Article September 19, 1994 Issue

Deadlock or demonstration?

Ernest C. Pearson

The meeting was deadlocked. Angry voices. Lost tempers. Rampant disagreement. Nothing was being accomplished. The chairman ordered a thirty-minute "cooling off" break.

Relations between the two companies were severely strained. The purpose of this meeting was to review the customer's concern about a specialized technical area for which I was responsible. Many other controversial issues, however, had taken precedence, and now, after several hours, we were stalled.

It was decision time for me. I could accept the deadlock as inevitable, commiserate with the prevailing uncertainty about our ever resolving the many conflicting issues, and share in the general irritation, agitation, and frustration. It might be momentarily self-satisfying and easy to remain part of the problem.

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