Mental Models

Framing Problems

Framing Problems

The human condition is one that seeks order from randomness and chaos. We like the fabric of the familiar. We look for patterns that fit our experiences, or experiences that fit our patterns as part of our ongoing efforts to make sense of the world. The same is true for business leaders: we frequently rely on analysis of past problems, prior risk-based assessments and solutions that have worked earlier in our careers to solve current challenges.

The issue with this type of framing is that it sometimes works.

The Missing Bullet Holes

The Missing Bullet Holes

The nation's response to the COVID-19 health crisis has been compared to our being on a war footing, with both public institutions and private firms mobilizing fully to defeat a common enemy. The analogy is apt in many ways, particularly so as we consider the personal sacrifices being made daily by many of our healthcare workers, people serving in vital areas such as food and medical support functions, those in transportation and delivery operations and so many others.

War of a certain kind it is, and such times draw out both the best and worst in our human nature, whatever the cause or duration of the crisis.