Conflict in Complex Systems

CONFLICT IN COMPLEX SYSTEMSResolving conflict methodically with the

Conflict Resolution Diagram from Theory of Constraints

Ash Moran [email protected] PatchSpace Ltd @patchspace

mailto:[email protected]

https://twitter.com/patchspace

COMPLEX SYSTEMS

Purchasing

Sales

Software

Investors

Finance

ITHR

Legal

Marketing

Spend less!

Spend more!

Be cautious!

Be bold!

Buy Macs!

Buy PCs!

Stop arguing and

make some f*in money!

CONFLICT

Resolve conflict

Identify conflict

Surface assumptions

Express the situation clearly

Find creative solutions

IDENTIFYING A CONFLICT

CONFLICT SCENARIO: LIMITED RESOURCES

HoldYourHand Hosting provides managed server hosting to large and small clients. Recently they’ve been suffering an

unusually large number of outages.

In a number of cases, support staff have handled follow-up calls badly and upset clients. As a reaction, many managers

have taken to jumping on issues themselves. “Managers think they know our job best!” and “Support staff are

complete idiots!” and are often heard shouted around.

Support staff are scared to speak to clients,and managers are overwhelmed with firefighting.

Who should handle the clients, support staff or managers?

EXPRESSING THE SITUATION CLEARLY

NECESSITY LOGIC 101

NECESSITY LOGIC 101

YX

“In order to do/have X, I must do/have Y”

NECESSITY LOGIC 101

Attend every SCiO meeting

Be an expert in the Viable System

Model

“In order to be an expert in the Viable System Model, I must attend every SCiO meeting”

NECESSITY LOGIC 101

Pay all the entry fees


“In order to attend every SCiO meeting, I must pay all the entry fees”

PRE-REQUISITES

Managerscall clients

Support staff call clients

REQUIREMENTS



Preserve client relationships

Don’t waste management time

COMMON GOAL

Run a successful business





THE CONFLICT






SURFACING ASSUMPTIONS

ADVANCED NECESSITY LOGIC

ADVANCED NECESSITY LOGIC

YX

“In order to do/have X, I must do/have Y,

because …”

Assumptions!!!

NECESSITY LOGIC 101

Pay all the entry fees


“In order to attend every SCiO meeting, I must pay all the entry fees,

because all SCiO meetings have a fee, and Ben throws fee-dodgers out the window”

All SCiO meetings have a fee

Ben throws fee-dodgers out the window

REQUIREMENT 1



We need clients to be successful

We can’t afford to lose clients

We can’t find new clients

REQUIREMENT 2



Management time is scarce

Managers have a specific role to play in improving the business

If managers are distracted, the long-term health of the business is compromised

PRE-REQUISITE 1



Managers are better at dealing with clients than support staff

Clients are going to leave if they get bad service from support staff

Support staff can’t learn to make good calls

PRE-REQUISITE 2



Managers don’t have time to make calls

Support calls are operational work, not management work

Support staff have useful knowledge about outages when making calls

THE CONFLICT



Managers and support staffcan’t both make support calls

WORD IT TO BREAK IT

REQUIREMENT 1




We can’t afford to lose ONE SINGLE client

We can’t find ANY new clients

REQUIREMENT 2





If managers are distracted AT ALL, the long-term health of the business is compromised

PRE-REQUISITE 1



ALL managers are MUCH better at dealing with clients than support staff

ANY clients will leave if they get JUST ONE bad call from support staff

Support staff CAN’T POSSIBLY learn to make good calls

PRE-REQUISITE 2



Managers don’t have ANY time to make calls


ONLY support staff have useful knowledge about outages when making calls

THE CONFLICT



EITHER managers OR support staff must make ALL support calls

CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS

REQUIREMENT 1




We can’t afford to lose ONE SINGLE client

We can’t find ANY new clients

❌

❌

REQUIREMENT 2





If managers are distracted AT ALL, the long-term health of the business is compromised

❌

PRE-REQUISITE 1



ALL managers are MUCH better at dealing with clients than support staff

ANY clients will leave if they get JUST ONE bad call from support staff

Support staff CAN’T POSSIBLY learn to make good calls

❌

❌

❌

PRE-REQUISITE 2



Managers don’t have ANY time to make calls


ONLY support staff have useful knowledge about outages when making calls

❌

❌

THE CONFLICT



EITHER managers OR support staff must make ALL support calls❌

FIND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

PRE-REQUISITE 1



Target management calls on the most important situations

(Do we know which these are???)

Train support staff (Who? How? When?)

PRE-REQUISITE 2



Give more information to managers before calls

(Do we have this???)

THE CONFLICT






Target management calls

Call training for staff

Highlight information

DEVELOP WIN-WIN SOLUTIONS

PRE-REQUISITE 1



Restrict management calls to clients worth over 5% of business or with

complaints in the last 8 weeks

Allocate 2 hours per week to be spent on training calls for support staff

PRE-REQUISITE 2



Create a system for support staff to flag significant information to managers before making calls

THE CONFLICT





Use mgmt time appropriately




THE CONFLICT







FINAL STEP OF THE CYCLE

Have courage to commit to the solution: a solution never implemented is worse than

a solution never promised.

DISCUSSION POINT

The company experienced a period of long outages to high-profile clients. Many of the support staff were

junior members with little experience.

Was it reasonable to expect support staff to handle these calls well? What plausible scenarios might have caused this situation and in which of them is blaming

the support staff fair?

OBSTACLES TO CONFLICT RESOLUTION

SELF-INTEREST

If we resolve this fairly, I might not get what I want,

so I’ll fight for my side.

SELF-DISINTEREST

I’m not that important, and my opinion isn’t worth much,

so I’ll let the other side win.

COMPROMISE

The most important thing is to keep everyone happy, so we’ll let everyone have an equal share of what they want.

CONFUSION & TERROR

I don’t have a clue what’s going on around me any more, I don’t even want to say a word.

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

Logic says X; but I believe Y.

So logically: X must be wrong,

KILL IT WITH FIRE.

WORKSHOP

REFERENCES

IT’S NOT LUCKEli Goldratt

THE LOGICAL THINKING PROCESSWilliam Dettmer

THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS

HANDBOOKEdited by

James F Cox and John G Schleier

Conflict in Complex Systems

Leadership & Management

Transcript of Conflict in Complex Systems