Britt's Blog

According to Scott Berkun, there are two kinds of people: complexifiers and simplifiers. I’m down with the basic concept, with the caveat that there is a continuum between the two extremes, except that the author then boils it down to something as simple as complexification bad, simplification good.

If you know me, I think you’ll agree that I’m a simplifier far more than a complexifier, but check out the description of the simplifier. Do does this sound like me?

*cough* Yuh. In my dreams.

When I’m simplifying at my best, I say to myself Argh! This complex problem needs to be simplified! Let me break it down into smaller subprojects where possible, identify the most important pieces, and attack them.

At my worst, I say Argh! This complex problem is too much for my brain to handle! I know, I’ll just focus in on one simple part of the problem that I’m confident I can handle, then leap to another simple bit, then another, then another like a lemur on crystal meth, meanwhile completely ignoring the hairy parts. Yeah, that trick always works!

Unless I fight my natural tendencies, I’m a short-cut-seeker, a glosser-over-of-details and a critical-task-forgetter. All in all, I think I could use a nudge toward the complexifying end of the spectrum.

Being a complexifier can be costly, in terms of being inefficient and, well, to be honest, a pain in the butt (c’mon, we all know and love some people that are pushing that end of the continuum), but there are also benefits in being thorough, exploring the full landscape of a problem creatively, and being the sort of person who can manage a great deal of detail.

In other words, it takes all sorts, and a complexifier and a simplifier working together can make a great team.

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