It is easier to account for why people and systems are overwhelmed than to offer remedies.

The capacity of every person or system is limited in scope and degree. There are conditions that can inhibit and pervert its functions, and forces that can destroy it. Correspondingly, every system has a range of conditions within which it can function more or less effectively and efficiently. In this outline we are concerned with the problem of people finding situations beyond their capacity to handle.

Some of the Fundamental Causes

• Any person or system is much more likely to be overwhelmed by additional human-imposed requirements than by those that come from nature or the universe. Although the latter are often complex and subtle, they are also stable. Man-made rules are never perfect, can be extremely unreasonable, entirely arbitrary, continuously changing and increasing to infinite complexity.
  


• Most tasks can be done sequentially. Some must be done concurrently. The larger the number of concurrent demands, the more likely they will exceed capacity.
  


• The pace of change may be beyond the rate at which some of those affected can learn and adapt.
  


• When anything changes, we must be prepared to adjust everything. The more complex the ‘everything’ is, the more difficult the adjustment.
  


• Impermanence is a major contributing factor. Too many tasks can never be put aside as ‘done’ for any significant length of time.
  


• The frequency and variety of ‘necessary attention shifts’ makes it impossible to focus on any one thing long enough. This is much worse when attention capacity is more limited and any inattention may be very costly.
  


• There is too much to be done with too little time and resources.
  


• There are forces we do not have the strength to resist.
  


• The required pace may be beyond capacity due to inadequate strength, speed potential, storage and access, or inbuilt tolerances.
  


• The minimum performance needed for basic survival becomes greater than the maximum performance of the system. E.g. Interest rates rise to the point where a person’s loan repayments become greater than the income he is capable of earning.
  


• Alternatively, the system’s maximum performance falls so that it is no longer able to meet ‘fixed requirements’. E.g. Our income goes down and we can no longer afford the rent. This, like the previous two, is a problem related to overhead loads that may be excessively high.
  


• Added demands continue to be imposed without removing any existing requirements.
  


• The person or system continues to operate against the forces in a losing struggle instead of ‘thinking laterally’ and getting ‘around’ the forces.
  


• The strategy or approach to management is faulty at a basic level.
  
  
  

Consequences

Performance falls further and further below expectations. The requirements of success or survival become increasingly difficult to meet. Progressive or sudden paralysis occurs. There is an increasing frequency of random breakdowns or deterioration usually in the areas of greatest weakness or neglect. Resource deficits escalate. There is often an escalation of ‘borrowing’ from the future or the ‘neighbour’ without any foundation for repayment. The focus shifts from prosperity and personal growth to survival and trying to postpone the ‘inevitable’. Those who are responsible become more prone to seeking various forms of escapism, taking desperate gambles and employing illegal or unethical tactics.

Perceptions Associated with Being Overwhelmed

• Clutter


• Complexity


• Obscurity


• Information overload


• Darkness


• Disorder


• Threats, pressure, demands, critical deadlines


• Internal inconsistencies, contradictions and double binds


• Management has failed


• The situation is out of control

Associated Feelings

• Exhaustion


• Hopelessness


• Panic


• Confusion


• Don’t know where to start


• Don’t know what to do


• Immobilised, paralysed


• Not coping


• Can’t prioritise


• Everything is critical and nothing more can be cut


• Desperation

Resource Limitations, Scarcities and Deficiencies

There is an old saying that man does not live by bread alone, suggesting that nearly always a larger variety of resources are needed for any system or person to function effectively. It is a mistake to believe that everything is reducible to time or money, especially in the short term, or that more of these will necessarily render a solution. Specially needed resources that are in limited supply may not be able to be readily substituted. For human beings, any of the following may be scarce, and that particular restriction may be a critical factor in the person becoming overwhelmed:

• Time


• Money


• Energy


• Health


• Information


• Knowledge


• Tools


• Input materials


• Available complementary cooperation


• Environmental conditions


• Drive, enthusiasm or motivation

The capacity of a system to perform is limited by the scarcest necessary input regardless of any abundance in other areas.

Feeling Trapped

Although feeling ‘trapped’ or figuratively ‘imprisoned’ does not necessarily lead to being overwhelmed, in most cases it is a logical precondition. Feeling trapped is the outcome of a relationship between resources and constraints, that is, abilities, means and options on the one hand, and restrictions or unacceptable consequences on the other. Every ‘resource’ that was listed above is always required to some degree, and relative scarcity in any of them will impose natural constraints on what can be done. However, other restrictions may also be in place:

• Insurmountable ‘hoops’, bureaucracy and protocol.


• Legal restrictions.


• Morally forbidden options or methods.


• ‘Unthinkable’ options or methods that offend our sensitivities or images of ourselves.


