Business Insight Zone

It’s happened everywhere I’ve ever worked, and in every organization I’ve ever been in. It afflicts the wise and the dense alike (though less often the wise). I’m talking about . . . Tempest-in-a-Teapot Syndrome.

These days, it’s most visible to me on Twitter, where I see even people who are usually quite level-headed go nuts about certain things that, honestly, just don’t amount to much. (The specifics don’t matter, but, just as a test case, try critiquing a fanatic-breeding brand like Apple and see what it gets you.)

Probably you see it in your own business. People develop Strong Views about the new coffee vendor versus the old one . . . or who gets which parking space . . . or whose name gets listed first on the report . . . or which color to paint the lobby . . . or where to set the thermostat . . . or whether to schedule the weekly team meeting at 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. . . . or, in short, the color of the bikeshed.

The solution: You must build and fortify your own Teapot Early Warning System. Here’s how:

1. Ask if Suspected Teapot X is subject to verification by data. If it is, find that data, go by what the data says, and move on. If you don’t have data . . .
2. Ask if anything about S.T.X. is subject to testing. If it is, test it, make decisions based on the results, and move on. If that won’t work . . .
3. Ask if S.T.X. is purely a matter of taste. If it is, acknowledge that it is and don’t try to pretend — or let others pretend — that it’s a matter of science or intellection. Finally — and most importantly . . .
4. Ask whether S.T.X. will it make a big difference one way or the other. The hallmark of a tempests-in-a-teapot is that it doesn’t even matter in the long run — doesn’t affect revenue, doesn’t bring world peace, whatever. If the outcome won’t make any big difference . . . just let it go.

Bonus tip for managers: If you’re the one making the decision, pick a transparent method for deciding that makes the most sense to you. You might hold a vote, or draw straws, or make an arbitrary call yourself, or call in somebody from outside the discussion and have them decide. Whatever you do, though, make sure that you (a) acknowledge people’s strong opinions, (b) make the basis of your decision clear, and (c) make it clear that new facts could make you willing to change your decision — not arguments or opinions, but facts.

Now over to you:

• How do YOU detect and defuse tempests-in-teapots?
• What are some of your (least) favorite examples of workplace tempests-in-teapots?

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Related post:

• Productivity tip: Parse ruthlessly.

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Photo by Melissa Bridgman.

Category: Management,The working life