Analysis vs Synthesis

We often hear the term "analytical skills", either in interviews or job descriptions or in strength assessments. However, analysis is only one side of the "productivity coin". The other side is synthesis, and I will argue that they are equally important and that you cannot fully (1) have one without the other and (2) be productive and have a deep impact by using only one of them.

Before we go towards the route of pitting analysis against synthesis, it is important to define these two terms and set the basis for our discussion.

Analysis

The Merriam-Webster definition is "a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other". The history and etymology, again from Merriam-Webster, is as follows:

analysis is borrowed from Medieval Latin, borrowed from Greek análysis "loosing, releasing, breaking something down into its elements, solution of a problem" from analýein, "to loosen, undo, dissolve, resolve into constituent elements," from ana-ANA- + lýein "to loosen, undo".

Based on the above, when we refer to "analytical skills" we essentially refer to one's ability to address a problem or to observe a system by breaking it down into pieces in a logical and cohesive way. This allows one to gain a better understanding of the problem/system by looking at its root causes / sub-components.

This skill is indeed very powerful, because it allows one to zoom-in/-out from the forest to the tree and vice versa, while at the same time isolating where the true problem lies or where the focus should really be.

Without analytical skills we are unable to deeply understand the situation at hand and, hence, determine the proper course of action, in order to resolve our problem or navigate our system.

Synthesis

The Merriam-Webster definition is "the composition or combination of parts or elements so as to form a whole". The history and etymology, again from Merriam-Webster, is as follows:

Greek, from syntithenai to put together, from syn- + tithenai to put, place.

As we can see synthesis is essentially the process of building something, especially by putting different components together and creating a "whole" from different "pieces". Hence, without synthesis skills we are unable to build new things and create new systems, solutions, schedules, or paths.

Life Without Synthesis (or Analysis)

As mentioned above, we hear a lot about analytical skills, but we don't hear much about synthesis skills. The closest we may hear is "creativity", but even that is rarely mentioned. So the question that arises is whether synthesis is not really needed.

In my opinion this is a major problem, because you cannot have one without the other, and one cannot be truly complete by using just one of these skills. The reason is that life, at work or at home, is a cycle and when presented with a situation, i.e., a problem or a project, we have to understand it and then do something about it.

Moreover, this is not necessarily a purely sequential process, namely the "understanding"/analysis part may not be complete in one pass and we may have to do it again after a first try of the "do something about"/synthesis part. On top of that, in order to properly employ our analytical skills we may have to (as is usually the case) synthesize ways (tools and/or techniques) that will help us be better at analyzing the situation.

Similar thought process can be employed for the case of not using analytical skills. Namely, when synthesizing something, we need to first be able to determine clearly what plan to follow or tools to use, then put these in action to produce the "something".

Going back to the question now, we have two main answers:

• •If we employ only analytical skills, then we will not be able to provide a good solution to a problem apart from analyzing it.
• •If we employ only synthesis skills, then we will most likely present a highly sub-optimal solution (or a solution to a different problem).

Analysis vs Synthesis - Round 2

We know now that we need both analytical and synthesis skills to be complete and function properly in life. At this point, though, I will try to explain how practicing these two different skillsets feels (my analysis contribution) and what we can do about getting better (my synthesis contribution).

How to: Analysis

At least to me, analysis feels much more like being passive in a situation (note: this does not mean we sit back and simply absorb information; rather we are passive in a sense that we do not create the situation ourselves). We are presented with a situation and we have to:

• •Stay still for a moment and attempt to not act
• •Take as much an objective stance as possible
• •Observe the data from multiple perspectives
• •Understand as much of the hidden details as possible
• •Go to multiple abstraction levels of data representation
• •Derive information out of the data
• •Provide an explanation of what we believe is going on

The above are easier said than done. Even though most people talk about analytical skills, we tend to skip some of the steps above and dive to action, but we have to learn to be patient and employ urgency as needed and not as we feel, which in many cases is boredom.

How to: Synthesis

(Again) At least to me, synthesis feels much more like being active in a situation. We are directly engaging with a situation by trying to change it and we have to:

• •Design the big picture of what the final solution should look like
• •Determine what components we need to build the solution
• •Employ techniques to determine what the optimal big picture and components look like
• •Procure or build the components
• •Put the components together

(Again) The above are easier said than done. Many times people are afraid to take even the first step, because once you start building something it can be very difficult to revert to the original situation. At the same time the "judgement" by others can be fierce, since our creation is now visible to a lot more people who have to use it.

Improve

Unfortunately, it is difficult for people to understand the "mind muscles" in a way we understand our body muscles (note: the lack of visualization is definitely a contributor here). However, whenever we perform activities that are "mind-based" we actually flex different "mind muscles", e.g., analysis, synthesis, empathy, awareness, etc.; these muscles require practice, like the body muscles! And as each body muscle requires a different type of exercise, the same holds for our "mind muscles".

The more we exercise, the better we get. I highly recommend the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth on this topic, because talent alone is not enough. We have to employ the baby steps approach and the very first step is to understand what our mind block is preventing us from using our skills in the right way. Some tips are mentioned below:

Analysis: If we feel bored and jump right into action or if we miss steps, it is important to first assess the situation and figure out what the right analytical approach looks like. Seeking for feedback from a 3rd party can be very helpful in this case, because an objective observer can pinpoint our weaknesses. We can use a 3rd person perspective and ask ourselves what someone we admire would do in this case; this helps decouple ourselves (and hence our fear) from the current situation.

Synthesis: Baby steps is even more crucial in synthesis, because synthesis might come less naturally to people and making the very first step is usually the most difficult. In most cases, that at least I am aware of, people struggle with just trying anything, because they are concerned whether their approach is the right one.

Acknowledging the truth is actually the true first step here. Again, using a coaching buddy is useful in this case, as is open commitment (e.g., let your close friends and family about a goal you want to commit to). In the synthesis case one way to overcome our mind block is simple trial-n-error, where we have to let our child self out of the closet again! Being afraid is only natural, but the sooner we accept that we are afraid, the better we will be.