When the British encounter a problem, their first instinct is to understand it before trying to fix it. They want to know what exactly is going wrong, why it is going wrong, and how extensive the problem is. Jumping to solutions before the problem is properly understood is seen as impulsive and likely to waste effort—you might end up fixing the wrong thing.
The depth of investigation matches the seriousness of the problem—a quick look for something minor, a thorough analysis for something significant. The focus is on root causes, not just symptoms: if a problem keeps coming back despite repeated fixes, that tells the British the real cause has not been found yet. Time spent understanding the problem is considered time saved in solving it.
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