Karl Duncker Functional Fixedness Example | How to Overcome Functional Fixedness

What is  Functional Fixedness?

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that causes people to become fixated on an object’s intended use instead of considering alternate uses. It can be viewed as a form of mental rigidity that hinders creative thinking, problem-solving, and learning.

Kark Duncker came up with the term “functional fixedness,” which refers to difficulties in visual perception and problem-solving. One aspect of a task or situation has a fixed feature that prevents restructuring the task situation needed to solve the problem.

Karl Duncker described functional fixedness as a mental barrier to using an object in a new way required to fix a problem. This “block” restricts a person’s ability to use the components given to them to complete a mission, as they cannot move beyond the original intent of the components.

Karl Duncker Functional Fixedness Example /Psychology Candle Problem

In 1945, Karl Duncker made a classic experiment demonstrating functionality, giving participants a lamp, a box of thumbnails, and a book of matches. He asked them to tie the candle to the wall so that it would not spill onto the table below.

Duncker noticed that the participants were trying to stick the candle directly to the wall with the tacks or to glue it to the wall by melting it. A few of them felt that they would use the inside of the box as a candle holder and take it to the wall.

In Duncker’s view, the participants were “fixed” to the usual function of keeping thumbtacks in the box and could not re-concept it in a way that helped them to solve the problem.

For example, participants faced with an empty tack box were twice as likely to solve the problem as those presented with the tack box used as a container.

Real Life Functional Fixedness Examples

Functional fixedness is the tendency to only use an object in the way it was originally intended to be used. Functional fixedness can lead to a loss of creativity and innovation because people are only able to see the use of an object in one way or from one perspective.

For example, if you’re holding a hammer and looking at nails on the ground, you might assume that the nail’s purpose is for banging things into walls.  But if someone points out that it could be used as a paperweight instead, then your functional fixedness has been challenged.

Functional fixity is this inability to see the use of a hammer as anything other than to pound nails; an individual does not imagine using a hammer in any way other than in his traditional function.

Other examples of functional fixedness.

• For example, a pencil can be used as a writing stencil or for drawing.
• A knife can cut through paper or slice up vegetables.

Functional fixedness in the workplace

Here are some work situations to consider where a functional fixedness may be present:

• On-site engineers only visit sites to meet clients to solve issues and not find new sales opportunities.
• The top salesman remunerated only on the commission that they did not find time to mentor their colleagues.
• The finance team, with their wealth of information of the customers of the firm, who do not share this with the customers of the sales teams.
• The Managing Director who continues to spend more and more time on ‘networking’ activities and does not spend time sharing their learning with the rest of the business.
• An organization that cares only about its transactional relationship with its customers and its wider business interests.
• The junior office that coaches and trains a local rugby team that is not eligible to apply and improves its skills until it isold enough’.
• A new apprentice who has only ever learned how to connect via social networks is unable to influence the social media strategy.

Overcoming Functional Fixedness Examples

How to Overcome Functional Fixedness

Functional fixedness is the tendency to see objects as only being good for one use and not able to be used in other ways.  For example, a chair can’t be used as a table or vice versa.

• One way you might overcome functional fixedness is by using your imagination. If you’re given an object that’s normally meant for eating on, imagine what it could be used for instead.
• You also need to define functional fixedness and understand the causes of functional fixedness.
• Another way to deal with it is to recognize when you are experiencing functional fixedness.
•  Use a workaround to overcome your fixation on one function for an object.

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