Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [549]
At first, their answers were assured and confident. However, upon deeper questioning as to the validity of their need using the TOC questioning framework “in order to…I must,” the surety of the answers began to waiver. In almost all cases where money was the stated need, it turned out to be not for real financial woes but to address self-esteem needs such as to show off their wealth, to prove their loyalty to gangs, to impress others by being “the man,” as well as for the Rolls Royce of all needs—to obtain “easy money” or put more bluntly—to avoid hard work.
In order to obtain easy money—I must commit crime
Now behind bars, the rhetorical question for inmates became whether in fact, because of their crime, they met their need to show off or enjoy their easy money. Sitting in a circle on the hard concrete floor, the group conclusion was that perhaps easy money was not so easy after all!
Others, who committed a crime to fill their need to impress their friends, were suitably chastened when they admitted that their negative peers, whom they sought most to impress, had completely disappeared after their arrest. Instead of admiration from their peers, the result was avoidance. Only their family remained to support them through their incarceration.
In order to impress my friends—I must commit a crime
This invalidated their original need by teaching the hard lesson that their need to impress may have been directed to the wrong party, leading to the wrong action.
Finding an Alternative Way to Meet the Need If the need is validated, we need to question whether there is any other way to fulfill that need before taking action to achieve the desired want. The objective is to open their minds to different possibilities to fulfill their need. An illustration of one group’s solutions to fulfill their ongoing problematic need for money and how to find new (positive) friends is shown in Figs. 27-9a and 27-9b.
Many of our audience were in prison for drug-related crime. Even though they had been “clean” during their entire incarceration, many knew their own weaknesses and worried about their high probability of relapse upon release. When questioned about their need to take drugs, common answers were to feel good or high, to relieve stress, or to experience the adrenalin rush.
FIGURE 27-9a and b Meeting needs of the Cloud by alternative means.
In order to feel high—I must take drugs
Was there another way to feel high? One inmate excitedly put up his hand and suggested running to get the same adrenalin rush. Apparently, he had been a school athlete and loved to run.
In order to feel the adrenalin high—I must run
Did it work? Upon release, he contacted us several times to inform us that he was still clean and still running! While this was obviously not the solution for all, it emphasized the importance of finding an alternative way to meet the need; otherwise, the tendency is always to go back to default behavior.
In a case of theft, one inmate shared that he stole a $30,000 luxury watch after trying it on in the shop and admiring it on his wrist. His need for stealing the watch was to look cool and impress his girlfriend.
In order to look cool—I must steal the watch
Was there another way to look cool? Standing there in his decidedly uncool prison uniform and rubber slippers while sharing his story, it suddenly dawned on him that there were other ways, such as changing his hairstyle or becoming a good dancer, that he could have looked cool and impressed his girlfriend.
Practice examples were by no means confined to reflection of past experiences. Everyday actions were perfect to practice necessity logic. On one occasion when TOC course time happened to clash with exercise yard time, one inmate angrily rushed up to a prison officer and threw his file on the floor. Fortunately, no charges were made but when questioned why he behaved in such an