Harford’s book.
For five years, I served as a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Department of Energy, specializing in Procurement as a Buyer. The U.S. Department of Treasury granted me the authority to sign contracts on behalf of the U.S. government, warranting me up to $1 million per transaction. My role predominantly revolved around numerical aspects, encompassing tasks such as pricing, cost analysis, cost comparisons, cost savings for rate payers and cost avoidance. Annual attendance at Cost Analysis training, along with the imperative of passing the yearly exam to maintain my warrant, was an inherent part of my responsibilities. Despite consistently being the last to finish the exams and to leave the exam hall, I always achieved a passing grade. The prestige associated with this responsibility made it challenging to relinquish when I eventually left the position.
I read this book with keen interest and discovered its applicability to real-world scenarios. Harford’s ten practical rules for approaching numbers were engaging, and I comprehended their significance easily. The focus is on cultivating critical and effective thinking about numerical information. While exploring the book, I realized that Harford was imparting skills to interpret data, fostering a more discerning approach to the numbers encountered in various aspects of life. [2] My data Analyst clarified that data encompasses facts, often numerical, statistics, or pieces of information, obtained through observation. Therefore, numbers are not merely digits, but narratives intertwined with relatable work experiences. This was indeed my Aha moment! [3]
I loved all the ten rules, but I particularly related to [4] Rule Two – Ponder Your Personal Experience. (Harford p. 51]. I am an organized thinker, step by step, one thing at a time, I relate to stories, therefore, I can relate to Hartford’s rules. Each rule had a story related to his experience. All these rules, in my opinion, not only exposed me to numbers through data collection but also a way to minimize unnecessary chaos. Often, I have heard, “numbers don’t lie.”
Rule Two – Ponder Your Personal Experience:
[5] “So what should we do when the numbers tell one story and day-to-day life tells us something different?” (Harford p. 53). In this chapter, Harford encourages us to pay attention to patterns, stepping back to identify patterns or trends in the data and providing a more comprehensive understanding of the situation. Harford emphasizes that patterns offer context that individual data points might not convey.
As I was reading this book over the weekend, I decided to see how Rule Two plays out in my workplace. My team is constantly occupied, yet sometimes the busyness does not always translate to productivity. To address this, I conducted a two-day experiment on our workload. Utilizing Excel, I established a basic online In-Take form and shared it with the team. I communicated the purpose of the assignment and requested their cooperation, which they happily accepted for a Starbucks coffee. Using the In-Take form, each member was instructed to input tasks directly related to their job description, differentiating between those relevant and irrelevant to their roles. Analyzing the data on Monday evening, I observed that a significant portion of their time was spent assisting internal business partners with invoicing issues, insurance issues, training questions, and others (how to questions), unrelated to procurement, which is our team’s focus. We repeated this process on Tuesday. The team clearly saw how they spent their time on non-value tasks, unrelated to procurement. This mini experiment with my team revealed few things such as:
- Seventeen internal business partners asked the same question two to three times within two days. Since the information was captured and recorded through the In-Take form, my team and I were able to clearly see the pattern and time spent on each question – there was presence of data. We realized, perhaps these individuals need training or job aid to assist them.
- Within two days, there were thirty-two phone calls issues pertaining to invoices. Suppliers / Vendors instead of calling Accounts Payable, they were calling the procurement desk. Through the compilation of this data, we realized that the only telephone number available on the Supplier’s document was the procurement desk number. We realized the absence of proper contact information has taken the procurement desk so much time. A simple note such as, ‘for payment issues, call 888.123.4567.’ could have minimized unnecessary incoming calls.
- Convenience and familiarity were part of why these business partners were calling the procurement desk instead of going to the employee resource center and clicking on the links for knowledge base articles (job aids). This exercise offered transparency and resulted in directing the business partners to the correct SharePoint site so they can do their own research instead of my team performing their task for them.
By exploring Rule Two, conducting a simple experiment with my team members, through data collection, I can stop wondering why my team is constantly busy. I agree with Harford, he prompts readers to contemplate various viewpoints and factors that could impact the interpretation of numerical data. My team and I are contemplating exploring Harford’s Ten Rules to implement improvements in our work processes.
[1] Harford, Tim. 2020. How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers. The Bridge Street Press.
[2] Shalini Menon, private conversation with analyst, Feb. 5, 2024.
[3] Camacho, Tom, Mining for Gold. London: IVP, 2019.
[4[ Harford, Tim. 2020. How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers. The Bridge Street Press.
[5] Ibid.
About the Author
Shela Sullivan
Born and raised on the vibrant Penang Island in Malaysia. "Mari Makan!!" — a cherished Malaysian greeting that reflects the warmth of shared meals. Since 1996, I have called Oregon, United States, my home. I enjoy the raindrops and the serenity of its beaches. The ocean connects me to nature and energizes me. I hold Bachelor's in Business & Marketing from University of Phoenix, Master's in Spiritual Formation from George Fox University and Congressional Leadership (Lay Pastoral) Certificate from Dubuque Theological Seminary. I work as a Category Manager for a power utility company and serve as an ordained Presbyterian Traveling Pastor. My aspirational career goal is to become an inspirational speaker. I reside with my husband, David Sullivan, and our fur-baby, Rolo. Our shared passions include traveling, exploring diverse cuisines, home improvements and classic cars. Favorite Bible Verse: Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4 ~13 responses to “Numbers Tell a Story… (Cerita)”
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Hi Shela. I notice you are from Penang! I will be going back there in June, I love Penang! Thank you for your blog, and also your diligence in creating an exercise to see it outworked with your team. Wow. Given your experience with Tim Harford’s book and its application in your workplace, how do you plan to further integrate his principles, particularly Rule Two – Ponder Your Personal Experience, into your team’s workflow to enhance productivity and efficiency?
