“We can’t solve problems using the same thinking that created them to begin with” – Albert Einstein
One of the biggest challenges we face in clinical transformation is to see the functional problem that is contributing to the systems dysfunction we live or work in. Problems always seem to have associated contradictions and emotional distress, and we are prone to use the terms problem and conflict synonymously. There is undoubtedly a link between problems and conflict, and if we’re going to effectively solve problems, we must explore whether a problem is always a conflict.
What is a problem?
- Definition of Problem: An inquiry starting from given conditions to investigate or demonstrate a fact
- Problems are objective
- Definition of Objective: Not influenced by feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts
- Our working definition of a problem: An objective or quantitative functional challenge common to all (fact-based)
Examples of functional problems
Math problems: simple and complex equations
Engineering problems: Building a wind farm
Healthcare problems: Establishing a Flu vaccine program
What is a conflict?
- In our prior blog, we saw that assumptions and division create conflict
- Definition of conflict: A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one; difference of opinion (dispute)
- Conflicts are subjective
- Definition of Subjective: Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes or opinions
- Our working definition of a conflict: A subjective contradiction resulting from fragmented interpretations and comparisons (idea-based)
Examples of Conflict
Religious Conflict:
Muslim – Hindu
National Conflict:
Russia – Ukraine
Political Conflict:
Republican – Democrat
Energy Conflict:
Fossil Fuel – Renewables
Is a problem a conflict?
- Problems are based on observation and fact, while conflicts are based on abstraction and ideas
- When we entangle an objective problem with subjective conflict, we create a conflicted problem
- As we said before, this is our everyday reactive tendency – so let’s explore why
We have normalized conflict
- Conflict is woven into the fabric of our daily routines to the point where it no longer stands out as aberrant, like a persistent foul odor that we no longer notice
- Conflict is reflected in our language, our humor, our entertainment:
Conflict in Language
Conflict in Humor
Conflict in Sports
Conflict in Music
Why do we associate problems with conflict?
- We show up with an established subjective view of ourselves and the world
- We compare and interpret everything based on our accumulated knowledge, experiences, culture, traditions, and beliefs
- We have incomplete knowledge and understanding and fill the gaps with assumptions and ideas
- We live in uncertainty, which we try to mitigate with opinions (and confuse with fact)
- We develop hypotheses, which narrow and distort our view of what is actually happening
- Our subjective attempt to understand the objective creates a frustrating indistinguishable mess
How do we approach problems when we’re in conflict?
- Conflict creates inward frustration, anger, pain, and suffering
- Our fear and the emotional distress associated with conflict become our response drivers
- Our outward response to conflict shows up as anger, confrontation, resistance, and, in its extreme, violence
- We focus externally on the thing we interpret as the source of our conflict, which typical shows up as blaming others
- Conflict creates friction, which produces emotional heat, requires a lot of energy, and depletes our reserves
- Our focus on managing the conflict becomes more important than solving the problem
- The Result: Conflict Management rather than Problem Solving
How easy is it to convert a problem into a conflict?
- Our ability to turn a problem into a conflict is reflexive and always begins when we prioritize our personal desires and expectations
- Recall our prior examples of functional problems, now showing up as conflict:
Conflicted Math Problems
Conflicted Renewable Energy
Conflicted Flu Vaccinations
Creating Conflict: Vignette 1: Walking the Dogs
We have two dogs, an energic puppy and a twelve-year-old matron with a number of chronic ailments. Both of them need to be walked at least four times a day and given their different needs and capabilities we have to attend to them separately. My wife and I share this responsibility happily when we are home together; it is a simple functional problem that we have solved. That tends to shift, however, when one of us is traveling and the other must assume double duty in their absence. Frustration, fatigue, and resentment creep in, and we introduce the “you owe me when you get back” mindset. Welcome conflict!
Whether this escalates into confrontation depends on our joint response. One of us might insist that the other repay with extra duty, which might be met with happy acceptance or with annoyance. In both scenarios, the functional problem has become secondary to the conflict for either one or both of us.
Creating Conflict – Vignette 2: Mask On or Mask Off
US hospitals are subject to triennial accreditation surveys by The Joint Commission (TJC) and undergo a rigorous detailed compliance assessment of established quality and safety standards. One of the standards that has become a major focus is the appropriate use of surgical masks. To address infection control, the accreditation standard requires surgical masks to be removed completely when not in use, which challenges the longstanding practice of letting the mask hang around the neck and being reused. The immediate functional problem is straightforward: take the mask off when you’re finished using it.
Not surprisingly in the culture of autonomy in healthcare, even something as simple as this has significant non-compliance. Every caregiver has their own subjective rationales regarding appropriate mask use, which either align or misalign with the TJC standard. The hospital is cited for non-compliance, and we are now in conflict. Caregivers maintain a defiant stance, and the hospital leaders counter with threats of disciplinary consequences for non-compliance. Once again, the root of the functional problem is lost in the morass. The hospital threat tactics will likely be successful short term when the follow up TJC survey occurs, but a sustained solution based on shared understanding of the functional problem will not occur.
What happens when we become aware of our reactive tendency to entangle problems in conflict?
- Before we can see the functional problem, we must see the entwined conflict and how it fogs and distorts our perception
- We may initially see specific examples of conflict, and when our awareness of conflict unfolds, we will see how conflict shows up everywhere, all the time (hopefully, this post has offered you that opportunity)
- With our awareness of the ubiquity of conflict, we must now understand the nature or the root of conflict. Then we can investigate the following:
- Is there a distinction between managing and solving conflict?
- Is there such thing as healthy conflict?
The Conflicted Problem: Summary
- Problems and conflict are distinct
- Problems are objective challenges based on fact
- Conflicts are subjective contradictions and divisions based on interpretation, comparison, assumptions, and opinions
- Our innate tendency to entangle subjective interpretation into objective problems precludes us from seeing the latter clearly
- We become Conflict Managers rather than Problem Solvers
- Conflicts and problems can be distinguished when we become aware of our subjective approach to what we perceive
- Becoming aware of conflict opens the door to exploring and understanding the factual nature or root of conflict
- Understanding the nature of conflict creates empowers us to see the functional problem clearly
Questions to Ponder
- When I encounter a “problem,” do I automatically assume there is a conflict involved?
- Am I more attached to defending my perspective than to seeing the objective facts of the problem?
- How often do I conflate “feeling right” with ”being factual”?
- In what ways have I normalized convlict in my language, humor, or expectations without even realizing it?
- Can I think of a recent example where a simple problem became a conflict – what assumptions, comparisons, or interpretations did I bring into this situation that might have fueled conflict rather than clarifying the problem?
Where to Next?
In the next post, we’ll explore the critical question:
What is the nature of conflict?
To set the stage, consider the following quote:
“We do not think and talk about what we see; we see what we are able to think and talk about” – Edgar Schein
See you next time!
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