Analysis paralysis
Παράλυση από ανάλυση
The point at which another pass over the same question stops producing new information while still costing effort. It is not carefulness and it is not laziness. It is a loop that has nothing new to work on, because nothing has been tried since the last pass. This is an everyday word for an everyday state, not a description of anything a doctor would name.
How to spot it
Write down what the last three passes added. If the honest answer is nothing, the next one will add nothing either, and the missing ingredient is a trial rather than more thought.
The research behind the term
The term is not our invention. It comes from published research, and what follows is what that research found — our own synthesis of the published abstract, not a translation of the original.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development — πηγή
David Kolb introduces Experiential Learning Theory, according to which learning is a cyclical process comprising concrete experience, reflection, the formation of abstract concepts and their active application. The theory is widely used in education, vocational training and skills development, as it holds that knowledge is acquired most effectively through experience.
Practised in
The term does not stay a definition. It appears inside missions where the pattern happens in real time and you have to recognise it as it happens to you.
The Fourth Version of the Same Question
Sources
Every claim on this page maps to published research. The citations link to the original source.
- Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development — Source on pearson.com