This article is part of a five-article series
Revisiting the narrative of the four stories,
We analyze their actions and decisions through the lens of the four strategy categories: Survival, Relationships, Forecasting, and Conflict Management. This analysis will help illuminate how each strategy contributed to their successful interaction and the maintenance of a healthy equilibrium.
1. Survival Strategies
In the initial moments of their encounter, both Jorah and Elara's primary concern was survival. They were cautious and prepared for a potential threat - a fundamental human response. This strategy was evident in their readiness to defend themselves, with Jorah gripping his spear and Elara poised near her bow. Their actions to ensure personal safety and readiness to react to any immediate danger exemplify the Survival strategy. By prioritizing their own safety, they maintained the capability to engage in further strategies, vital for their individual and mutual outcomes.
For the explorer teams, survival strategies were centered around the practical needs of their journey. Both teams needed a safe way to cross the river to continue their explorations. Building a bridge served this immediate survival need by providing a safe passage, ensuring their physical safety, and enabling them to carry on with their respective missions. This strategy also encompassed anticipating future needs, such as the possibility of future river crossings or the need for a stable structure in the changing environment.
For Max and Lena, survival in the business context meant ensuring the continued operational effectiveness and market position of their respective organizations. Max's need for a stable crude oil supply and Lena's requirement for efficient refining partners represented their survival strategies. These needs drove their initial decision to engage in negotiations. The survival strategy here is about maintaining and enhancing their organizational capabilities and market competitiveness, which is vital for the long-term viability of their businesses.
In the context of this project, the survival strategies of both teams were focused on maintaining the operational effectiveness of their organization and ensuring the success of the project. This involved aligning the project with the organization's broader goals and ensuring that it met both current and future needs. By developing a new information system, the teams were enhancing the organization's technological capabilities, which is vital for its long-term competitiveness and sustainability. This strategy also included anticipating future technological advancements and integrating flexibility into the system to adapt to these changes.
2. Relationship Strategies
Once the immediate threat was assessed and deemed manageable, both hunters moved to establish a non-verbal communication channel. This shift to building a relationship was crucial. They used gestures - Jorah showing his knife and Elara her rabbits - to communicate intentions. This strategy was about establishing a reliable and open channel of communication despite the language barrier. It laid the foundation for trust and understanding, essential for any cooperative effort.
The relationship strategy was crucial as it involved building a communication bridge between teams with no common language and different cultures. They used gestures and shared tools, developing a non-verbal language of cooperation. This strategy ensured that they could work together effectively, despite their differences. Establishing a reliable and open channel of communication was essential for coordinating their efforts and for the mutual understanding necessary for collaboration.
The establishment of a formal communication channel between Max and Lena was the foundation of their relationship strategy. Even though they were part of the same larger organization and shared a common overarching goal, they had to build trust and understand each other's specific needs and constraints. The relationship strategy was crucial in creating a reliable and open platform for negotiation, ensuring that both parties were aligned and could work towards a mutually beneficial outcome.
The relationship strategies were critical in building and maintaining effective communication channels between the teams. Despite being part of the same organization, the teams had different areas of expertise and potentially different approaches to the project. Establishing regular meetings and updates ensured that all team members were informed and aligned. This open and reliable communication was essential for collaborative efforts, enabling the teams to work together efficiently and leverage each other's strengths.
3. Forecasting Strategies
Jorah and Elara engaged in Forecasting when they assessed the potential benefits of trading. They had to share their intentions and predict the outcomes of their actions. Jorah, by showing his knife, indicated his willingness to trade, which was a way of sharing his current state and signaling his future actions. Elara, understanding this, reciprocated by showing her rabbits. This exchange of information about their current resources and implied future actions (trading) was vital for coordinating their subsequent actions.
Forecasting strategies were employed in planning the bridge construction and in adapting their approaches as the work progressed. Each team had to share their knowledge of materials and construction techniques, as well as forecast the resources and time required for the project. This mutual exchange of information and future planning was vital for the coordination of their efforts and for ensuring that the bridge would be fit for purpose, both immediately and in the future.
Forecasting played a significant role in their negotiation process. Both traders need to share current information about their resources (oil reserves and refining capacity) and project future scenarios. This strategy involved planning, market analysis, and risk assessment. By understanding the current market conditions and forecasting future market trends, Max and Lena could make informed decisions that aligned with their organizations' long-term strategies. This mutual understanding and sharing of information was crucial for making decisions that would benefit both parties and the organization as a whole.
Forecasting strategies played a significant role in the project's planning and execution. This involved sharing and analyzing information about the current technological landscape, the organization’s needs, and predicting how these might evolve. The teams had to make informed decisions about the system's design and functionality, considering both current requirements and future trends. Regular reassessments and an Agile methodology allowed the teams to adapt their strategies based on new information and changing circumstances.
