Study: We say we want simple, but up to 80% of the time we do the opposite.
April Dunford's book "Obviously Awesome" recently got me to open my eyes to the importance of #context when we observe the world around us.
An article I saw here on Linkedin today got me thinking about it in a different context.
"Science Shows Why Simplifying Is Hard and Complicating Is Easy"
The #Bloomberg article shared by Abhishek Shirali, and the underlying study by Nature does not directly cite context, but it describes its importance when solving a problem.
80% fail to realize that the stormtrooper can be saved from the falling brick, by just removing the one lego piece from the corner.
Context is king
The ability to simplify, based on the original study by #Nature.com, depended on cues, the number of tries, and cognitive load (stress). Small changes in the information provided by the supervisors of the experiment, made a difference. Context.
The book "Obviously Awesome" by April Dunford tells the story of an experiment with Joshua Bell, the violinist, that people pay $300 to see in a concert hall... but didn't pay attention to outside a metro. Difference? Context.
In a concert hall, the context gives cues of his past success. Otherwise he would not be there. Context.
Do we appreciate simplicity in hindsight?
The Bloomberg article mentions Apple, the obvious choice, as an example of simplification... but would we use it as an example if they had not risen to their current position? Context.
In the book "Thinking in Bets", Annie Duke talks about how easily we attribute the quality of decisions to the result - even if that is a fallacy called "Resulting".
Joshua Bell must be good because he is playing in a concert hall and people pay $300 to hear him play. Context.
Simple is obviously good since Steve Jobs was so obsessed with it and now Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world. Context.
I noticed the article because it was shared by Abhishek Shirali at McKinsey & Company, a company that I have come to trust to share valuable content. Context.
What about encouraging simplification on a larger scale?
Can large organisations achieve a mindset of simplification on a larger scale? I would claim they need to look into creating a favorable context for both creating, encouraging and appreciating simplicity? Context.
To get there, many would agree the way forward is simplicity. Yet it seems up to 80% of people might choose to complicate things when given the choice - making it easier said than done.
Let's brace ourselves for more complexity coming our way.
#creativity #changemanagement #behavioralscience #hr #leadership #strategy
diverse thinker - #strokeWarrior since Oct'20 Earned a living in p3m & corp change space. Now drawing from health sector Amazed how little learning known in 1 & universally useful travels to other
2 年I'd be interested in the conclusions from Neuro diverse folk. For example ive comment on the josh bell example before to say the folk in a subway (arguable) pay more per second than the concert hall folk while not having all the secondary benefits like social network building opportunities either... Ps in case of negative interpretation ... I'm not in any way diminishing yr observation
Geospatial Analysis and Technical Architect
3 年And all of them would be wrong, because you can't 'save' the Storm Trooper - although you can reduce substantially reduce his risk. The assumption that removing the one block shields him, supposedly because it makes the top plate impervious is incorrect because of the asymmetric complexity of the Lego joints (1) - they are very immobile in horizontal shear because of the interlocks, but have no tension resistance in the vertical axis. If it is a 'brick' brick falling (2) it will pivot in both cases (3) and in both cases at (4). Except in the single block case, the first pivot (3) will absorb some energy when the joint fails, and when it hits the second (4) that impact will transfer some of the vertical momentum into both horizontal and rotational momentum. The Storm Troopers helmet will move against the wall (5), but will because of the angle, will create a second transfer to horizontal and rotational momentum, (6) brick spin away. All stress is internal to the helmet itself. In the no brick scenario ( 7), the brick shears (8) or snaps the top piece, or breaks free similar but less efficient to (2). But it has the worst case of crushing the entire body as the skeleton absorbs the impact forces - the head will remain intact. Outside of math books, there is no 'simple', there are just levels of 'abstraction'. People confuse 'analysis', breaking things down into many component parts ( complexity ) with 'synthesis' which is selecting and assembling those components into a model of just the essentials needed ( simplicity ). Analysis is easy, Synthesis is hard - it requires much deeper knowledge, skills, and experience, and almost every domain has a set of formal methods to ensure things aren't left out. When people want 'simple', they are just wanting the part of the iceberg that that shows above water, it's not the whole picture. Ref: "Stormtrooper helmets had a four-layer construction. The outer layer was made of plastoid composite armor, the next layer was an anti-blaster mesh, followed by magnetic shielding, and finally an inner insulator.[5] Cellular padding helped prevent head injury" - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Stormtrooper_armor/Legends#Helmets
Consultant, author, MD/Business owner, co-host of the Enterprise Digital Podcast. NED. ITIL4 architect, SDI associate and standards author. itSMF UK Lifetime Achievement winner. HDI top 25 thought leader
3 年Thanks Sakiri. I totally agree around the need to use and demostrate simplicity for clarity and practical success. In the IT industry we do seem to need to be showing as well as embracing complexity...and we should stop that.
Executive Director, Strategy Consultant, Sworn Dissenter, Tel. +358503028770
3 年Hyv? aihe. Luin t?m?n vasta nyt kokonaan. Eilen luin tuon saateen. T?ss? v?liss? kirjoitin oman blogin samaa aihetta sivuten. Pist?n sen blogin loppuun jatkoksi viel? linkin t?h?n. T?ydent?v?t toisiaan. Ja syntyy my?s mielenkiintoinen jatkuva luuppi blogien v?lille. T?ss? linkki minun blogiini. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/h%C3%A4mm%C3%A4styksen-aiheita-pasi-sillanp%C3%A4%C3%A4/?published=t
Inspiring thinking Sakari, thank you! As a result, I know what I’m about re-think ;)