You cannot ‘Fix’ your way up to a ‘Solution’….

And it applies everywhere….

A ‘Fix’ is a patch, a surgical process that is applied at a specific spot… it is perimeterized within definite requirements, contained within a small quantum of space and can be done within a short amount of time…. Applying a fix does not require an understanding of the system nor does it need a lot of expertise…. A fix may be associated with a particular incident… you fix it and move on!

I don’t intend to trivialize the importance of fixing correctly, for a wrong fix can lead to the need for a solution, but, where you can get away with a fix, if done right, it should be a simple process, and you should be able to continue on with life like that particular incident never happened….

A solution requires a deeper understanding of the variables that have a bearing on the outcome…. When there are systemic implications… process slowdowns… efficiency losses… deep performance impacts… when the quality of life has dropped because several things are not going right… you need a Solution! In general, it is not one incident that leads to the need for a comprehensive resolution, rather, a series of incidents that were not attended to on time, or that the systemic requirements have grown way past the capabilities of what something was designed for…. It could be that things have been neglected long enough and widely enough, that have lead to it becoming a systemic disorder or has brought in a higher level of complexity….

A solution, in most cases, requires a deep understanding of the entire system… It is a combination of empirical data, an understanding of the various nodes, the people that function at each node, the way the system is needed to function in relation to the way it is designed to function… What changed, when it changed and so on…. any which way, it is a chronic problem and deep enough to where it is degrading the level at which the organism is expected to function.

A systemic problem does not necessarily mean that something has gone wrong… It could be a result of the needs going beyond the capabilities of the system….

A Solution is due and a Solution is not a series of fixes!!! It requires an approach…. It requires deep understanding… a study of what is, what it should be, in light of the current needs and the future potential growth!

Now apply this entire reading to various aspects of personal, professional, societal, national, environmental or global problems….

I am sure you are smart enough to relate to various learnings from history. Where ‘Fixes’ were applied when ‘Solutions’ were due, systems failed, organizations collapsed, societies degraded, people have died, environment was impacted and wars were fought….

I have seen that it is invariably the arrogant ignorance of people in control or just the simpleton’s stupidity, that leads to wrong choices….

Learn to think of what goes where… It could have a deeper impact than you realize!!!