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Article 04 Maznevski-DiStefano - Synergy - From - Individual - Differences
Article 04 Maznevski-DiStefano - Synergy - From - Individual - Differences
and, ideally, a synergy that is better than any starting point for achieving synergy from
single point of view. But achieving this synergy differences: 1) cognitive preferences (for
requires recognizing and working with example, as measured by the Myers-Briggs
differences in the first place. Type Indicator, MBTI®)1, and 2) cultural
assumptions (for example, as measured by the
We have worked with hundreds of people Cultural Perspectives Questionnaire, CPQ)2.
and teams to prevent the problems and to A cognitive preferences map highlights
achieve the potential that the differences offer. individuals’ preferences for information
We have found that following three basic processing, working, and learning styles, while a
principles of interaction leads to success: Map, map of cultural assumptions focuses on
Bridge and Integrate. individuals’ expectations about how others will
interact, share responsibility, and work together.
Map: Understand
the Differences. Bridge: Communicate Across
Differences.
Mapping is recognizing that differences exist
and may be important, describing the Bridging increases effective communication by
differences with an objective framework, using paying particular attention to interacting
this map to explain different perspectives, and across differences. Bridge-building uses three
then acting on the explanations to better deal sets of communication skills: Preparing a
with the work challenges. Foundation, Decentering and Recentering.
2
Blame-free explaining kicks in when a problem must identify these different expectations and
occurs. Poor communicators tend to blame then agree on some common behaviors and
the other party, attributing negative their meanings. Usually they choose a
characteristics or simply dismissing the other combination of each party’s norms.The most
view (“He doesn’t know what he’s doing,”“She skilled communicators agree explicitly that
is incompetent.”). Good bridgers assume that different people can operate using different
the problem arose from differences in starting communication behaviors, with common
points or perspectives. They withhold blame agreement about what those behaviors mean.
and negative judgment, and explore the nature Such insightful bridging depends on accurate
of the different perspectives. The president mapping – of oneself as well as the other
could have said “Why don’t you show me person – and the courage to be open.
what you’ve got already?”, the vice president
could have said “What kind of information Integrate – Build on Differences
would you like at this point? Here’s what I can for Synergy.
give you as a start.”This blame-free explaining,
combined with perspective-taking and good Integrating is the last step in getting high
mapping, usually leads to insights and new performance from interpersonal differences.
ways of seeing the situation. The skills needed here are much the same as
they are in any team situation, but they lead to
Recentering is moving both parties – or a better quality decisions and implementation
whole team – to a center they identify when they are built on strong mapping and
together. While decentering focuses on bridging. The three integrating skills are
differences, recentering builds on similarities. managing participation, resolving conflicts, and
Good recentering means developing a building on ideas.
common view and common rules of
interaction. To develop a common view, Managing participation is clearly the first step to
everyone maps the situation and their creating and implementing new ideas. It is
perspectives to identify areas of overlap. For impossible to build high quality solutions unless
example, both the president and vice you have everyone’s input – their best ideas –
president want the new product to satisfy the to start with.And people contribute their best
right consumer needs. Although this seems ideas in a setting that fits their personality and
obvious, when the people involved have expectations. The key here is to engage in
different perspectives, it is important to say it different modes of participation across a
explicitly and describe it carefully. Usually decision-making task: in small groups, large
people assume they have a common view but groups, and one-to-one; in writing, with
really don’t (e.g. the meaning of “product pictures and through spoken dialogue, both
specifications” or “sharing decisions”). Good in-person and electronically. This way, people
decentering often produces the type of can provide their best input in a comfortable
discussion that identifies the real common manner and respond to others on their own
view, providing a foundation for innovation terms.The leader should play an active role in
and synergy. balancing the different modes, ensuring that
everyone is contributing and responding. The
Common rules are agreements on how to next challenge is to resolve conflicts
interact together. People go into meetings constructively. When two people or a group
and conversations with expectations about are reaching for synergy,they will face significant
behavior like interruptions, conflict and disagreement: “Okay, I understand your
progress towards decisions. The agreements perspective, but I still don’t agree.” One often-
for common norms can be about what to do, forgotten step is detecting disagreement in the
such as always start a meeting with an agenda, first place. Different people and cultures
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or about what not to do, such as trying to be express conflict differently and these signals are
funny by ridiculing someone. When people often misread.The parties should make extra
have different expectations about these efforts to deal with the conflict in appropriate
behaviors, they often misinterpret each other’s ways – as relevant disagreement among
actions. To communicate effectively across people who respect and understand each
differences, people in a discussion or team other, and not as a battle for right and wrong.
3
Synergy From Individual Differences:
Map, Bridge and Integrate (MBI)
Mapping and bridging provide exactly the tools unimportant, let’s focus on the areas we have in
needed for good conflict resolution. Mapping common.” People know that focusing only on
the different perspectives provides an objective differences usually leads to a negative spiral of
picture of how far apart the parties are,lowering blame and distrust. However, focusing only on
defenses and setting the stage to develop ideas commonalities just gets to the lowest common
for how to create new solutions. Bridging brings denominator. It provides mediocre results, not
positive attitudes and behaviors that create win- high performance.
win solutions. And if participation is managed
well, all parties will contribute to the solution The Map-Bridge-Integrate process uses an
and are likely to buy into it and implement it well. objective assessment of differences and
similarities as input for an ongoing dialogue. In
Building on ideas is going beyond resolving this dialogue, original areas of commonality
differences to create new solutions for problems serve as the foundation for discussing
and challenges. This is when leaders and their differences, and new areas of commonality
subordinates reach new levels of innovation in are built.
revenue, cost and organizational systems. It is
how key account teams develop systems that Mapping, bridging and integrating must work
compel customers, and how logistics and together. Performance comes from integrating,
operations teams find real synergies across value but integrating cannot happen without bridging.
chains, far beyond the cost cutting that comes In fact, according to our research, good bridging
from eliminating redundancies.To build on ideas, almost always leads to good integrating. If you
use all the techniques you’ve experienced, heard get bridging right, you’ll almost certainly get
about and read about, including brainstorming integrating and the accompanying performance.
and creative exercises. At first, focus on Bridging, in turn, rests on good mapping. Maps
exploring differences rather than similarities, provide the objective input for building bridges;
building on each other’s ideas, and trying to both the attitudes and the skills.
invent new ideas.Then, using conflict resolution
skills, do more than combine and compromise. The MBI process cannot be put in place with
Find new solutions that excite everyone. policies. It is a set of skills that must be practiced
and learned over time. The good news is that
In the opening case, after mapping and bridging even a little bit of MBI brings an improvement in
their differences, the president and vice performance and people tend to see quick
president worked together to develop the new results in their interactions. In today’s economic
product and the systems to support it. They environment, every leader needs to accomplish
went through successive iterations of looking at more with the human resources he or she has.
the overall picture and how the product would Map-Bridge-Integrate is a good set of practices
meet various needs, and details of components to achieve that goal.
and suppliers.After some tough discussions,they
created some new features that customers IMD
hadn’t originally asked for, but that met other P. O. Box 915, CH-1001 Lausanne,
needs the distributors had. And, through careful Switzerland
examination of the supplier and manufacturing Tel.: +41 21 618 0342
side, they were able to decrease costs and Fax: +41 21 618 0715
increase production efficiency. The launch was info@imd.ch
later than the company had hoped, but the http://www.imd.ch
product did very well and became the anchor of
a new line.Along the way, the president and vice Editor: Roger Whittle
president learned to incorporate the interaction © IMD, March 2004. No part of this publication may
skills into other projects they were working on, be reproduced without written authorization.
which also benefited from the process.
Summary.