The Impact of Clapping for Complexity

How Celebrating Complexity Promotes Confusion

Imagined by Rebecca at

Canva Team

“Boy, he/she/they sounds really smart!” I tend to hear this a lot in my circles. Often it means this: he/she/they just presented some complex information that I can’t really understand so I believe he/she/they know what they are talking about.

I want to talk about a dirty little secret that no one wants to admit to: some of us clap for complexity.

The expert who dazzles us with buzzwords and sounds confident in what they are saying gets claps and likes. This is especially true in technical environments.

Engineers and scientists are the worst offenders here. What happened during the pandemic is a great example of what I mean. Scientists and statisticians bred in an environment of complexity suddenly had to explain in simple terms what was happening. Confusion and disaster ensued.

As a scientist, lean six sigma practitioner, and math minor, I must admit that I am in love with complexity. Exploring the nuances of ideas and concepts is an…