Gary Klein on the Elements of Intention

Our colleagues aren't mind-readers, but in Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions, Gary Klein notes that we have to act as though they were on a regular basis:

Whenever we make a request--ask for an errand or give a command--we need the person to read our mind...  The person trying to carry out the request has to figure out what [we] really [want], to handle all the details that did not get explained...

The answer is not to pile on the details.  That takes too long, and it has its own costs... If we have to labor at breaking out all the assumptions behind requests, teamwork and cooperation would become almost impossible.

So what is the answer?  Klein indicates that the key is communicating your intention:

When you communicate intent, you are letting the other team members operate more independently and improvise as necessary...

Promoting independence, according to Klein, reduces the need for clarifications and allows colleagues to detect deviations from your assumptions and errors in your thinking.  Promoting improvisation, he continues, allows colleagues to react more quickly and take advantage of new opportunities, to prioritize on their own, and to move on to the next logical task when the current one is completed.

But how do we make this happen?  Returning to Klein:

There are seven types of information that a person could present to help the people receiving the request to understand what to do:

1. The purpose of the task (the higher-level goals).

2. The objective of the task (an image of the desired outcome).

3. The sequence of steps in the plan.

4. The rational for the plan.

5. The key decisions that may have to be made.

6. Antigoals (unwanted outcomes).

7. Constraints and other considerations.

Klein notes that people typically fail to provide enough information in item number 1 (the goals) and provide too much information in item number 3 (the plan itself).  He adds that he was tempted to include other items covering time and resources, but concluded that would only lead to micromanaging and inflexibility.

In addition, Klein notes that Karl Weick's "Managerial Thought in the Context of Action" (included in Suresh Srivasta's Executive Mind) outlines an even more concise version of this process:

• Here's what I think we face.

• Here's what I think we should do.

• Here's why.

• Here's what we should keep our eye on.

• Now, talk to me.

(I love that.)

I've noted before that Trust = Motive + Reliability + Competence, and I'm inclined to find a place for Intention in that equation.