Everyone knows the irritation of unnecessary friction.

We've all navigated systems that create crazy ordeals instead of giving us simple answers, service, or refunds. We held endless meetings with open mouths and ill-defined agendas. We've pulled our hair out over rules, procedures, traditions, and technologies that once made sense but are now outdated, meaningless, and inefficient. These are all soul-crushing forms of organizational friction that make simple things difficult to do. And as professors at Stanford's School of Engineering and Graduate School of Business, we've spent the past seven years researching the causes and cures for these problems.

But one of our biggest discoveries surprised us. It turns out friction isn't always the problem. In fact, sometimes it can be one solution.