There are so many things, simple and complex, in this world. As the complexity of our lives, businesses, etc., continues to rise, it’s natural for us to be biassed towards more complex solutions to problems that appear more and more challenging to solve. Choosing the most complicated option could get you into trouble.
The Complexity Bias
The tendency to underestimate the complexity of a task, and therefore to take on that task, too quickly. Based on this description, I think that it means that people underestimate how difficult something is and they jump into it without thinking it through. The misconception is that complex things are better, easier to understand and organize. The reality is that complex problems tend to be far more difficult to solve than we expect, and this is why they’re called complex problems. You see this in almost every problem of the real world.
The current paradigm of supply chain management and logistics is quite complicated. It’s full of inter-relationships, decisions and actions that affect every single one of its elements. As a result, each of those elements have their own complex relationships with each other, but they’re all far more difficult to understand than they seem at first glance. And as every complex problem has, it’s tough to estimate the complexity of supply chain management accurately.
Supply chain management comprises many different elements that are hard to understand and predict. However, there are ways to simplify it. There are several essential steps that one can take to help the complexity of supply chain management be reduced in such a way as to make it easier to understand and predict.
Ways to Fight Against Complexity Bias
You can fight against complexity bias by simplifying your goals and breaking them down into manageable tasks. There are a few other methods that you can try as well. There are many ways to fight against complexity bias; some include:
-Try to simplify your goals and break them down into more manageable tasks.
-Try to set up a timeline of what you want to accomplish and make a list of things that need to be done to get the job done.
-Try to focus on what needs to be done, not what isn’t essential. If you want to build a new website and your boss tells you that you don’t need to build the blog because he’s only using a WordPress template, you might rethink your priorities.
-If you need to present ideas, try to focus on what needs to be done and work backward. The ultimate goal will only come when the entire project is complete.
-Create a new task list and make sure that you do not spend your time doing a bunch of unrelated things like doing research or trying to sell ideas to people. Sometimes people do that to build credibility, but you shouldn’t. Once you’re finished with all the research, go back and start working on the actual tasks that need to be done.
-Once you’re working on a task, make sure you do it one step at a time. You might be able to jump around between the different steps, but don’t ever try to jump forward and backward.
-If you’re trying to figure out a solution to a problem, try to focus on the design of the resolution, not just the specific issue itself. This helps you come up with better and more elegant solutions.
-If you’re trying to get something done, write a small list of all the things that need to be done in a small journal that you can refer back to later. This will help you keep track of what needs to be done and build a vision of how the project will turn out.
How to Make Things Simple
This is a list of general, simplified steps to make things simpler.
- Start with simple tasks
- Remove distractions
- Break tasks into smaller steps
- Ask for help
- Keep it simple
- Break big tasks into small steps
- Make sure you’re always in the right place
- Organize
- Choose your tools well
- Try out new tools
The Power of Simplicity
“To paraphrase the sentiment of Einstein, something simple can often be more powerful than something complicated.”
“Simplicity” is the quality of being uncomplicated and easily understood. It is a contrast to “complexity”, which is the quality of being intricate, complicated, or hard to understand. The power of simplicity lies in its ability to simplify something that would otherwise be too complicated. It is particularly useful when you’re trying to convey complex ideas to a large audience. This “appeal to simplicity” can help you break down complicated concepts into simpler ones that are easier to grasp. A simple idea is also simpler to test. If you’re trying to “simplify the system” by removing certain components, it’s important to do so in a way that leaves the core of the system intact.
How To Identify Your Complexity Bias?
Complexity bias describes how people often judge something as more complicated than it really is. This bias can be identified by breaking down the steps and labeling them as simple, intermediate, or advanced. If someone doesn’t label a step as simple, intermediate, or advanced, it may be more complicated than they recognize. When someone looks at something that’s too complicated to understand, it may be a sign that they’re judging something as complicated when it’s not. The more advanced the step, the less likely you will solve the problem.
Complexity bias is often very difficult to overcome because we believe that something that’s really simple isn’t worth doing in the first place. That’s why you see so many businesses that have started to automate one or two processes, but have yet to find the profitable way to automate all of them. What’s wrong with complexity bias?
When you’re at a loss to explain why something should be done or where the money is going, there’s a good chance you have a bias towards complexity.
How to Manage Complexity
Unknowingly, you are actually managing complexity every day. You know that you have to manage complexity in your life because it can cause problems. Many people think that they are not managing complexity, but they are. What makes it difficult to manage is the level of difficulty. However, there are many ways to manage complexity.
One way to manage complexity is to make things less complex by prioritizing tasks.
Another way to manage complexity is to streamline your processes. I like to call it the “Monkey Theory” of management. ” A monkey is perfectly content with one peanut and then it gets offered a whole bag of peanuts.” If a monkey is not pleased with just one peanut, it will go for the whole bag because that is what makes it happy. If a monkey has a single peanut, it will get upset and start throwing peanuts.
Learn the power of simplicity with this blog post about Complexity Bias.