Replying to LO29005 --
Greetings Walter and all...
This post pushed me to think about it in a little different direction....
Could it be that many of the dynamics you listed are different places on a
continuum (possibly opposite ends)? And rather than avoiding them --
which is very difficult, if not impossible -- what if we looked at many of
these as paradox?
In the posting, I read (or at least inferred) an assumption of
"either/or", particularly as it was framed as coflict to be avoided.
First, I'm not sure it can be avoided particularly if it is a paradoxical
relationship. Most of the pairings of concepts that Walter listed are
useful if they are kept in some kind of balance.....a shift to "both/and"
thinking.
Walter has given us a good start in developing a list of paradoxes that
exist in virually any kind of organization. What I see (and feel) is that
we don't recognize many of these org. challenges as such and respond by
try to overcorrect on one end of that continuum (to use a cliche' - - "the
pendulum swings too far in the other direction")
A final thought.... conflict in and of itself is not really a bad thing.
As any science student can tell you, there is no movement without a little
bit of friction.
Now I'll go have my first cup of coffee.... hopefully this makes some
sense before my daily dose of caffeine.
Regards...... /jeff miller
On 16 Aug 2002 at 0:07, Walter Derzko wrote:
> From: "Walter Derzko" <wderzko@axxent.ca>
>
> Strategic alliances often form between two asymmetric
> partners - an SME and a larger corporation. Right from the
> start there is potential for conflict.
>
> Larger firms prefer/look for: SME's exhibit:
>
> Order Looseness / Untidiness
>
> Formal documentation Informal
> arrangements
[....snip... by your host]
> From a LO perspective, can you suggest conflict avoidance,
> or conflict mitigation strategies for partnerships between a
> David and a Goliath? - two asymmetric partners?
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