Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [713]
Father-Son Chronic Dilemma Summary
These reflections on the ECs of a father-son relationship are not meant to describe stellar decision-making. They are provided to illustrate the chronic nature of relationships among people whether the other person is a parent, child, sibling, friend, business associate, subordinate, peer, or supervisor. The ECs reflect what Covington (2009) describes as the elements that define relationships and culture in an organization:
1. Trust and honor people.
2. Our purpose and processes to achieve our purpose are clear.
3. Ongoing education and information.4
These same elements form the basis of sound, open, healthy relationships with other people.
The sooner we recognize that we are in a chronic conflict situation and identifies the common objective, each party’s requirement, the opposing actions (usually this is clearly defined), and the underlying assumptions for each side, the sooner one can study how to build a win-win lasting relationship with the other person.
Personal Productivity Dilemma—Where to Spend Your Time?
We examined the father-son chronic conflict and several specific examples to illustrate the complexity of only one dimension of one facet of a person’s life. Let’s look at other chronic conflicts that you have faced or are currently facing in hopes of improving your productivity. Prior to doing that, let’s first examine the EC template and some helpful hints on constructing the EC.
A Review of Constructing the Evaporating Clouds
A number of other chapters provide detailed instructions on how to construct the EC with examples of each step. This review is not meant as a comprehensive procedure of how to construct and test the EC logic. Study Fig. 38-2 to ensure that you remember and understand how to construct ECs. Answer each of the questions in the blocks in the template, using complete sentences in the order suggested. Follow the guidelines and helpful hints in the figure. Check the logic by reading the cloud using necessary condition logic: In order for ___ to (A, B; A, C)____, then (B, D: C, D′)_____. Do the statements make sense? Surface and build the assumptions. We will assume you know how to construct valid ECs in the remainder of this chapter. If you feel you need additional instruction, then go to Chapters 24 and 25 on the TP.
College Student Dilemma (Undergraduate)
In addition to having chronic conflicts with people you interact with, you can also have chronic conflicts with yourself. The next example is one such situation. We call it the classic dilemma of a college student.
Situation: Most college students go off to school and for the first time must plan, execute, and control their own daily lives. Some are successful; many are challenged; some fail miserably. Students have many demands for their time: classes, labs, studying, eating, sleeping, exercise, part-time or full-time jobs, and leisure activities such as playing sports with friends, attending college sporting events, college plays, movies, partying, playing cards, watching TV, etc. (the list is almost limitless). With so many choices, how does a student make the right decisions in allocating and using their time? The dilemma breaks down into doing the things I must do to succeed in college versus doing the things that I want to do to enjoy the college experience. Read Fig. 38-3 carefully.
Notice in the situation description, we provide the functions of planning, executing, and controlling. Another key function is prioritizing since, while in college, as in life, we never have enough time for all we have to do and want to do. Let’s examine this life situation in more detail before getting into