Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [395]
FIGURE 20-1 The basic Layers of Resistance based on the TOC questions of change.
The three basic Layers of Resistance may be the essence of this model, yet they do not tell the whole story. Once we take a closer look at these Layers, we detect even finer Layers inside them. Since the term “Layers of Resistance” was first coined in My Saga to Improve Production (Goldratt, 1996a; 1996b, and later reprinted in 2003, 1–14), I have come across outlines of TOC Layers of Resistance that contained within them anywhere between three and nine Layers. The reason for this phenomenon is that in different types of changes, there may actually turn out to be different finer Layers of the basic three that should be dealt with separately. Also, the magnitude of the change has an effect, as large-scale changes tend to have more fine Layers than local, small changes. Moreover, even with regard to a specific change it is difficult to predict how many and which Layers we will encounter. This is mainly because if we succeed in overcoming one Layer, the other party may overcome the next one independently. In order to develop further our intuition around identifying the Layers and successfully coping with them, it might be worthwhile to review the finer Layers one by one.
Disagreement on the Problem
Layer 0. There is no problem
When we approach the other party eager to discuss the win-win change we believe should be implemented, we sometimes receive responses such as, “What is wrong with what we have right now?” or, “There is no problem,” or, “Everything is fine the way it is.” These kinds of responses clearly indicate that there is no point discussing the problem (i.e., Layer 1) yet, as the other party does not yet acknowledge that there is a problem. We have to take a step back and deal first with Layer 0: Convincing the other party that something is wrong with the current state of affairs. In an illustration that has been used in the TOC community for years when discussing the Layers of Resistance (Fig. 20-2), we approach Wary Will and tell him, “You have got to make the effort to climb that cliff (read: Implement the change) because there is an alligator right behind you!” Wary Will answers, “What are you talking about? I don’t see any alligator1.” The only way to move past this Layer is to listen very carefully to what the other party is saying—in other words, to understand what is truly behind their claim. Wary Will may claim there is no problem because the approaching alligator is still too far away for him to notice it, or he can claim that “there is no problem” because he believes that the approaching alligator is friendly and won’t bite. Because these are two different cases, we will have to use very different arguments to convince Will that there is a problem.
People may be stuck in Layer 0 for various reasons. Sometimes it is because they fail to see that there is something wrong in the current situation. Sometimes it’s the opposite: They may have been well aware of the undesirable effects and fought very hard to get rid of them, but have failed so miserably that as far as they are concerned these negative phenomena must be accepted as part of reality. They might even have become so used to living with these negative phenomena that they no longer see them as negative (Goldratt, 2009, 19). Blockage at this layer may even be inherited from a predecessor who fought and failed, so the person to whom we are talking may not be aware that things can be different. It is no wonder, then, that they don’t think the change we are presenting to them should be a priority.
FIGURE 20-2 Weary Will’s dilemma: To change or not to change.
How do we move beyond this Layer? The best way is to take the time to understand fully where the other side is coming from. We should let the other party talk and assist them in uncovering their assumptions until we identify their false assumption with regard to the situation. The next step is proving to