The Primes: How any Group can Solve any Problem

FRAGMENTATION

How skilled are you at overcoming resistance from the powerful middle?

FRAGMENTATION is the splitting of focus and commitment among stakeholders. A noticeable crack in the group's intentionality appears. A few in the group even begin to question why the expedition was undertaken in the first place. There's no longer unity of purpose, solidarity, or commitment to the vision.

FRAGMENTATION usually happens at the worst possible time. It's essential to recognize the beginnings of FRAGMENTATION. In order to reestablish cohesion, leaders must act quickly and effectively.

When faced with new possibilities, people react in predictable ways. The FRAGMENTATION PRIME helps a leader to visualize what kind of splintering is occurring.

Let's examine the patterns in the illustration of the FRAGMENTATION PRIME:

• The center represents the ideal condition: The leaders move out, and the middle and lower levels of the group follow nicely.
• The top left of the illustration shows leaders who moved ahead without enrolling anyone in the group. This is a lonely place for leadership and typically does not end well. When a group finds itself alone, the vision may be lost, and the entire project could fail. The leader must rally the team.
• The bottom left section illustrates a mutiny. The leader and some of the team members at lower levels are entrenched in the status quo. They failed to internalize ...