In the April issue of Inc. Magazine the word Frictionless is described as “a great image for how processes should work.” It was part of a ribbon of definitions, called 15 Business Buzzwords We Like, which was included at the bottom of a spread. As I thought about their assumption, that processes should be frictionless, I found myself increasingly at odds with their contention. I would go so far as to say that it’s flat wrong.

There are certainly many examples of processes where reducing friction is a critical component of success. But I can’t think of any examples of efficient and effective processes where friction is absent altogether. Imagine trying to strike a match, steer an oil tanker, kiss your significant other, or even walk down the street, without the dynamics of a bit of friction at work.

To be fair, reducing friction is a laudable goal – but I would argue that cultivating friction is as important as reducing it and that every process benefits from the inclusion of the two. Take automobiles for example. Automobile designers spend countless hours in wind tunnels sculpting the sheet metal of cars in order to reduce the drag coefficient of those vehicles, essentially trying to remove friction from the interplay between wind and metal. Those same designers then bolt spoilers onto those same cars in order to make sure that they stick to the road. Moreover, once the car has been optimized to slice through the air, vented disc brakes are attached to the vehicle in order to assure that the benefits of aerodynamic superiority can be controlled. It’s the yin and yang of speed and control.

It’s the yin and yang of speed and control.

The same principals hold true inside of today’s innovation-driven business. Would anyone seriously consider introducing a design or development process that completely eliminated friction? It’s the very process of (sometimes painful) iterative, friction-filled, debate and definition that yield the richest insights and the most well-crafted products, brands and strategies. Great solutions are rarely easy solutions. My experience has led me to the belief that controlled friction is an essential component of collaboration, and collaboration is an integral part of developing winning solutions. Friction sharpens ideas as well as knives and, as a result, should be embraced – not engineered out of the process.

Great solutions are rarely easy solutions.

You’ll note in the previous paragraph I used the term “controlled friction” and I think it’s important to recognize the distinction between managing friction and letting it manage you. Much in the same way that forrestry professionals use controlled burns as an essential component of managing forrests – we must learn to exeret mastery over friction. Left unchecked it can create a culture of contention and wheel spinning, but expertly weilded it can foster richer insights, deeper collaborations, and more promising solutions.