When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail

The “law of the instrument” also called “Maslow’s hammer” after Abraham Maslow’s famous quote:

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you treat everything as if it were a nail”

This remains one of the most persistent challenges in modern business. This cognitive bias continues to shape how organisations approach problem-solving, particularly in project and change management.

The Danger of Single-Tool Thinking

When project teams become overly invested in particular methodologies or approaches, they risk developing dangerous blind spots. Consider these common examples:

• The Agile enthusiast who insists on applying sprint-based delivery to infrastructure projects where longer planning horizons are essential
• The Six Sigma black belt who views every business challenge through the lens of process optimisation
• The technology leader who believes digital transformation is exclusively about implementing new software

In each case, expertise becomes a limitation rather than an asset. The deep knowledge that makes specialists valuable can paradoxically constrain their ability to see alternative approaches.

Modern Resource Challenges: Beyond the Full-Time Hire

One area where the “hammer and nail” problem persists is in resource allocation. Consider this scenario I encountered recently:

A mid-sized financial services firm needed to complete a regulatory compliance remediation programme requiring both data analysis expertise and change management skills. Their instinctive response was to post a job listing for a full-time compliance project manager with data skills.

Three months later, they remained understaffed while facing looming deadlines. The market simply wasn’t producing candidates with this specific hybrid skillset at their target salary range.

The alternative approach I suggested was dividing the requirement: engaging a specialised data consultant two days per week and pairing them with a part-time change management expert for the other three days.

This flexible model not only resolved their immediate need but actually reduced their overall cost, while providing higher-calibre expertise than a single generalist hire could offer. The change manager, which incidentally was me ;), was also able to add value in other areas of the business.

Expanding Your Project Management Toolkit

Today’s successful project and change leaders recognise the need for diverse approaches. Here are key strategies to avoid single-tool thinking:

1. Outcome focus, not method focus: Begin with the desired end state rather than the process. Ask “what does success look like?” before determining how to get there.
2. Flexible resourcing models: Consider part-time specialists, fractional leadership roles, and blended teams rather than single full-time hires for complex initiatives.
3. Mixed methodology frameworks: The best project managers borrow elements from various approaches rather than rigidly following a single methodology. They might combine Agile’s iterative development with traditional project governance.
4. External perspective: Independent consultants bring both specialised expertise and fresh thinking unconstrained by organisational groupthink or politics.

The Strategic Advantage of Tool Diversity

Organisations that develop varied problem-solving approaches gain distinct competitive advantages:

• Faster adaptation to unexpected challenges
• More creative solutions to persistent problems
• Ability to scale resources precisely to needs
• Access to specialised expertise without permanent overhead

The New Hammer: Is AI Becoming Our Default Tool?

In recent years, a new type of “hammer” has emerged in our problem-solving toolkit: artificial intelligence, particularly Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Copilot, and similar tools. The convenience and versatility of these AI assistants have made them increasingly the default first stop for addressing business challenges.

There’s an irony here worth examining. Tools designed to expand our thinking capabilities might inadvertently narrow them if they become our reflexive first and only response to every problem. Consider these emerging patterns:

• Business leaders who immediately prompt an AI for strategy recommendations rather than consulting industry specialists or engaging in thoughtful analysis
• Project managers who default to AI-generated plans without questioning the underlying assumptions or methodologies
• Teams who use AI-drafted communications without considering the nuanced human dynamics at play

The concern isn’t that these AI tools are ineffective—quite the contrary, they can be remarkably powerful. Rather, it’s that their very effectiveness might create a new cognitive bias where we bypass critical thinking and the valuable diversity of human expertise.

Finding the Balance

The question for forward-thinking organisations becomes: How do we harness AI’s capabilities without allowing it to become our only tool? Perhaps the answer lies in viewing AI not as the hammer, but as a guide to the entire toolbox—a means of identifying which specialised tools and human experts might best address a particular challenge.

Used thoughtfully, AI can expand our awareness of diverse approaches rather than replacing them. The most effective leaders will likely be those who use AI to enhance their thinking rather than substitute for it, recognising when to call upon human specialists with deep domain expertise and when AI-generated insights provide sufficient guidance.

Moving Beyond the Hammer

As we navigate this evolving landscape of traditional and emerging tools, the fundamental principle remains unchanged: diverse challenges require diverse approaches. The most successful organisations today are those that maintain a rich, varied toolkit and the wisdom to select the right instrument for each unique situation.

Next time your organisation faces a significant project or change initiative, pause before reaching for the familiar tool—whether that’s a traditional methodology or the latest AI assistant. Ask:

• What specific outcomes are we seeking?
• What alternative approaches might achieve those outcomes?
• Are we limiting our thinking based on familiar patterns?
• Could a blend of different resources or methodologies yield better results?
• Are we using AI to enhance our thinking or substitute for it?

By expanding your toolkit beyond any single preferred solution, you’ll discover innovative approaches to problems that never fit neatly into one category in the first place. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll preserve the curiosity and critical thinking that underpins all meaningful business innovation.

At Assurify Consulting, I specialise in providing flexible, expert-led approaches to project and change management challenges. Whether you need fractional leadership, specialised expertise, or a fresh perspective on persistent problems, I’d welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can help expand your toolkit.

Paul Every
Assurify Consulting, Jersey

---