Separating confusion from complexity

Following a team meeting where we discussed what was next for an innovative new product line, I had a regularly scheduled one on one with one of my team. It was natural to do a quick check-in about how the previous meeting landed for him. He told me, “It’s honestly just really confusing.”

I asked him to clarify. “Do you know what to do next or do you feel stuck?”

He said, “Oh, I know what I need to do next. That’s not the problem. I guess it’s just a really complex problem we’re solving.”

This was an insightful clarification on his part. Confusion and complexity are not the same thing.

When we feel overwhelmed or engaged in a bewildering struggle, we might think and say a few things that seem interchangeable, but they’re actually quite different:

• I’m so confused!
• This is so complicated!
• This is so complex!

You or someone on your team might find this feeling familiar. Let’s discuss why these are NOT the same thing and why only ONE of these is bad. Then we’ll see how you can respond to help yourself and your team move forward.

Confusion

What is confusion? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, confusion is:

…a situation in which people do not understand what is happening, what they should do or who someone or something is.

Confusion can arise in contexts that are complicated or complex, but it’s only one possible response to such an environment. When confused, we might describe ourselves as “dazed”. In fact, it’s common to pair these words—as in “dazed and confused”.

Confusion is a state of inaction triggered by a lack of understanding.

You might be in a situation where you have a particular expectation, even just a loosely held hypothesis, but what actually happens is entirely different. You feel confused. Dazed. Confusion is like being stopped in your tracks and unable to make another move.

Confusion → dazed

Complication

When something is complicated, it’s able to be understood. There’s a cause and effect relationship between all parts of the system. We may not understand all of it if we are not experts in the system. If we can learn it, however, we’ll understand it through and through. An automobile engine is a good example of a complicated system. An expert can take it apart and put it back together because they understand how it works.

Complication is an environment that can be learned, and learning the system is the next action we need to take. Seeking to understand the complicated environment or to bring people into the situation who are experts at it will move the team toward a solution. Even if you will ultimately achieve expert status, bringing in existing experts can help accelerate your learning and get the team moving more quickly.

When things are complicated, some things are unknown, but we know what they are and can pursue learning them with intentional action.

Complication → learn (or invite an expert) and then act

Complexity

Complex environments involve unknown unknowns. We may understand aspects of the situation, but there are things that influence the system that are beyond our awareness. We don’t yet know they even exist. This is often familiar territory for theoretical scientists and theologians who learn to observe effects and results without knowing the direct causes.

In such situations, our actions need to be experimental. We probe the environment, run tests, and try things. As we take these actions we learn more and more about the complex situation and we gain increased ability to influence outcomes and solve problems, even without knowing everything about the system. We become effective even as the situation continues to change.

Complexity → act to learn

So, which one should we avoid?

Both complication and complexity describe environments where action can be clearly taken. There’s no reason in either of these situations that we should feel stuck. We might feel “curious” or “in awe” or “amazed”, but not “dazed”. We can clarify what actions to take next, share what we’re learning (or bring experts into the complicated situation to assist), and make progress toward our solution.

Confusion, on the other hand, stops our progress. It threatens to erode our confidence, slow us down, or tank the entire project. When we’re confused we need help to get unstuck. Complication and complexity are just fine. Confusion is what we want to avoid. As design expert Don Norman affirms in the Design of Everyday Things:

“Complexity is good; it is confusion that is bad”. — Don Norman

Leading yourself and others through confusion

Circling back to my opening story… what if my teammate had confirmed that he really was confused? How might I have handled that?

Whenever someone is feeling stuck and unable to see what to do next, I try to help find a way through by asking questions so I can better understand the nature of the confusion. If I’ve communicated in an unhelpful way, I can often clarify what I intended and that may be enough. In some cases, I might be able to get additional information or clarity that will help. I try to do this as quickly as possible. If the confusion has more to do with how others communicate or collaborate, I might try to facilitate a conversation to help bring clarity.

Some tips I’ve found useful

Seek understanding. What is causing the confusion? Sometimes it might be as simple as how something was communicated. The facts are clear but the way someone shared the news or information seemed misaligned with expectations.

Ask questions. Seek clarity. Clarify intentions. When we communicate, our intentions and our impact can get misaligned without us realizing it.

Empathize. Take a different perspective or approach or use different words to aid clarity. Try analogies or metaphors or stories to see if that helps alleviate the confusion. Sometimes abstract language can create confusion and finding a more concrete way to express the information can help. I often ask myself, how might I communicate this to a child? Such thinking forces me to find the core of the issue.

Revisit models and foundations. Try stepping back or rewinding to revisit the foundations or the model. Sometimes an important bit of information was missed and once it’s clear confusion gives way to action.

Speculate. Consider what actions can be taken. If you really are stuck with no clear next action, create some possible assumptions. What would have to be true? This is like filling in gaps in a sequence of knowledge with tentative “bets”. You can then ask what next action would be appropriate for each assumption, and try one to see if the assumption can be validated, or if you were wrong. Even if you’re wildly “off target” this will sometimes lead to additional clarity.

The end of confusion

If action can be taken, “confusion” is no longer the appropriate word. We can then affirm that we’re no longer stuck. Take the next action and learn.

Thanks for reading. If this post has prompted further reflection or raised questions, or if you have examples to share, please post a comment.

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