Small change: look with fresh eyes

Pop quiz: when is a chair not a chair?

Before we all embarrass ourselves with pseudo-intellectual philosophising, here’s a clue. ‘Functional fixedness’ is a term that psychologists use to describe how our brains create shortcuts by, in effect, filing items under the primary function that we ascribe to them.

To return to our chair question, then, an answer might be: when it’s a step to help us change a lightbulb. But functional fixedness means that we are blind to the chair as the answer to this need, and instead hunt around the house for a step.

Now consider your circumstances. What functions have you, and those around you, ascribed to objects, teams, third parties or even people? Where might functional fixedness be getting in the way of a liberating breakthrough?

Something to consider: where might casting fresh eyes on the function of someone or something unlock opportunity?

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