The Goal

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Division VP of Manufacturing, Bill Peach, has called an urgent, division-wide meeting to address the critical state of the UniCo Manufacturing Corporation. At 8:00AM, Rogo and twenty other employees, including Hilton Smithe and Ethan Frost, file into a conference room. At the far end of the conference table, Peach begins to lead a discussion concerning the division’s terrible quarter.

Despite the pressing situation, Rogo can’t help but reflect on his recent encounter with his past physics professor. The two had briefly spoke about the poor performance of Rogo’s plant. Rogo was left with a single piece of advice: to find the goal of his plant. Rogo has not yet determined what the goal of his plant is and sits distracted, pondering about just this. Rogo does not pay attention to the meeting’s discussion. He does not listen, take notes, or offer comments. Rogo simply cannot concentrate.

At 10:00AM, Peach calls for a break. Rogo begins to wonder:
“What the hell am I doing here? I’m wondering what good it is for me, or any of us, to be sitting here in this room? Is this meeting, which is scheduled to last for most of the day, going to make my plant more competitive, save my job, or help anyone to do anything of benefit to anybody?”

Rogo contemplates whether or not he should walk out of the meeting. With EC, I will evaluate Rogo’s two alternate decisions of (1) leaving the meeting to search for the goal or (2) staying in the meeting to protect his job security. Only by identifying the assumptions and respective invalidating actions under each arrow of this EC diagram, will Alex Rogo’s conflict cloud evaporate.

B: be wise in my use of the little time I have to save my plant

D: walk out of the meeting in search of the goal of my plant

A: successfully revitalize and protect my division of UniCo

Click on the icons on the arrows to see assumptions and injections

C: be secure in my job and compliant with the direction Peach has chosen

D': continue attending the meeting

In order to successfully revitalize and protect my division of UniCo I must be wise in my use of the little time I have to save my plant and in order to be wise in my use of the little time I have to save my plant I must walk out of the meeting in search of the goal of my plant. But, in order to successfully revitalize and protect my division of UniCo I must also be secure in my job and compliant with the direction Peach has chosen and in order to be secure in my job and compliant with the direction Peach has chosen I must continue attending the meeting . I can't both walk out of the meeting in search of the goal of my plant and continue attending the meeting .

Relation	Assumption(s)	Injection(s)
D-D'	1. these actions are mutually exclusive; this assumes that leaving the meeting in search of the goal jeopardizes my job security 2. these actions are mutually exclusive; this assumes that staying in the meeting jeopardizes the time I need to find the goal	1. Staying in the meeting invalidates the first assumption. 2. Leaving the meeting invalidates the second assumption.
B-D	1. this assumes that I will be productive with my time 2. this assumes that the information covered in the meeting is of no real use to me	1. Applying my critical thinking skills with determination invalidates the first assumption. 2. Requesting a condensed copy of the meeting notes to review invalidates the second assumption.
C-D'	1. this assumes that I will be fired for leaving the meeting 2. this assumes that Peach will discover my contempt for the meeting	1. Taking worthwhile measures to save my plant, hopefully, invalidates the first assumption. 2. Effectively lying about the reason for my sudden absence invalidates the second assumption.
A-B	1. this assumes that I will make the most of the three months I have to show proof of my plant's improvement 2. this assumes that my actions and my plan will be successful	1. Failing to be efficient and productive invalidates the first assumption. 2. Failing to improve my plant, which in turn, would lead to the sale of the division invalidates the second assumption.
A-C	1. this assumes that Peach's current plan to save the division will be successful 2. this assumes that following orders is in the best interest of the division's prosperity	1. Reflecting on the similarities between the division's pattern of failure and Peach's current plan invalidates the first assumption. 2. Disobeying orders in the best interest of my plant, which in turn, is in the best interest of the division, invalidates the second assumption.