APPA Library

"The Price of Paralysis"
Author: Thweatt, Steven C.,
Published In: Facilities Manager
Date: January/February 2009

There are situations in which people feel that it is perfectly acceptable to take no action at all, given a certain set of circumstances. Not only is this a generally unacceptable approach to problem solving, but this type of paralysis can have far reaching and unintended consequences. Since childhood, one has at times held out hope that if he/she doesn't take whatever difficult action is required to resolve a problem, perhaps it will simply go away. Experience shows, however, that this type of paralysis only leads to even greater problems as the original problem continues to grow, or even spawns other related problems. Paralysis almost always leads to more serious consequences than taking some kind of action. In this article, the author invites readers to examine four different areas of responsible leadership and the potential consequences of inaction in each of those areas focusing specifically on organizations, facilities, campuses, and the global impact of decision paralysis.

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