# Competing Logics By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-02-01 There are many ways of doing things. Given a list of twenty tasks, people will approach executing that list differently. Some will start with the most challenging task first. Others will knock out all the easy tasks first. Some will complete the task in order of perceived importance. Others will execute the tasks in the order given. There are many ways of approaching the work. Organizations can reach a relatively quick agreement on what tasks to accomplish. While there might not be universal agreement, there is often a significant degree of agreement on the tasks. However, organizations have almost no agreement on the prioritization or sequence of these tasks. There are several reasons for this disagreement. First, people hold different values. Determining what is “important” in an organizational context is an application of values-based prioritization. Second, people have different tolerances for stress. If a person is overwhelmed by having many things to do, one will likely want to get rid of the many small tasks so one can have more peace of mind to focus on the tasks requiring more time. If one is comfortable not doing everything assigned, one might focus on the most important task, figuring that if this task is completed, it doesn’t matter if the other tasks are done at all. Each of these approaches is legitimate. Each of these approaches works. There is no “right” answer. Organizations would benefit from analyzing the rationale behind a prioritization rather than fixating on the prioritization itself. Understanding the philosophical basis under one’s prioritization enables one to articulate the commitment one is attempting to pursue. A person focusing on a task because it is easy and can be accomplished quickly differs from focusing on a task because it is essential. If this isn’t discussed explicitly, people might assume that others are using the same prioritization technique and that the other is “wrong” in their assessment. If the person thinks the person selecting the important task is trying to knock out the easy tasks, that person will be thinking the other is crazy as the selected task isn’t easy at all. Conversely, the person focused on important work will look at the person picking the easy tasks and assume the person doesn’t know what is important. A lot of contempt and churn is produced when competing logics operate implicitly. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Priorities]] [[Beliefs]] [[Organization]] [[Perspective]]