Problems that are Dilemmas

DEFINITION

Examples

Personal freedom vs. Social order

Customization vs. Economies of scale

Centralization vs. Decentralization

Time for career vs. Time for Relationships

Teamwork vs. Individual initiative

Competitive costing vs. Healthy profit margin

Engineering innovation vs. Ease of manufacturing

Short-term problem solving vs. Long-term strategic planning

Sales volume vs. Ability to deliver on promises

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Dilemmas occur when we are committed to two (apparently) incompatible goals. Efforts toward one side of the paradox seem to compromise or negate efforts toward the other side. There is often a sense of frustration and even mystery within a dilemma. For example, people in Sales do not understand why people in Engineering complain so much about new contracts. After all, it's money .. profit .. success! In contrast, people in Engineering wonder what's wrong with those people in Sales. Don't they understand that too much work means a poor quality delivery, which harms our reputation, which undermines future sales. It seems that there is more competition with departments down the hall then with true competitors down the street.

If no one is watching the trends, dilemmas can lead to painful and costly oscillation between two extremes. One year the company pushes for centralization to control costs and establish a consistent customer interface. The next year executives tout the value of customizing to local market conditions and having corporate services "on site" where they can be more timely and targeted. And the next year the company rediscovers the virtue of cost controls and standardization; companies can sometimes swing through several cycles before someone notices the bigger picture.

Dilemmas are never finally resolved, they are merely managed more or less well. The proper integration of the two sides of a dilemma can shift dramatically, requiring a reconsideration of the best path in the current situation. A newcomer to a market may need to push for innovation to "make a splash" and get some initial market share. As their position stabilizes, they may need to shift to cost controls and standardization to shore up their profit margins.

CHALLENGES

We don't have two goals; we have one dilemma.

The biggest challenge in a dilemma is getting people to back away from their advocacy for one side and embrace the two-sided dilemma. The need is for collaboration, not advocacy. The change needed is not simply one of behavior or attitude. Perceiving a dilemma is a shift in mind set. The insight needed is difficult to secure and fragile once achieved. The whole weight of Western thought pushes for "A or ¬A" and compartmentalizing the organization. Dilemmas ask us to consider "A and ¬A", and dissolving the boundaries between departments.

Beyond the insight, the next challenge is to institutionalize the new perspective. Reward systems that only reward Sales people for sales, and only reward Manufacturing for on-time completion will eventually erode any insight about how those two goals are linked. Sales staff should have part of their bonus dependent on delivery of a quality product on time with appropriate collateral materials. In short, they have to worry some about capacity to deliver. People in manufacturing or installation should have part of their compensation dependent on sales volume. In other words, people who used to be opposed across the dilemma need a reason to be concerned and even supportive of each others' success.

OUTCOMES

The most important outcome is the process for reaching the outcome.

The second most important outcome is the ability to learn from the last outcome.

Part of the approach to any dilemma is cultivating a sense of shared destiny. People who have been dedicated to a single goal have to be sensitive to the countervailing goal and to the people who pursue it. So one key outcome is a new attitude of respect and concern for people who previous where stereotyped and disregarded.

Unlike other problem types,where the method is unimportant or expendable, in a dilemma the method for reaching a "solution" is perhaps the most important product. Since the dilemma will persist, having a shared and smooth process for exploring new options is a critical outcome.

Part of this process should include a mechanism for learning from experience. Project post mortems, customer feedback tools, knowledge management platforms, or continuous process improvement are all tools for learning from each iteration.