Hi Glyn,
Wonderful news that you are going to Penang, and again you say. What will you be doing in Penang? Make sure you eat some Mee Goreng for me.
Thank you for your question. I suggested this book to my manager, she gave me approval to lead an improvement process. Consequently, I have a meeting scheduled with the IT Department next week, where I intend to propose the implementation of an online intake request form. At any time, when an internal business partner makes a request, they will have to complete the form with their request and submit it online. This will enable us to efficiently manage both relevant and irrelevant requests directed to the procurement desk – we get to capture processing time, frequency and the type requests. Hopefully, I will get a chance in the future to show the outcome.
Great, and I look forward to seeing any future outcomes, thank you.
I am visiting a church in Penang. I have been going there for the last 8-10 years. Brilliant church and people, and I will definitely try the Mee Goreng.
Hi Shela, Your data collection was practical and useful. It drove results for your team. Bravo! I am curious if you can you foresee other areas at work where that other types of statistics might be useful? Thanks for the ideas. I may use them too.
Hi Diane,
I will be proposing and discussing the implementation of an online intake request form with my IT Department next week. My manager is onboard as I explore this. At any time, when an internal business partner makes a request, they will have to complete the form with their request and submit it online. This will enable us to efficiently manage both relevant and irrelevant requests directed to the procurement desk – we get to capture processing time, frequency and the type requests. Hopefully, I will get a chance in the future to show the outcome.
Thank you for the question.
Hi Shela, I appreciated that you took the time to experiment with these rules on your team. I thought this sentence from your blog was great as it was an aha for me as well, “ Therefore, numbers are not merely digits, but narratives intertwined with relatable work experiences.” This makes the data way less intimidating and accessible.
Shela,
You continue to amaze me the more I learn about you. I love your experiment and it brought back nightmares to the 7 months I worked for a local Department of Job and Family Services agency as a child protective services investigator. This agency was actually 3 or 4 agencies in one and each had multiple funding sources. Each day we would get RMS – Random Moment Surveys. We would have to look at the time on the survey and input exactly what we were doing in an effort for the agency to bill as many funding sources as they could for each person’s work. However, it sounds like your experiment might actually solve some problems.
How do you see what you read about in Harfords book applying to your own NPO?
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your feedback and your kind words. To address your question, Rule Six applies directly to my NPO. During my first workshop last year (2024), the data I collected highlighted a significant issue: a lack of leadership dedication to supporting individual contributors in the corporate sphere to achieve organizational strategic goals.
Shela,
I find it fascinating that you are intimidated by numbers and struggled with math in college and that’s how you spend a good portion of your work.
What do you think are some takeaways from the book that will help you navigate implementing improvements to your team members work processes?
Thank you, Nancy, for your question. At first glance, I believe that Rules Two, Six, and Seven will aid me in navigating the processes. Currently, I am revisiting all the rules for a deeper understanding.
Shela, I LOVE learning about you through this post! You weren’t joking when you said “I am an organized thinker, step by step, one thing at a time, I relate to stories, therefore, I can relate to Hartford’s rules.” What a brilliant idea to do your own test!
I’m curious how you will incorporate what you’ve learned into a larger strategy for how your team works together and/or how you continue to monitor and improve your team’s efficiency more regularly.
Additionally, it sounds powerful that you knew the people you surveyed and therefore could follow up with them directly for conversations to further distill meanings from the data( like the two members who needed additional training). However, I wonder how much of the ability to accurately interpret the results came from your direct knowledge of the individuals involved and your ability to follow up with them… Was that something you thought about and if so, what might you have changed in the way you collected and/or analyzed the data had it been a general study of strangers?
Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughtful questions regarding my experiment and its implications for my team’s efficiency.
Regarding your inquiry about incorporating my findings into a larger strategy for team collaboration and efficiency, I am currently in the process of analyzing the data more comprehensively to identify specific areas where we can make improvements. I believe that by aligning the processes with the principles outlined in Harford’s rules, I can streamline the workflow and enhance overall productivity. I am working with the IT Dept. and my team exploring ways to implement regular monitoring mechanisms to ensure ongoing improvement.
You raise an excellent point about the advantage of having personal connections with the individuals surveyed. Indeed, being able to follow up directly with them has allowed for more robust conversations and a deeper understanding of their perspectives. However, I am also mindful of the potential bias that this personal connection might introduce. If the study had involved strangers, I would have likely employed additional measures, such as anonymizing responses and utilizing standardized questionnaires, to mitigate this bias and ensure more objective data collection and analysis.
I will keep you posted (if you are interested) the outcome of this exercise.
Wow, I love how you’ve really turned this into something fruitful! Will certainly be following along to see how things come together and what it offers not juts your work but your NPO 😉