Functional Fixedness

The cognitive bias where you see an object or concept only in terms of its conventional use—unable to perceive alternative functions. A candle holder is for holding candles, not for hammering tacks (Duncker's candle problem). A distribution system is for distributing products, not for gathering customer intelligence. A sales team is for selling, not for market research. Functional fixedness is the mechanism behind Maslow's Hammer applied to objects and systems: once you've categorized something by its primary function, alternative functions become cognitively invisible.

When to use it

When problem-solving keeps hitting dead ends despite available resources; when existing assets seem limited to their current function; when innovation requires repurposing rather than inventing; when the same solutions keep being proposed because alternative uses of existing tools aren't being considered.

How it can help

When stuck on a problem, inventory all available resources and deliberately list unconventional uses. The generic parts technique: instead of seeing 'a candle, a box of tacks, and matches,' see 'wax, string, a flat platform, small metal pins, and a friction-ignition device.' By decomposing objects into their generic properties, you escape the fixed function and see new possibilities. In business: what else could your existing assets (customer relationships, data, distribution channels, brand, technology) do besides their current primary function? Exaptation is the systematic escape from functional fixedness.