The Intersection of an Issue
All problems, choices and final decisions are at the intersection of an issue.
The key point is the thought process you use while at the intersection of the issue and decision that is made to move past the issue.
Getting to the intersection of an issue is the process of analyzing all the various options related to an issue and the potential outcomes from a decision that will be made. The key is to think about how you got to the intersection in the first place and the potential outcomes of the decisions that could be made.
The intersection of an issue is different than a decision tree. A decision tree deals with a recurring, defined problem and the process for how to resolve the problem or issue. We all know this concept, if the answer is “yes” then do this if the answer is “no” then do something else.
At the intersection of an issue, you are determining what needs to be resolved.
An example:
The employees are upset over the covered parking situation. Executives get assigned covered parking spots for free while employees that want a covered spot has to pay for the cover parking spot and it’s not assigned. Covered parking is a big issue in Arizona during the summer.
There are several inflection points to this issue:
- Keep the policy the same.
- Charge everyone for covered parking, but then how do you allocate the parking spots?
- Hold a monthly raffle to give out the covered parking spots for free and the raffle ticket has the spot number on the ticket.
- Open up covered parking to all employees on a first come basis knowing that due to a limited number of covered spots some employees will have to park in the uncovered area.
Option number 4 is the option selected. If an employee wants a covered parking spot they need to get there early. This applies to all employees, including executives. The interesting results of this is that employees started to show up for work earlier and employees would carpool at lunchtime to hold onto their coveted parking spot. We even had one executive with a fancy car park in the uncovered area far away from the building and cover their car for protection. Employees also came to recognize who was arriving early.
All decisions at an intersection of an issue have challenges both tangible and intangible. There are risks with any decision, so at the risk of repeating myself: Remember to think through the issue and options, before making the decision.