• Perceived commitments and responsibilities.


• Superstitions.


• Fears.


• Threats of unacceptable consequences.


• Insecurity and lack of confidence or courage, or habitual risk avoidance.


• Addiction or dependence.

It is, of course, possible for a person to be trapped without feeling so, if they are actually in a situation that is acceptable to them. However, if they have no ‘room to manoeuvre’ they are still vulnerable to being overwhelmed when critical changes take place. For example, a person who is indebted to the limits of his financial capacity may feel comfortable until interest rates rise or the style of management at work changes. Feeling trapped may lead to feelings of ‘hopelessness’ and result in decision paralysis.

Decision Paralysis may also be due to:

• Unclarified values


• Lack of criteria


• Lack of acceptable options


• Excessive complexity in the problem situation


• Fatigue


• Fear

What Can Be Done When Already Overwhelmed

• Discuss the situation. [Why waste time when it might not help?]
  


• Slow down. [Against one’s rational instincts.]
  


• Seek assistance. [Upset our pride. Can’t afford the cost. No confidence in anyone caring enough to listen or having a solution.]
  


• Have faith. [Fear of letting go!]
  


• Go back to basics. Focus on the natural and universal principles. [No time!]
  


• Take one thing at a time. [The parts now being ignored may mean disaster.]
  


• Start anywhere possible
  


• Describe the total picture on paper. [Even less time left.]
  


• Escape for a while and rest. [Fear of the situation getting even worse in the meantime.]
  


• Do something useful and worthwhile in some direction.
  


• Think laterally. [If we had that ability, it might never have come to this.]
  


• Pray. [Difficult when one does not believe!]

Preventive Measures

• Maintenance is neglected, progressively increasing the probability of malfunction and breakdown.
  


• Planning is inadequate, likely scenarios are not explored and contingency resources are not supplied.
  


• Optimistic assumptions are made and over-commitment is permitted. Resource depletion and debts are too easily allowed.
  


• Efficiency is over-emphasised and redundancy is eliminated without a corresponding increase in designed reliability.
  


• The internal system is over designed and excessively inter-dependent. When tolerances in one area are exceeded or one part breaks down, the whole may be immobilised.
  


• External support systems are excessively automated without adequate knowledgeable human guidance available. Operating instructions are ambiguous, obscure, based on unjustified assumptions, or are excessively time consuming to master, particularly for a system that is used so infrequently that processes cannot be adequately memorised.
  


• Ad-hoc, initially less expensive short-term solutions persistently override more permanent ones.
  


• The urgent dominates over the important and persistently overrides it. Complacency or procrastination rules in the absence of urgency.
  


• Allowing disorder to develop in our resources.
  


• Allowing ourselves to become ignorant of the relevant picture.
  


• Resources are wasted resulting in depletion.
  


• Tasks are started too late with little slack time at the end.
  


• Failing to manage the expectations of those who make demands. We volunteer openly out of goodwill for responsibilities beyond our confirmed and experienced competence.
  


• Failing to recognise and act on problems in the early stages while they are still within manageable proportions.
  


• Neglecting the present with too much focus on the past or the future.
  


• Taking too little interest in the future or failing to learn from the past.

Some Relevant Thoughts from the Scriptures

• ‘Come to me all of you who labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you.’ This is about being strengthened and recovering.
  


• ‘Take my yolk upon you, for my yolk is easy and my burden is light.’ This stresses the importance of following the right kind of guidance that does not lead to exhaustion. It could be argued that a heavy temporary burden whose outcome is a lasting form of development may be worth enduring, but an on-going one whose function is no more than maintenance generally suggests that something is seriously wrong with our approach to life.
  


• ‘The Pharisees bind heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.’ This highlights one of the major contributing factors to people becoming overwhelmed. It includes the unjustified expectations we impose on one another and ourselves.
  


• ‘Which of you will start to build a tower without first calculating the cost?’ This concerns the exercise of wisdom and discernment in terms of what we let ourselves get into.
  


• ‘Martha, you are anxious about many things, but only one thing is necessary.’ This deals with prioritising and choice.
  


• ‘Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Sufficient for each day are its own troubles.’ We can make our lives far more manageable by working on present real problems rather than worrying about future possibilities.
  


• ‘Fear not. Only believe.’ When we are close to being overwhelmed, fear threatens to immobilize us or induce us to make desperate and unwise decisions.
  

Each of these is directly concerned with the subject of life management and is constructively applicable to cases where a person has serious doubts about his ability to cope with some of the situations he encounters.

Sustainability

Lack of attention to the issue of sustainability is often one of the primary causes of a person or indeed any system becoming overwhelmed. It can therefore be useful to review some of the basic principles.

