Distinctions
What Is Maslow’s Hammer?
- The tendency to over-apply a familiar tool or method to every problem.
What are Examples of Maslow’s Hammer?
- A Scrum coach solves every problem with Scrum practices.
- A consultant proposes SAFe for every organization.
- A data team tries to solve organizational issues with better dashboards.
Relationships
What Frictions are Enabled by Maslow’s Hammer?
- Cargo Cult Adoption - When a tool is over-applied, organizations copy its visible practices even when the problem doesn’t actually fit the method.
- Framework Scapegoating - When copied practices fail to produce results, the framework itself gets blamed.
- Complexity Trap - The more frameworks that are added, the more complex the system becomes.
Quote
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.”
— Abraham Maslow