Whether chemists, physicists, or political scientists, the most successful problem solvers spend mental energy figuring out what type of problem they… - David Epstein

Most problems are not solved by adding more.

They are solved by taking something away.

But our brains default in the opposite direction.

Progress often starts with removal.

It is no wonder that organizations struggle to cultivate experts who are both proficient with their tools and prepared to drop them. But there is an organizational strategy that can help. The strategy, strange as it sounds, is to send a mixed message.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board concluded that NASA’s culture “emphasized chain of command, procedure, following the rules, and going by the book. While rules and procedures were essential for coordination, they had an unintended negative effect.” Once again, “allegiance to hierarchy and procedure” had ended in disaster. Again, lower ranking engineers had concerns they could not quantify; they stayed silent because “the requirement for data was stringent and inhibiting.