• The necessary internal and external conditions must be satisfied. These may depend on the required performance level and the robustness of the system. Some systems can tolerate more variation in environmental conditions and behaviour than others. Internal conditions can be even more critical requiring effective input filtering and efficient waste removal.
  


• Input and output must balance. This applies in both simple and complex ways. It may be elementary that expenditure cannot exceed income in the long term, but this requirement applies no less to energy and materials although the relationships may be more subtle depending on how the inputs are transformed into outputs.
  


• The operators must respect the operating limits. No system has the capacity to meet infinite demands on performance in any respect. Usually there is a short-term intermittent performance level that is marginally higher than the long-term sustainable level, but any attempt to maintain or exceed this for long periods results in rapid burnout and possibly catastrophic failure.
  


• Maintenance must be carried out close to the required intervals. Rest, repair and replacement cycles need to be adhered to. Neglect and complacency in this area eventually reduces the performance capacity of the system usually to zero.

Some of these principles may appear abstract and technology oriented, but they apply no less to human beings. It is very important to recognise that regardless of how legitimate, pressing or unavoidable the reasons for violating these principles may be, the consequences follow equally inevitably. Natural law does not respect our excuses no matter how reasonable they are.

Being Overwhelmed at Work

Much of what has been discussed applies equally in the work environment, but the response may vary according to the person’s position and the organisational culture. There are two main factors involved – increasing pressures and declining individual capacity.

Many strategies are invoked by employers to extract even more performance from their workers, such as shaming, patronising and appealing to their personal and professional pride or the less subtle threats of being replaced by a long line of potential applicants for the position. These may be justified where there is substantial slack, but beyond this the level of stress rises as their private time is confiscated (taking home work and unpaid ‘overtime’) until they no longer have any appreciable ‘quality of life’. However, even the issue of slack must be measured on the appropriate criterion. It is a gross misunderstanding of human resource limitations to imagine that highly intensive concentration or energy output of any kind can be sustained beyond a very moderate fraction of the standard working week. The inevitable result is slow or sudden burnout. While short-term economic rationalism may rule the day, the interests of the whole community are damaged to a far greater degree.

The inability of an individual to cope in the workplace is not always due to an increased workload, but often the result of having to accomplish the same objectives under greater constraints such as tighter security procedures, more limited resources and support facilities, and a less congenial work environment. While some will adapt, for an increasing number it is the ‘last straw that breaks the camels back’, because in the modern economic climate everyone is operating much closer to the edge.

Being overwhelmed is not only an individual problem, but one that can, and often does, spell the demise of the entire organisation. In the highly competitive market place that requires a relentless pursuit of efficiency and cost cutting, immediate business survival may dictate that any expenditure of money, time or other resources on anything that is not urgent be postponed, sometimes indefinitely. Unfortunately, the consequences of neglect often result in an accumulation of critical urgencies beyond the coping capacity of the system.

As the real boundaries of human and system capacity are breached, among the outcomes of greatest public concern is the increasing incidence of professional mistakes ranging from the minor to the critical. Accuracy is not verified; important details are neglected and quality is compromised; often, vital communications are ‘shelved’. Even if individual poor performance is covered up for as long as possible by subtle strategies, eventually client dissatisfaction, anger and frustration results in bad publicity, and in extreme cases, can endanger the safety of the people representing the organisation.

There is no easy solution to these problems in the commercial world as firms struggle to compete and survive under the prevailing rules of the game. I believe that the best suggestion for individuals who are vulnerable in this context is to eliminate, or at least substantially reduce, their debts, save as much as possible and invest in marketable skills to which they are naturally suited. Any advice specific to business organisations is beyond the scope of this article, except the observation that more business failures result from excessive overhead expenses than from most other causes. Governments are warned that totally embracing globalisation, free trade and economic rationalism is not conducive to a generally sustainable quality of life at the local level whatever the apparent movement of the overall economic indicators. Furthermore, the key to alleviating most of the problems of people becoming overwhelmed lies much less in increased pay than in substantially reducing the burdens imposed on them. No amount of money can buy more than 24 hours in a day.

Conclusion

Sometimes the victim’s own folly may be the principal cause of his becoming overwhelmed, but this is not always the case. Often it is the unfortunate outcome of what seemed a reasonable risk at the time. However, regardless of whether it was foreseeable or preventable, in the majority of cases the person in the situation sees no solution within his own limited power and requires assistance. Possibly all that is needed is for someone to show him a practical way to achieve sustainability. At the other extreme, extensive material support may be needed, and sometimes all that is available is not enough to prevent collapse. Ideally the input must be sufficient, not only to alleviate the unviable state, but as far as possible, also to instigate the necessary changes to ensure future buoyancy with a realistic margin of safety.

"Viewpoints"
©Carl Jacob

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