Sam Kazran, an executive manager and philanthropic leader based in Jacksonville, Florida, has issued a public alert about a pervasive but often overlooked risk facing professionals, managers, and business owners: overcomplication leading to decision paralysis. According to Kazran, this trap doesn't appear as failure initially but manifests as excessive planning, meetings, research, and waiting for the perfect moment. Over time, it slows progress, increases stress, and quietly erodes trust within organizations.
"I've seen more projects fail from hesitation than from bad decisions," Kazran said in a recent interview. "People think they need more information. Most of the time, they need more clarity." Research supports this observation, with data from the Harvard Business Review indicating that 67% of workplace initiatives fail due to unclear priorities or slow decision-making. Additional studies reveal that employees spend up to 60% of their time seeking clarity on tasks and expectations, according to findings from McKinsey.
The problem extends beyond individual productivity. Decision fatigue can reduce accuracy by 40–50% after repeated choices, as documented by the University of Texas, while teams with unclear ownership are three times more likely to miss deadlines, per the Project Management Institute. Perhaps most tellingly, over 70% of professionals report that meetings actually slow progress rather than accelerate it, based on data from Atlassian.
Kazran emphasizes that these failures don't stem from lack of effort. "Most people are working hard," he noted. "They're just working inside systems that are too noisy to move." The most dangerous aspect of this risk is how reasonable it feels—more meetings appear responsible, more planning seems smart, and more tools feel advanced. However, Kazran warns that these behaviors often replace action rather than supporting it.
To help individuals identify if they're caught in this trap, Kazran offers a simple self-check with questions including whether projects stall while waiting for more input, whether meetings end without clear decisions, and whether simple decisions take longer than they should. If someone answers "yes" to three or more questions, they may be experiencing decision paralysis caused by overcomplication.
For those who identify with the problem, Kazran recommends a straightforward decision tree approach. When projects feel stuck, he suggests defining the outcome in one sentence and cutting any step that doesn't move directly toward that outcome. For slow decisions, he recommends limiting choices to three options and setting a decision deadline. When teams feel confused, assigning one owner per task and using plain language with clear deadlines can help restore clarity.
"Clarity isn't about doing more," Kazran explained. "It's about removing what doesn't matter so the right decision becomes obvious." He stresses that acting early matters because unchecked overcomplication compounds over time, draining energy, delaying results, and training people to wait instead of act. Kazran has observed consistent improvements when clarity is restored: "Every time I simplify a system, the pressure drops and the results improve. People don't need more motivation. They need fewer obstacles."
For HR vendors serving the talent management industry, this alert carries significant implications. The data showing widespread productivity losses due to unclear priorities and decision paralysis suggests a substantial market opportunity for solutions that promote clarity and simplify decision-making processes. Vendors offering tools for project management, meeting efficiency, or decision support systems should consider how their products address these specific pain points. The research indicating that 67% of workplace initiatives fail due to unclear priorities or slow decision-making represents a critical business problem that HR technology providers can help solve. As organizations increasingly recognize the costs of overcomplication, demand for solutions that streamline processes and restore clarity is likely to grow, creating new opportunities for vendors in the HR technology space.