4. Conflict Management Strategies
The most critical aspect of their interaction was managing potential conflict, which was implicit in their initial mistrust. The method of exchange they chose – a simultaneous trade in the middle of the river – was a strategic decision to manage and minimize conflict. It ensured that neither party could easily deceive the other, thus preventing conflict and maintaining equilibrium. Their careful, mirrored actions in the river were a form of conflict prevention, ensuring that the trade was equitable and that the risk of betrayal was minimized.
Conflict management in this context involved harmonizing the efforts of two different teams to achieve a common goal. It included managing any differences in approach or opinion regarding the bridge's construction. By agreeing to work on their side of the river and then meeting in the middle, they established a protocol that helped prevent and manage potential conflicts. This approach ensured that any disagreements did not escalate and disrupt the project, thereby maintaining equilibrium.
Conflict management in this scenario involved structuring the negotiation and transaction in a way that minimized the risk of conflict and ensured a fair deal. The use of escrow accounts managed by a neutral third party is a prime example. This approach prevented either party from gaining an unfair advantage and helped manage the risks associated with the transaction. It was a proactive measure to prevent potential conflicts and ensure that the negotiation process and eventual transaction were conducted smoothly and equitably.
Conflict management is crucial for addressing and resolving any disagreements or misalignments between the teams. Given the project's complexity and the involvement of different skill sets, differences in opinion were likely. The teams established mechanisms to address these conflicts constructively, ensuring they did not derail the project. This proactive approach to conflict management involves consensus-building, mediation processes, and regular retrospectives to address any issues and realign efforts.
Conclusion
Jorah and Elara's strategies during their encounter can be neatly categorized into Survival, Relationships, Forecasting, and Conflict Management. Each category played a crucial role in ensuring their individual safety, establishing a basis for cooperation, effectively communicating intentions and predictions, and preventing potential conflicts. These strategies, employed in harmony, led to a successful exchange and maintained a healthy equilibrium, beneficial for both parties.
The strategies used by the explorer teams in building the bridge echo the same 4 common strategy categories. The relationship strategy enabled effective collaboration despite language and cultural barriers. Forecasting was key in planning and adapting their construction efforts, and conflict management ensured that potential disagreements were handled in a way that did not disrupt the project’s progress. Together, these strategies led to a successful cooperative effort that benefitted both teams and maintained a healthy equilibrium in their respective organizational missions.
The strategies employed by Max and Lena are the same. The survival strategy was about maintaining their competitive positions, the relationship strategy established a foundation for effective communication, forecasting enabled them to make informed decisions, and conflict management ensured a fair and smooth transaction. Together, these strategies led to a successful negotiation that benefited both parties and maintained a healthy equilibrium within their organization.
The strategies employed by the modern professional teams are a redressing of basic practices in high-tech clothing. Survival strategies focused on the project's alignment with organizational goals, relationship strategies facilitated effective communication, forecasting strategies enabled informed decision-making, and conflict management strategies ensured that the team dynamics remained productive and aligned. Together, these strategies led to a successful outcome for the project and helped maintain a healthy equilibrium within the organization.
Support Analysis
The encounter in each story is mapped out step-by-step with mapping to its Strategy Category.
Hunters Step by Step
Builders Step by Step
Oil Traders Step by Step
Mapping to SAFe
Conclusion
These four strategies are not anything new. This is how we work. All I've done in these few pages is to describe what we do and hint at why. "Why?" is another fun conversation for another time.
By writing here I hope to simplify what we humans have made so complex. Or perhaps we've let modern technology replace our own memories of how we work together. This is not anything new. It's only a new way to look at our complex world. A view that is more receptable by our human brains.
Want to have a better relationship with your spouse? Check your strategy mix distribution. You may want to brush up on a few skills too. Maybe you need to work on your relationship.
How's your Neighbor? If you are in equilibrium it's good enough. You can map your practices to 4 Strategies Model. Make a note of your ratio mix. How much time do you invest in each? If it works, sell it. Do you work on a team for employment? Do you play on a softball team? If you do, you should start thinking about your strategies.
My profession is software engineering. Or, "solving complex problems with teams mostly using software."
I can tell you that these strategies apply to every level of the organization. And that should make sense, right? Organizations are people. The basic human mental capacities and instincts in our two hunters exist in modern humans and we all tick and sway by that ancient rhythm. In organizations of people you need to look for patterns of System 1 thinking and System 2 thinking such as Survival first. Loss Aversion, Probability Effect, Certainty Effect, and the Endowment Effect. But they exist. For a reason.
This is how we prefer to work. Our two hunters did what was natural for our species. Why would we work any other way? If we as individuals, teams, teams of teams, groups of organizations, were to work together in a way that is natural to our minds, we will work together more efficiently.
Merrimack, NH January 2024
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