“Let’s put this into a framework, it may work”, and the meaning is lost.
We live in a complex world. In business and life, we constantly encounter problems. Some types of problems bother us frequently. As a result, we develop a tried and tested series of steps to encounter them. These series of steps become our go-to solutions. Or to say go-to frameworks. This works mostly well in day to day life. For example, you hear a mosquito buzzing, your immediate response might be to grab a newspaper and swat at it. And as a precaution, you may close the windows of the home. That’s the drill.
But, in our business and work, when we’re faced with challenges different than mosquito bites, we need to utilize some mental frameworks or models. There are hundreds of them. In business and other areas of university education, some of the complex frameworks are already being taught and it is a good introduction to meta-cognition. Meta-cognition is a skill that any knowledge worker should have, especially if the field of work requires important decision-making.
The real problem arises when the practitioners try to find a solution by going through a prescribed list of frameworks on paper. They might have learnt them during their grad school or a business class or any other channel. Staring at a freshly Googled web page and deciding which models to try is a waste.
Waste of time. Waste of resources. Waste of education.
One of the main functions of education is to equip the learners with the capacity to grasp, formulate and combine different frameworks to find a solution.
The sign of successful grasping of a framework is not in the learner’s ability of putting it in a document, it is in his/her understanding of the framework. Understanding is existential.
We need to approach the problems from the root and in the process, a combination of frameworks may come in handy. But, we need to stop beginning with frameworks on paper or in a word processor.
A more rewarding approach is to learn about different frameworks, reflect upon them, imbibe them in our thinking over a long period of time.
And that takes perseverance, effort, willingness and time.