Incompatibility of (Business) Characters
A proposition: incompatibility is a product of competition.
Recently I found this notification on the CBS site “Statistics Netherlands”:
- Divorce rate up in 2005 Compared to 2004, the number of divorces in the Netherlands rose by nearly 2 thousand to 33 thousand in 2005. Incompatibility of characters and infidelity are most frequently mentioned as reasons for divorce…(Source: CBS - http://www.cbs.nl/en-GB/menu/themas/mens-maatschappij/bevolking/publicaties/artikelen/2006-1862-wm.htm) - there is more interesting information about this topic, but that doesn’t serve this article -
In order to compete, we know from Michael Porter and other strategist who have written about the subject, companies tend to differentiate. And these minor differentiations end up in the products and services we (consumers and other businesses) buy from them. The same differentiations that will make that one solution of on typical product or service will not cooperate - will not be compatible - with other similar solutions. When you travel from Europe to the US, your electrical plugs are incompatible. This particular case can be solved, but you need to be prepared, each time you face such a situation.
On an individual level these mismatches also occur within companies. The way you manage to communicate with your boss or with others is an indication of compatibilities of characters, although the term incompatibilities of characters could easily be misused. Being a professional you should be able to communicate with everybody.
Beyond the individual level though, there are many situations in a company where you may find incompatibility. It is again the fierce internal competition that makes organizations sometimes inefficient. This becomes clear when - when the cost reduction programs enter the business stage - that synergies are hard to find, because of resources and different types of solutions that clash.
Although it happens often, many employees meet and date others members from the same company, it is not necessary that you get that close to others, but teamwork is not something that is put on the management agenda because of no reason.
Teamwork is necessary because of many reasons, one of them being able to reach internal synergies; otherwise your company might as well split up in different competing units.
© 2006 Hans Bool
Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.
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