problem solving

Image of a whiteboard covered with countless solutions as bewildered employees stand around.
"The answer must be here... somewhere"—red ink only multiplying new questions in the workplace.
Money & Work

Description

Problem solving is a ceremonial dance of procedures repeated endlessly in the lab known as the conference room, an alchemy that spawns new pitfalls hidden beneath every success. The more one seeks the optimal solution, the more the problem mutates in cunning ways, never to be caught like a champion of endless hide-and-seek. With each added step, the number of specialists multiplies, the original goal is forgotten, and all that remains is agony and another pointless action. At the end of theory lies only the summons of the next meeting and a fresh crop of newly reproduced problems.

Definitions

  • A negative feedback loop where squeezing out wisdom births new problems the harder you try.
  • A magic show of the century: propose a solution and instantly unveil another problem.
  • An infinite game masquerading as a time-consuming meeting that never touches the core issue.
  • A purgatory of relying on catalogs called experience while tripping over unforeseen pitfalls.
  • A masquerade ball of expert lectures woven together with a dance of responsibility avoidance.
  • A fortress of irrationality hidden behind a shield proclaiming rationality.
  • An event where the moment you solve it, the bar of deadlines leaps higher in pole vault fashion.
  • A paradoxical mirror revealing your talent for seeking problems as you erase them.

Examples

  • “Another problem-solving workshop? The only thing it solves is the coffee budget.”
  • “We’ve got the data, perfect slides. The problem is none of us will actually do anything.”
  • “The boss said ‘Conclude in five minutes’—who do they think they’re talking to?”
  • “What’s the meeting for? To solve problems or to manufacture new ones?”
  • “Result of the brainstorm? ‘Let’s brainstorm more.’ Brilliant.”
  • “The root cause? Maybe it’s the roots of too many meetings.”
  • “Solution is approved, execution plan is TBD, and the owner disappears after the meeting—that’s how it works.”
  • “You think Excel can fix everything? Don’t make me laugh.”
  • “Thanks to this framework, we’ve multiplied problems by five—cheers.”
  • “Created a ToDo list? Might as well hand the problem a one-day all-you-can-stay pass.”

Narratives

  • The manager scrawled prayers in marker at the whiteboard labeled ‘Problem Solving,’ only to find new issues grinning back the next day.
  • Defective products from the line underwent the ritual of improvement meetings, returning with even more baffling flaws.
  • The proposal boasted voluminous pages, generating a proportional sense of comfort that nothing would ever be solved.
  • New hires learned the magic word ‘solution,’ but each time they used it, the problem morphed and struck back.
  • The moment they adopted a task management tool, tasks began to proliferate like bugs, filling up every screen.
  • Project delays summoned daily investigative meetings under the banner of finding causes, inevitably spawning delays in the meetings themselves.
  • A room once destined for brilliant minds became a stage for muted Zen dialogues rather than idea explosions.
  • A ‘resolution’ pitched from the field was later re-branded as a ‘problem proposal’ in the executive suite.
  • Just as they kicked off the solution, someone asked ‘What about the budget?’—and everyone froze.
  • The final report, adorned with endless charts and tables, premiered atop a mountain of question marks.

Aliases

  • Issue Factory
  • Meeting Ecosystem
  • Infinite Workflow
  • Solution-ish
  • Paradox Generator
  • Re-meeting Addict
  • Framework Labyrinth
  • Death March Dance
  • Task Inflation Method
  • Blame Bank

Synonyms

  • Problem Cultivation
  • Useless Improvement
  • Paper Strategy
  • Thought Gridlock
  • Social Hell
  • Idea Bubble
  • Time Waster
  • Shelf-it Festival
  • Deferral Ceremony
  • Digital Incinerator
2026-01-29
problem-solving business management efficiency

Use the share button below if you liked it.

It makes me smile, when I see it.

Keywords

5 Whys

The 5 Whys is the ultimate ritual of endlessly asking “why?” in the name of problem-solving, delivering meeting extensions instead of actual improvements. Though it purports to uncover root causes, it often only obfuscates accountability and yields conclusions nobody is happy with. In practice, it’s treated like a magic word: utter it enough times and solutions will appear, despite being no more than wordplay. Its paradoxical power lies in making every trivial hiccup seem like a profound issue through its five-tiered interrogation. In the end, the only true outcome is collective exhaustion.

5S

5S is the fivefold chant that transforms the chaos on your desk into an illusion of order. Under the banner of Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain, it veils real inefficiencies behind a neatly arranged façade. This ritual rebrands clutter as compliance and personal workspaces as propaganda billboards. The so-called audits double as surveillance spectacles that satisfy managerial vanity. Once the obvious mess disappears, so do the pressing problems nobody dared to address.

5Why

A method to hunt for the root cause of problems by uttering “Why?” five times in solemn repetition. By the fifth inquiry, participants feel they've reached the very source of evil, though in reality it often spawns superficial blame-shifting. Utter it in meetings and watch as it’s hailed as holy grail of problem solving, yet functions as an excuse generator. Bonus: everyone indulges in the euphoria of “deep analysis” while actual action is promptly postponed.