Assumption
Authority
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Assumption
An implicit affirmation that links two statements together. When we construct the logical diagram that Goldratt calls the ‘conflict cloud’, we surface the assumptions that connect the two necessities and the respective conflicting positions so as to invalidate them.
By doing this, we disconnect the conflicting positions from the respective necessities, and the conflict no longer has a reason to exist.
More generally, a
collection of assumptions about reality leads us to create mental models
which are often in conflict with the initiatives proposed in an organization.
They then represent
a major obstacle to change.
Conflicts are often
generated by implicit assumptions that influence our behavior and
prevent us from seeing other aspects of reality.
The misalignment
between authority and responsibility is one of the major obstacles to
empowering people in organizations.
This diagram shows
the conflict a manager who wants to manage effectively
finds himself in. As we can see, the necessity behind the position ‘don’t
intervene to solve problems of own people’ is to give them the necessary
authority. On the other hand, the assumption that
links the necessity ‘make sure the work gets done’ to the position ‘intervene
to solve own people’s problems’ is: ‘the person does not have the necessary
authority to solve the problem’.
The injection
which evaporates the conflict is therefore to align the person’s authority
with his responsibility.
