Three pears - 2024 12 20

 

Acrylic ink on coloured cardstock paper - 4" x 6"

Project management uses a communication theory to calculate increasing complexity for communication management as project teams add new members.

Each new member will entail a potential communication channel with every other member of the team.

The formula for calculating communication channels is as follows:

Number of potential communication channels = n x (n-1)/2

In other words, the number of people involved is multiplied with itself after subtraction of 1 and subsequently divided by 2.

Two team members have one communication channel. Three team members have three communication channels. Four team members have six communication channels.

The increase in team members causes an exponential increase in communication channels.

It is helpful to understand this theory to also understand the complexity of adding new team members, but also the complexity of making changes to plans. The larger the team, the higher the risk for communication error. The more changes that are made to plans, the higher the risk for communication error and the higher volume of communications required.

These three pears are sitting on the window sill. They are not looking outward, or inward, they are looking at each other. They have three communication channels in play. 

There is another aspect to understand about communication channels, that is, they also represent relationships. Each communication channel entails a relationship. Each team member is going to be in relationship with all other team members. Even in a group as small as three, there is a power dynamic at play with regards to the relationships amongst the three team members. If two team members join forces, they are going to have power over the third team member who is not part of their joined force.

This is an interesting dynamic that specifically changes relationships when a partnership between two team members expands to include a third team member. The relational dynamics become a significant factor for managing team power dynamics as well as communication dynamics.

The relational dynamics of these three pears are open for interpretation. The power dynamics between the three pears appear in a state of flux - whether power is being shared equally, or if alliances are being formed that are going to shift the balance of power. Another part of the instability of the positioning of these three pears is how quickly the power balance can shift, how quickly all members of the team are going to be managing for a change in the working relationships of the team.

I wasn't thinking consciously about power dynamics when I was working on this drawing, but now that I look at it from this point of view, it is impossible not to see a reflection in the greater world and instability of geopolitics playing out around us right now.