The threat of the standoff

Watching a good spaghetti western is worth almost every minute spent. Remember Once Upon a Time in the West? If you're like me, you had to watch it three times to understand the plot. However, that's beside the point. It's about a standoff.

A standoff in a western is a tense confrontation between two or more opponents (usually gunfighters) who face each other, waiting for the other to draw their weapon first.

Let us leave our introduction and the world of westerns behind. Let's dive into today's corporations. Close your eyes for a moment and exhale—now continue reading.

Our workplaces increasingly feel like a standoff. The firearm is not a rusty pistol but Artificial Intelligence. How often have we heard:

• Product Manager saying "I'll just code this feature up using AI!"
• The Engineer saying "I'll just write a write all Acceptance Criteria with AI..."
• The User Experience person noting "I'll just quickly prototype this up and get it in front of users."
• Senior Leadership saying "We need half the people to get twice the work done!"

Add any other role. Most other roles can join an existing standoff in their workspace these days. This issue affects not only Software as a Service companies but will also every other industry. Any workplace will undergoing transitions. As humans we get defensive and trap ourselves in a standoff. This situation would be entertaining if it were in a good western.

These standoff like interactions are not worthwhile for anyone: not for employees neither for corporations. Facing the reality head on helps. Roles will continue to collapse and individuals will be able to work more autonomously. This is actually a good opportunity for most. This collapse is mostly inevitable and situations feeling like standoffs won't bend the metal of reality. As such there is a decision. Walk into a standoff or fostering conscious alignment among all levels of an organization. In the process roles need to be rethought, and organizational structures must be adapted. The process of doing so is a job for everyone. Rolling the rock from the top will not do the trick.

What are we left with? Let's avoid a standoff. Instead, take a breath then foster collaboration and collective productivity through all roles and levels. There is only a threat of a standoff - it doesn't have to exist.