230 Thinking for a Change Figure 11.4a SL1019ch11frame Page 230 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:38 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. The Full Analysis 231 Figure 11.4b SL1019ch11frame Page 231 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:38 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. 232 Thinking for a Change Figure 11.5a SL1019ch11frame Page 232 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:38 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. The Full Analysis 233 Figure 11.5b SL1019ch11frame Page 233 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:38 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. 235 Chapter 12 Communication CRT There are any number of reasons that will lead you to want or need to communicate the content of a current reality tree that identifies a core problem. It may be that you want to enlist the help of a colleague to develop a solution to the core problem. Perhaps you need to get someone else’s participation to implement a solution, and in order to get that participation, he must first understand the nature of the problem. What if the party to whom you need to communicate the content of the current reality tree is someone who is, or thinks he is, directly responsible for the environment described in the current reality tree? How do you go about communicating the issues to him without putting him on the defensive? If you have any experience in trying to explain problems, or in getting buy-in to solutions, you know that it is very difficult to be heard if the other party is feeling attacked. The communication current reality tree (CCRT) combines the evaporating cloud with the current reality tree for the purpose of communicating the current reality in a way that avoids the defensive response. 1. Convert the evaporating cloud into a sufficient cause diagram. 2. Connect this sufficient cause diagram to the current reality tree. 3. Communicate the new tree from the entry point that is the [A] entity from the evaporating cloud. When you begin to create the communication current reality tree, you already have a completed current reality tree and evaporating cloud (Figure 12.1). SL1019ch12frame Page 235 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:39 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. 236 Thinking for a Change Figure 12.1 SL1019ch12frame Page 236 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:39 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. Communication CRT 237 1. Convert the evaporating cloud into a suf ficient cause dia- gram. Using the assumptions surfaced during the evaporating cloud process, turn the evaporating cloud into a sufficient cause diagram. The [A] objective will be an entry point to the new tree. • Because you will eventually be connecting this diagram to the current reality tree, the first step is to arrange the cloud’s entities so once you turn it into a sufficient cause structure, the arrows will be oriented in the same direction as the current reality tree. • Using the assumptions of the cloud as your reference, turn the evaporating cloud into a sufficient cause diagram. A generic sample is illustrated in Figure 12.2. 2. Connect this suf ficient cause diagram to the curr ent r eality tr ee. The [D] entity on the evaporating cloud is the same as the core problem, so simply connect it at the same place the core problem is shown on the tree. You will also be able to identify additional entities on the current reality tree that are caused by the conflict and the pressure or frustration involved in dealing with it. If the current reality tree does not already show it, this is an opportunity to expand it to identify that the lack of or compromised amount of the “D ′ ” entity results in another need of the system. Two generic examples of communication current reality trees are shown in Figures 12.3 and 12.4. 3. Communicate the new tr ee fr om the entry point that is the [A] entity fr om the evaporating cloud. Before I go into detail on this step, I feel it is important to point out that there is much written on the subject of teamwork, communication, buy-in, col- laboration, the psychology of change, etc. That is not what this book is about, although the categories of legitimate reservation are certainly helpful tools in that arena. This book is about a set of tools that, when combined with good intentions and basic com- munication skills, will help you improve whatever you set out to improve. The process described in this step is just a series of steps that have worked for some people. However, I caution you against putting these steps into action if your intent is manipulation. I caution you against putting these steps into action if you are not prepared to listen as well as share your analysis. The best advice I’ve ever read on the subject of communication was Steven Covey’s: Seek first to understand before you seek to be understood*. Please keep Covey’s advice in mind as you proceed. * Covey, Stephen R., The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Simon and Schuster, 1989. SL1019ch12frame Page 237 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:39 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. 238 Thinking for a Change Figure 12.2 SL1019ch12frame Page 238 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:39 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. Communication CRT 239 Figure 12.3 SL1019ch12frame Page 239 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:39 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. 240 Thinking for a Change Figure 12.4 SL1019ch12frame Page 240 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:39 AM Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC. [...]... set of guidelines to the thinking processes Some may wonder why there are not many more examples of trees in the book It is certainly not due to lack of material I made the decision not to litter the pages of the book with multitudes of trees because I wanted to focus on process rather than the content of what others had done in the past I tried to put myself in the position of someone going to the. .. make the process itself clear With these thoughts in mind, I quickly saw myself in the shoes of the potential buyer at the bookstore, and I was not buying the book Well, without the book in the hands of the buyer, it wouldn’t be able to accomplish its main goal of being a learning resource So, I decided on using what’s worked in the past, and to put just enough examples in the book to facilitate the. .. bookstore and picking up the book, deciding whether or not to purchase it As I envisioned scanning the pages and seeing all of those boxes and arrows, the thoughts that came to mind first were — cluttered, boring I was reminded of many of the thinking process classes that I teach In general, the participants want to get on with the process, rather than read through a large example They want just enough to. .. analysis, and come back another time Let’s assume, however, that your colleague does agree that the objective is shared • Establish the [B] and [C] entities, as inevitable results of the existence of [A] and the entities that you have identified on the tree that combine with it to cause [B] and [C] • Establish the [D] and [D′] entities in the same manner • Discuss the fact that [D] and [D′] are at odds — they... that we create and select and download trees that others have created The thinking processes have helped me in all aspects of my life I hope that you, too, will use them, play with them, continue to find new applications for them, and, most of all, continuously improve with them Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man And man can be as big as he wants No problem of human destiny... they are unable to coexist in the system Invite your colleague to identify some of the problems that result from this conflict No doubt, he will identify at least some of the undesirable effects that are on the current reality tree The two of you have also now established that the inherent conflict is a system issue, and no single person, especially your colleague, is to blame • It is now OK to proceed with... more trees and evaporating clouds, all is not lost APICS (the nonprofit educational society for resource management) maintains an internet list serve The list serve is an e-mail discussion group Simply join the list by sending an e-mail message to admin@lists.apics.org In the body of your e-mail simply say, join cmsig You will start receiving e-mail messages from other members of the list, and you can... presentation by establishing the common objective that is the stated objective of the cloud This tells your colleague/s that you realize that you are all after the same thing Make sure there is agreement that this is, in fact, a common objective If he disagrees with you here, don’t proceed If it’s the wording, change it If he just doesn’t agree that this is a common objective, it’s better to stop, go back and. .. join in the discussion whenever you please One of the things you can ask for is copies of trees that members have created, on whatever subject interests you My hope is to one day see a virtual library 243 Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC SL1019chcloseFrame Page 244 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:40 AM 244 Thinking for a Change of trees on the Internet — a site where we will be able to deposit copies of trees... the rest of your current reality analysis Remember to keep the categories of legitimate reservation handy in your mind, so that as your colleague raises questions or concerns over what you’ve got in the tree, you can clarify, expand, or make changes as necessary Copyright © 1999 CRC Press, LLC SL1019chcloseFrame Page 243 Friday, June 23, 2006 9:40 AM Closing Comments My intent with this book was to . litter the pages of the book with multitudes of trees because I wanted to focus on process rather than the content of what others had done in the past. I tried to put myself in the position of someone. going to the bookstore and picking up the book, deciding whether or not to purchase it. As I envisioned scanning the pages and seeing all of those boxes and arrows, the thoughts that came to mind. understand the nature of the problem. What if the party to whom you need to communicate the content of the current reality tree is someone who is, or thinks he is, directly responsible for the environment