The sixteen NADIR pairs this paper read, word for word in the English this study made from the Korean originals, each under the short title the paper gives it. Every pair has the status of a hypothesis and is a hypothetical decision exercise on a situation invented for the purpose; none reports a real event, person or organisation. The studio's labels for layer, phase, horizon and review state are given in the line under each title, not quoted.
The last memory
Pair nadir:human:526, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The former organisation's last memory, attached to a small delay
Until it is checked whether a similar scene means the same cause, the conclusion needs to be withheld. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
Until it is checked whether a similar scene means the same cause, the conclusion needs to be withheld.
Decide after checking further facts
Reduces errors of assumption and needless commitment
Costs of delay and lost opportunities may arise
When information that can be checked is likely to change the conclusion
Make a limited decision on current information
Checks the actual response while acting
A wrong premise may show up as a cost of execution
When the decision can be reversed and the loss from waiting is large
The first surplus
Pair nadir:human:556, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The illusion of reading the first surplus as the whole of the spare resources
Unsettled obligations and the cost of the next fluctuation may still remain. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
Unsettled obligations and the cost of the next fluctuation may still remain.
Widen the scope to find hidden costs
Finds burdens that have moved to other people and other times
Adds a burden of extra checking to current work
When surface results and experience on the ground repeatedly differ
Inspect selectively, starting with the key risks
Concentrates on large problems with few resources
Small, scattered burdens may keep being missed
When time is limited and the effects can be put in order of priority
Predictable delivery
Pair nadir:human:588, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Repeated, predictable delivery matters more than saying that things are safe.
Rather than removing anxiety with words, the experience of small promises being kept must be built up. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
Rather than removing anxiety with words, the experience of small promises being kept must be built up.
Test within a limited scope
Checks the conditions while reducing the cost of failure
The results are hard to generalise and it takes time
When it can be reversed and the key assumptions are unconfirmed
Set the conditions and apply it in full
Switches quickly to a consistent way of working
The cost of a wrong assumption may spread widely
When the limits of a partial test are large and the premises have been sufficiently confirmed
The speed of recovery
Pair nadir:human:618, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The speed of expansion is matched not only to outside opportunity but also to the speed of recovery inside.
The recovery of people and relationships may be slower than that of cash. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
The recovery of people and relationships may be slower than that of cash.
Reduce the workload to secure room for recovery
Makes clear which promises the current staff can keep
Some goals and opportunities are put off
When there is sustained overload and hidden overwork
Add staff and support to keep the scope
Keeps the functions and relationships that are needed
The costs of hiring and learning come first, and it may not be resolved at once
When additional resources are actually secured and demand continues
Who checks the warning
Pair nadir:human:650, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Should the person who spoke of anxiety be given the extra checking work every time?
When the burden of warning grows, people come to hide their concerns or to check alone. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
When the burden of warning grows, people come to hide their concerns or to check alone.
Specify the roles first
Responsibilities and expectations become clear
Early flexibility and speed may diminish
When repeated tasks and conflicts of responsibility have already come to light
Carry it out jointly for a set period
Roles can be adjusted while watching the actual work
The ambiguity of responsibility may drag on
When the scope of the new roles is still uncertain
A crisis needed again
Pair nadir:human:680, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Does the fear of missing an opportunity make a crisis necessary again?
A habit of feeling that one contributes only when there is urgency may intervene in the judgment. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
A habit of feeling that one contributes only when there is urgency may intervene in the judgment.
Independent review from another perspective
Reduces the blind spots created by relationships and self-defence
Time for passing on context and for review is added
When the interests at stake are large or the existing judgment wavers repeatedly
The person already in charge discloses the grounds and revises
Keeps continuity of context and execution
The risk of defending one's own existing assumptions remains
When review is open and there is room to admit error
Contribution without crisis
Pair nadir:human:712, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The gap in contribution felt when there is no crisis
A standard is needed for recognising the results of prevention and upkeep in place of urgent rescue work. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
A standard is needed for recognising the results of prevention and upkeep in place of urgent rescue work.
Evaluate the conditions and the process as well
Reflects difficulty and invisible contributions
Variation may arise from the evaluator's interpretation
When roles and conditions of assignment differ greatly
Evaluate on comparable results
The standard is easy to understand and to predict
Contributions and constraints outside what is measured may be left out
When conditions are similar and results can be compared reliably
Cover and rest
Pair nadir:human:742, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Cover staff and rest that disappear again because of a new investment
It must be checked whether the conditions of stability are being taken apart for the sake of growth. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
It must be checked whether the conditions of stability are being taken apart for the sake of growth.
Preserve the resources for key promises first
Leaves the options needed for recovery and for ending
Gives up some chances of expansion and short-term results
When a new commitment threatens the keeping of existing promises
Reallocate resources to attempts with large effects
Creates a chance to change a stagnant structure
If the expectation is wrong, the remaining buffer shrinks too
When the grounds for the effect and the criteria for stopping are concrete
The recovered margin
Pair nadir:human:774, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The recovered margin is not used straight away as grounds for expansion.
Whether the spare resources are a condition of stability or resources available for new commitment must be distinguished. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
Whether the spare resources are a condition of stability or resources available for new commitment must be distinguished.
