Discovery fatigue
A working concept for what happens when repeated discovery stops being experienced as a credible route to action or improved outcomes.
Working definition
Discovery fatigue is the loss of confidence, willingness and patience that develops when organisations repeatedly investigate substantially similar problems without sufficient visible progress or improvement in outcomes.
The frustration may become attached to discovery itself, even when the deeper causes lie elsewhere. These may include problems with delivery, leadership, governance, capability, resources or the wider conditions for change, but the causes will vary between settings.
A useful distinction
Discovery fatigue is not simply tiredness with research. It is a sign that discovery is no longer experienced as a credible route from understanding a problem to doing something meaningful about it.
In some cases, that response may be entirely justified.