Developed by Jennifer Kemeny (The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, 1994) and later set out by Daniel H. Kim and Virginia Anderson (Systems Archetype Basics, 1998).
Describes how two allies each make moves that make sense locally but undercut the other, read the shortfall as bad faith, and pull back further.
When to reach for it
A partnership, vendor relationship, or cross-functional pairing that has turned hostile even though both sides still want the same result.
How it runs
- Confirm that the two parties' interests really do line up.
- Map each side's actions and their effect on the other.
- Find the locally sensible moves that damage the partner.
- Name the pattern together and renegotiate around the shared interest.
- Set up a regular check that surfaces cross-effects early.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Accidental Adversaries, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Ross, and Smith, eds.), Doubleday, 1994
- Systems Archetype Basics: From Story to Structure, Pegasus Communications, 1998