Human Energy Economics (HEE)

1. 1

   Understand the context

   Establish the situation in which the problem occurs.

   • What is happening, and where?
   • Whose work or capacity is affected?
   • Under what conditions does the problem appear?
   • What demands, dependencies, and constraints shape the situation?

   (If it helps, the 3C Strategic Approach offers one way to organize these questions around its three contexts: Source, Dependency, and Constraint.)

   Why it matters: Context influences how a problem should be interpreted, which distinctions matter, and which responses may be appropriate.

2. 2

   Transform the question

   Move from a broad complaint or assumed solution toward a question that can be investigated. Instead of asking only, “How can people work harder?”, examine questions such as:

   • What prevents available capability from being applied?
   • Which recurring demands consume capacity without producing sufficient value?
   • Where does execution break down, and under what conditions?
   • What evidence would help distinguish the possible causes?

   Why it matters: The way a problem is framed influences what we investigate, and what we may overlook.

3. 3

   Make the distinctions that matter

   Related terms do not always describe the same problem. HEE distinguishes among concepts such as consumption, drain, deficiency, disconnection, and constraint.

   • Consumption is not automatically drain.
   • Deficiency is not the same as disconnection.
   • Constraint may limit the application of capability even when capability exists.

   Why it matters: Different conditions may require different explanations and responses. Treating them as interchangeable can lead to the wrong intervention.

4. 4

   Investigate the conditions

   Examine how work is actually performed, including demands that have become routine and are no longer recognized as demands.

   Look for recurring work, dependencies, constraints, and operational activities that consume capacity. Ask what creates them, why they persist, and how they affect execution.

5. 5

   Examine what should change

   Once the context and problem are clearer, consider whether a demand or activity should be:

   • Removed
   • Reduced
   • Replaced
   • Re-engineered
   • Retained

   The 5R Cascade Framework provides a research pathway for examining these possibilities. The appropriate choice depends on the situation and the evidence, not on assuming that all work is wasteful.

6. 6

   Examine the result

   After a change, investigate what actually happened. Did the change reduce unnecessary demand? Did it make capacity more available for important work? Did execution improve? Were new constraints or unintended effects introduced?

   Use the observations to refine the question and continue the investigation.

The HEE research investigates how recurring demands, organizational conditions, and the application of capability interact. It seeks to distinguish different sources of capacity loss rather than treating every execution problem as the same problem.

The question is not simply how to make people do more. It is how to understand the conditions that allow existing capability to become effective execution.

All repositories: github.com/titumozammel ↗