ROI Case File No. 027 | Conflicting Departments

1891 London, in the dim fog of Baker Street. A request letter arrived at the ROI Detective Agency.

"Dear ROI Detective Agency, Our company has grown steadily as a mid-sized IT firm, but recently, serious cracks have appeared within our organization. The sales and development departments harbor mutual resentments, opposing each other like two hostile armies. In meetings, they blame each other, projects are delayed, and customer trust begins to waver. Please diagnose this organizational ailment and show us the path to healing."

Watson sighed while reading the request aloud. "Another organizational division. It's like watching the right and left hands of a single body fighting each other."

Three detectives gathered around the fireplace, each viewing this case from different angles.

Gemini's Structural Analysis: "This Is Clearly a Systematic Problem"

Gemini began his calm analysis. "This is obviously a structural problem. There's a fundamental error in KPI design. Sales focuses on revenue, development on quality and schedules. Departments with different evaluation criteria cannot collaborate without common goals. Let's first organize the current situation with KPT."

ChatGPT's Background Investigation: "Why Did This Conflict Surface Now?"

ChatGPT developed hypotheses. "Indeed. But why has this conflict surfaced now? Company growth stage, market environment changes, personnel composition shifts... we need to dig deeper into the underlying factors."

Claude's Linguistic Perspective: "They Speak Different Languages"

Claude gazed out the window, murmuring thoughtfully. "The two departments speak different languages. Sales tells stories of 'customer voices,' while development pursues the aesthetics of 'technical perfection.' Both are right. But they can't find where their righteousness intersects."

Field Investigation: The Anatomy of Conflict

The three detectives began on-site investigation.

Sales Department Reality: - KPIs: Revenue, contract numbers, customer satisfaction - Operating principles: "Meet customer demands," "Speed priority" - Complaints about development: "Technical obsessions delay delivery," "They dismiss customer voices"

Development Department Reality: - KPIs: Quality metrics, bug occurrence rates, technical debt improvement - Operating principles: "Sustainable technical foundation," "Quality responsibility"
- Complaints about sales: "Only impossible demands," "Don't understand technical constraints"

Gemini's Structural Diagnosis

Gemini drew structural diagrams while explaining. "I see it now. Sales KPIs emphasize short-term results, development KPIs emphasize long-term stability. Different time axes. And no common KGI (Key Goal Indicator) has been set."

Claude's Metaphorical Understanding

Claude expressed the situation metaphorically. "This is like a ship navigating rapids, where one person shouts 'go faster' while another shouts 'carefully avoid the rocks.' Both want the ship's safety, but their ways of caring differ."

ChatGPT's Phase Analysis

ChatGPT organized the background. "Considering the corporate growth phase, the startup period's 'just sell anything' approach was correct. But as scale expanded, technical debt and quality issues became visible. The root cause might be delayed organizational adaptation during phase transition."

Gemini's KPT Framework Analysis

Gemini drew an organizational chart on the whiteboard.

[Current Analysis: KPT Framework]

Keep (Continue): - Sales: Customer relationship building capabilities - Development: Technical expertise and dedication - Both departments: Motivation to contribute to the company

Problem (Issues): - KPI design divergence (short-term vs. long-term) - Communication insufficiency - Absence of common goals - Lack of mutual understanding

Try (Improvements): - Integrated KGI setting: "Customer Satisfaction × Technical Quality × Profitability" - Cross-functional team formation - Regular joint retrospective meetings - Mutual evaluation system introduction

"The problem's essence isn't departmental value differences, but structural defects in organizational design. With the right structure, conflict transforms into collaboration."

Claude's Storytelling Integration

Claude summarized through storytelling:

"This company is experiencing growing pains. Like an adolescent human wavering between childhood values and adult responsibilities. The sales-development conflict is 'growing pains' as the enterprise advances to the next stage. True resolution isn't eliminating conflict, but sublimating it to achieve higher-order integration."

ChatGPT's Evolutionary Insight

ChatGPT articulated the implications:

"What we learn from this case is that optimal structure changes with organizational growth phases. Evolution is needed from 'sales priority' to 'sales-development balance,' ultimately reaching 'integration for customer value creation.'"

Gemini's Quantitative Hypothesis

Gemini reinforced with decisive numerical analysis:

"The numbers are clear. Current conflict causes 30% project delay rate, 15% customer satisfaction decline, 20% turnover increase. However, integrated KGI introduction should improve these metrics within 6 months. Why? Because the real problem isn't people - it's the system."

The Deeper Truth: Conflict as Growth Signal

Watson closed the case file while speaking quietly:

"What this case taught us is the true nature of organizational 'conflict.' People often tend to view conflict as individual personality or capability issues. But the truth differs. Most conflicts are structural necessities created by systems."

"Both sales and development wished for company success. They simply expressed that wish in different 'languages.' A true detective's job might be translating these different languages and weaving common stories."

Outside the window, London's fog began clearing. New morning light brought hope to the detective agency.

The Resolution Framework

The three detectives presented their integrated solution:

Phase 1: Structural Redesign - Establish unified KGI combining customer satisfaction, technical quality, and profitability - Create cross-functional project teams with shared accountability - Implement balanced scorecards reflecting both short and long-term objectives

Phase 2: Cultural Transformation
- Institute regular "perspective exchange" sessions where departments present each other's challenges - Develop shared vocabulary and communication protocols - Create celebration rituals for collaborative achievements

Phase 3: Continuous Alignment - Monthly alignment reviews using integrated metrics - Quarterly strategic planning sessions with all stakeholders - Annual culture assessment and adjustment cycles

The Mathematical Model of Collaboration

Gemini concluded with his formula for organizational harmony:

Collaboration Effectiveness = (Shared Purpose Clarity × Communication Quality × Structural Alignment) ÷ Individual Department Priorities

"When the numerator exceeds the denominator, conflict transforms into creative tension that drives innovation."

Claude's Final Narrative

"In the end, this wasn't a story of good versus evil, but of growth versus stagnation. Every organization faces this choice: remain in comfortable silos or evolve into integrated ecosystems. The sales and development teams weren't enemies - they were different organs of the same body, learning to work in harmony."

Watson's Epilogue

As the fog lifted completely, revealing London's awakening streets, I reflected on the profound lesson:

"Conflict is not the enemy of progress - it's often the catalyst. The art lies not in avoiding tensions, but in channeling them toward higher purposes. When departments fight, they're usually fighting for the same ultimate goal, just from different vantage points."

The case taught us that organizational health isn't measured by the absence of conflict, but by the organization's ability to transform conflict into collaboration.

Today's Maxim: "Conflict is not the problem. The structure that creates conflict is the true problem."

Bottom Line: Departmental conflicts often stem from misaligned systems rather than personality clashes. True resolution requires redesigning organizational structures to channel different perspectives toward shared objectives, transforming opposition into creative collaboration.