Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

I’ve often heard that I think and behave like an engineer.  It’s a good thing, I think, because I spent many years studying to become an engineer.   I remember coming home from college complaining to my Dad about how hard my thermodynamics and differential equations classes were.  I’ll never forget what he told me,  “The people problems you encounter will be harder than ANY differential equation you will ever come across.”  He had earned a degree in animal science, worked as a county agent and for the USDA before becoming a full-time dairyman.  I quipped back, “I guess that’s why you work with cows.”

Well, my Dad was a very smart man and he was right about this.  A year or so ago, I realized I had never stayed up all night wondering how to solve a differential equation but those people problems cost me many a good night’s sleep.

Conflict is a big part of those people problems; it is a normal part of life.  Thankfully, we’re all different and unique and that can make for some beneficial and interesting organizational dynamics. General George Patton said “When everyone is thinking alike, someone is redundant.”.

Conflict comes in many forms and can be constructive or destructive depending on how it is used and handled. I was taught in engineering school that friction in a system wastes energy and causes components to wear out.  The best systems are those that minimize friction.  Friction is only desirable when you’re trying to stop something or start a fire.  Conflict in organizations and interpersonal relationships adhere to the same idea about friction.  Making major changes sometimes means stopping something that’s been running for a long time, creating friction and conflict.  Sometimes this can heat things up and spark a fire.  In those cases, extra energy is required, and destruction ensues. If the conflict isn’t necessary, organizational energy is wasted.   It’s very important to ensure the situation requires conflict to accomplish your goals.  Don’t start a fire just to watch things burn.  There’s a word for that and it ends in ‘maniac’

Friction is everywhere.  So is conflict.  That’s unavoidable. It is just the misplaced friction and conflict that cause problems.  We are grateful for friction when we hit an icy patch of road and regain traction and control.  It’s good to have conflict that drives a discussion and keeps us from investing where we shouldn’t or going to production with a product which isn’t ready.

Vibration, like conflict, also shares similarities with organizational systems. At times, it’s necessary to shake things u in a system. To keep people unsteady. But keeping people unsettled for long periods of time also wastes energy, and, like mechanical systems, it ultimately ends with fatigue and failure.  If you let your machines vibrate too much, you’ll be replacing parts and maybe the whole machine.  Keeping your team unsteady and unsure of goals, frequently changing how they are evaluated, and contradicting yourself are sure ways to fatigue your system.  Sometimes you might not notice the vibration and fatigue.  I once worked for a fast-growing company that used vibration analysis as a primary tool to improve system reliability.  A relatively new company uses high-definition cameras to detect vibration.  They can show you the vibration in your mechanical systems. (Check out this example to see how cool this is!)  No such tool exists that I am aware of to detect this vibration in people systems.  As the leader, you must watch and listen for it.

Miss the vibration long enough and you’ll be replacing the most valuable parts of your system – your people.

Hopefully, this “thinking like an engineer” has helped you in some way.

What do you think about friction, conflict and vibration?  How has it helped or harmed you or your team? Please leave a comment! I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Live. Grow. Harmonize.

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