Why Sometimes It’s Smarter to Make Things Harder

The business world is hooked on ease. Streamlined processes. Seamless experiences. One-click solutions. It’s become the gold standard-strip out complexity, reduce friction, and assume anything hard is inherently broken. But here’s the catch: when everything is designed to be easy, people stop thinking.

This obsession with frictionless operations often creates environments where employees execute without engaging. Every task becomes a checkbox. Every decision is pre-baked. And while that might boost short-term productivity, it erodes long-term capability. If no one has to wrestle with a problem, question a step, or adapt a process, they stop developing the skills that make them valuable in the first place.

Harder doesn’t mean bureaucratic. It means intentional. It means creating opportunities for people to think, to solve, to stretch. Complexity-when used purposefully-forces the brain to engage. It encourages employees to connect dots, test assumptions, and navigate ambiguity. These are the very things organizations say they want: agility, innovation, smarter decisions. But you don’t get those outcomes by handing everyone a laminated playbook.

When people face a bit of complexity, they get sharper. They learn to anticipate problems, spot patterns, and course-correct without a safety net. They stop relying on escalation and start owning the outcome. And when real chaos hits-because it always does-they’re not paralyzed. They know how to think their way through it.

Organizations don’t need more ease. They need more cognitive engagement. Not every task should be a maze, but not every task should be spoon-fed either. The trick is to deliberately allow a little bit of friction into the system-not to frustrate, but to activate. To give people the space to figure things out, not just follow along.

Because if everything is too easy, no one gets better. They just get comfortable.

About the Author

Trained as a behavioral scientist and customer-centricity expert , Andrea leads executives in the art and science of operationalizing corporate strategy through understanding organizational and mindsets. She is the author of and an ongoing contributor to multiple major publications including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur Magazine, INC Magazine, and Rotman Business Magazine (University of Toronto). What to Ask: How to Learn What Customers Need but Don’t Tell You

Andrea is also a world traveler, having worked in over 12 different countries throughout her early career. Andrea also serves as an instructor for the University of Iowa Venture School and a Business Coach for their Tippie College of Business Entrepreneurial Programs. Please contact Andrea to access information on her book, keynoting, research, or consulting. More information is also available at or www.pragmadik.com . www.andreabelkolson.com

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.