We have a brilliant new VP of Marketing, but she is constantly clashing with our systematic VP of Operations. How can I use conative profiles like the Kolbe Index to resolve this friction?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The friction between your VP of Marketing and VP of Operations is almost certainly conative, not personal. These clashes arise from their natural, instinctive ways of approaching work and solving problems.

Understanding Conative Styles

According to the Kolbe A Index, individuals have inherent modes of operating:

• Your VP of Marketing likely has a high Quick Start score.
• This means she naturally thrives on experimentation.
• She prefers rapid changes and testing new ideas on the fly.
• Your VP of Operations probably has a high Follow Through score.
• His instinct is to design, maintain, and protect systematic processes.
• He values order, planning, and predictable execution.

When these two instincts collide, they can appear diametrically opposed. Both VPs are simply trying to solve problems using their innate methods, which can lead to friction if not understood.

Resolving the Friction

To resolve this, facilitate a conversation where both leaders can see their profiles.

1. Visualize Profiles: Draw their Kolbe profiles on a whiteboard.
2. Highlight Compatibility: Show them that their cognitive (thinking) and affective (feeling) styles can be compatible, even if their conative (doing) styles differ.
3. Emphasize Complementary Strengths: Help them understand that these differences are not weaknesses, but complementary strengths.
• The VP of Marketing needs the VP of Operations to build stable systems that can scale her creative ideas and experiments.
• The VP of Operations needs the VP of Marketing to introduce innovation and prevent stagnation, ensuring the company stays competitive.
• You might find similar dynamics if you examine how different conative profiles impact [project handoffs between Sales and Operations](/qa/kolbe-sales-operations-conflict-handoffs).
4. Shift Perspective: Once they understand each other's instinctive modes, they can stop taking the friction personally. They can then start to appreciate how their unique strengths can be leveraged for collaboration.
5. Apply to Meetings: Encourage them to apply this understanding during your weekly Level 10 Meeting. This fosters a collaborative environment where issues are solved constructively, rather than defensively. This collaborative approach also helps if a manager gets defensive when their [scorecard metric drops into the red](/qa/handling-defensiveness-around-red-scorecard-metrics).

By recognizing and respecting these conative differences, your team can harness their diverse talents to work more effectively. This is also valuable when considering [how to analyze team conative profiles using AI](/qa/analyze-kolbe-indexes-with-ai-project-teams) for overall team effectiveness.

It is worth noting that while AI can assist with data preparation and post-meeting tracking, the 90 minutes of a Level 10 Meeting should remain a human-centric process involving your leadership team, the scorecard, the issues list, and the IDS conversation.

Related questions

• [How do we use the Kolbe A Index to diagnose why our Sales and Operations heads are constantly in conflict over project handoffs?](/qa/kolbe-sales-operations-conflict-handoffs)
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• [One of our key managers gets defensive and starts explaining away the context every time their scorecard metric drops into the red. How do we handle this in the Level 10 Meeting?](/qa/handling-defensiveness-around-red-scorecard-metrics)