Gumption Trap

(entirely unrelated, I believe, to Forrest Gump)

These are described in careful detail in ZenAndTheArtOfMotorcycleMaintenance.

They are the things that can go wrong with a project which will drain your will to work on it. The classic example is

: forget to install the small vital part (e.g. piston ring) inside the large complex part (engine), and to realise after you've washed the oil off your hands. You will need to take it all apart and start again.

GumptionTraps inhabit a different reality plane to AntiPatterns, but especially for a one-man project they can bring things grinding to a halt. It seems likely that we could benefit from a similar cataloguing treatment.

Part of this suggests to me that the trap is sprung by the washing of the hands. I.e., the fault is actually created by having the gumption to believe that there are no problems. How is this related to MurphysLaw? Is it a corrolary?

Analogously, there are the many things that can go wrong with an organization that will drain your will to work for it, or at least to JustStopCaring. The general feeling is NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished?.

A human organization is like a FaultTolerantEngine?. When a part is defective, the engine doesn't stop; the other parts just work harder to compensate for the DeadWeight?. This contributes to the disconnect between management and labor. Management thinks, "This is great! I have an engine that never breaks down!" But labor thinks, "This is terrible! Nothing ever gets fixed around here!"

The same analogy explains why any attempt at improving organizational health can brand you a ChronicComplainer. As far as management can tell, the only problem is that noise you're making. C.f. ExtremeFrustration.

Until I read about them, GumptionTraps were things that grabbed me from time to time, and I later wriggled out of some of them and forgot the rest. I hadn't really thought about what was happening, or thought of them as (previously) NamelessConcepts.

I think a little gumptionology would be worthwhile. If the world agrees, I shall rework the relevant part of the book here. -- MatthewAstley

Hmm. I thought for sure somebody was going to mention a comparison to a box of chocolates...

Bowl of cherries? Sorry, you've lost me.

I think the previous writer was referring to that well-known film, Forrest Gumption (ick)

[Hey! Watch it there, pal! That there's one o' mah fav-o-rite films o' ahl tahm. Lew-tenant Dan!]

Oh OK. Haven't seen that .. did I miss much? I've put a comment on the top of the page to avoid confusing other people too. (-6)