The diagonal lines between rooms suggest the greatest diversity or difference and the most potential for tension or conflict.

Diversity of Preference

The different preferences that people demonstrate can lead to great collaboration and creativity or they can lead to friction and tension.

In many processes, such as problem-solving and innovation, change management and process improvement we need to work in all of the rooms. Teamwork allows us to find people who are most comfortable in each room and to use their strength to identify strong solutions. Different individuals can ‘balance’ each other and compensate for each other’s least preferred ways of working.

However, it can sometimes be difficult to make decisions or work effectively if very strong preferences come into conflict. This can happen within an individual (when they experience different ‘pulls’ from different rooms) or between people whose strength of preferences leads them to prioritise and sequence things differently.

Working with the Diagonals

The diagonal lines between rooms suggest the greatest diversity or difference and the most potential for tension, indecisiveness or conflict. The two diagonal lines that are particularly significant run between…

Differences in our preferences – How do we help people to resolve tensions, indecisiveness and conflict?

When we encounter tension, arising from the conflict between the prioritisation of activity and behaviour in each of the rooms, it may be necessary to break an established pattern or position by moving into another space.

For an individual, this may require a conscious effort to move to another ‘room’ in order to get a different perspective on the situation. The individual is likely to move to the available room that they feel most comfortable in.

However, if the conflict is between two people, the most successful outcome will be achieved if they move to the available room that both parties feel most comfortable in.