Preserve the resources for key promises first
Leaves the options needed for recovery and for ending
Gives up some chances of expansion and short-term results
When a new commitment threatens the keeping of existing promises
Reallocate resources to attempts with large effects
Creates a chance to change a stagnant structure
If the expectation is wrong, the remaining buffer shrinks too
When the grounds for the effect and the criteria for stopping are concrete
The first expansion
Pair nadir:human:804, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The first expansion is sized so that existing promises can be kept even if it fails.
The risk of a new attempt must not be passed without limit onto existing customers and staff. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
The risk of a new attempt must not be passed without limit onto existing customers and staff.
Test within a limited scope
Checks the conditions while reducing the cost of failure
The results are hard to generalise and it takes time
When it can be reversed and the key assumptions are unconfirmed
Set the conditions and apply it in full
Switches quickly to a consistent way of working
The cost of a wrong assumption may spread widely
When the limits of a partial test are large and the premises have been sufficiently confirmed
Wariness handed down
Pair nadir:human:836, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The excessive wariness that those who lived through the past pass on to newcomers
If the context of a warning is not explained, only the fear may be handed down. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
If the context of a warning is not explained, only the fear may be handed down.
Record the reasons for the judgment and even the conditions for changing it
The next person can review and revise the premises
The cost of writing and keeping records grows
When the decision recurs or is hard to reverse
Record only the essentials needed for execution
Keeps the pace and reduces information overload
Context may be lost, so that later interpretation differs
When the effect is small and the person in charge can check at short intervals
Stability called passivity
Pair nadir:human:866, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The moment an opinion in favour of protecting stability is judged as passivity
The value of preservation, too, must be explainable on the same level as the value of growth. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
The value of preservation, too, must be explainable on the same level as the value of growth.
Talk with the person concerned first
Lowers defensiveness and checks the context
May shut a shared problem up between individuals
When fact and intention are still hard to tell apart
Discuss a standard as a team
Handles a recurring problem by a common standard
The person concerned may feel it as a public evaluation
When several people are affected in the same way
The interval of review
Pair nadir:human:898, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Who sets the interval at which the same concern is reviewed again?
Endless rechecking may keep uncertainty alive rather than give reassurance. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
Endless rechecking may keep uncertainty alive rather than give reassurance.
Fix the deadline and the time of review
The cost of waiting and the next action become clear
It may become rigid in the face of unexpected change
When the delay is holding up other people's preparations
Adjust the timing as conditions are met
Moves in step with the actual level of readiness
If the conditions are vague, the deferral may go on indefinitely
When uncertainty is large and the conditions can be checked objectively
Conditions for stopping
Pair nadir:human:928, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Can the conditions for stopping the expansion be set before the first success?
It is better to agree on the limits before attachment to the results forms. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
It is better to agree on the limits before attachment to the results forms.
Set a common standard first, then judge
Reduces variation due to relationships and pressure
Agreement on the standard may come late and delay action
When several parties and repeated choices are entangled
Resolve the present case first, then supplement the standard
Can reduce immediate harm
The first exception may harden into a de facto rule
When the harm of delay is large and a later review is guaranteed
Signals that change the past
Pair nadir:human:960, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the new organisation whose members recall the collapse at a small delay, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
Signals from the new environment must be able to change the interpretation of the past.
If the conclusion that it is dangerous stays the same whatever the result, the review is in effect closed. It is a situation in which the new organisation has begun to stabilise, but its members recall the past collapse at even a minor delay. Wariness works at once as a power that detects risk and as a pressure that hinders recovery. The two extremes of ignoring the anxiety and of treating every concern as an emergency must be avoided. If the signals to watch and the criteria for changing course are set, the feelings of the past can be moved into a review of the present.
If the conclusion that it is dangerous stays the same whatever the result, the review is in effect closed.
Independent review from another perspective
Reduces the blind spots created by relationships and self-defence
Time for passing on context and for review is added
When the interests at stake are large or the existing judgment wavers repeatedly
The person already in charge discloses the grounds and revises
Keeps continuity of context and execution
The risk of defending one's own existing assumptions remains
When review is open and there is room to admit error
The minimum margin
Pair nadir:human:990, a hypothetical decision exercise on the invented situation of the team that restarted after a crisis and wants to expand on its first stable results, filed under adaptation and decline, in the phase of the turning point, with the horizon future; its status is hypothesis and it is unreviewed.
The minimum operating margin to be kept even after growth is stated explicitly.
If all the spare resources are committed, even a small shock may send things back to the old ways. It is a situation in which a team that restarted after a crisis, having gained its first stable results, wants to expand quickly again. The margin of recovery may be confused with the margin actually available for investment. What brought the stability about must be checked first. If the spare resources are a buffer that absorbs risk, they must be kept, and if repeatable demand and the capacity to deliver have been confirmed, a limited expansion can be considered.
If all the spare resources are committed, even a small shock may send things back to the old ways.
Agree on the standard and scope in writing
Reduces differences of memory and arbitrary exceptions
Negotiation and upkeep take extra time
When responsibilities recur or the other side's expectations differ
Start with a light agreement and review it
Responds quickly to changes in the situation
Spoken understandings may differ, or the review may be put off
When the effect is small and it can be checked again within a short period