Synergy is creative teamwork. It is the magic that happens when one plus one equals three, the third or better alternative that is generated from the interaction between people. Synergy lies in the relationship between the people who are interacting almost as if creating a third ‘person’ - you, me and we. It’s a risky business though, because the parties going into a situation don’t know what’s going to come out of it, but know that it’s going to be better than anything they individually brought in.
Appreciating other people’s uniqueness and living with the differences is often difficult, as we want to mould people in our own image. The key to creating synergy is learning to value, even celebrate the difference.
Habits 4, 5 and 6 often work in conjunction by involving people in the problem and working together to arrive at a solution. The key is to focus on the issue and the desired results, not on personalities and positions. The following process demonstrates how the habits combine to solve problems.
1. Establish what the problem is from everyone’s point of view. Work at it until people can express each person’s position to that person’s satisfaction.
2. Identify the key issues. Look at the problem together and clearly identify the issues to be resolved.
3. Define what would constitute a fully acceptable solution. What would be a win for each person? Establish the criteria, refine and prioritise.
4. Think of other options that would meet these criteria. Look for creative new approaches and solutions.
Synergy can also occur when people work together in a way in which one person's weaknesses are complemented by the other strengths. This requires self-awareness, as first you must be able to acknowledge your own strengths and weaknesses. Covey refers to this kind of synergy as transactional plus. Where one person exchanges their weaknesses for another’s strengths.
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