Overview
The Conflict Resolution Diagram (or ‘evaporating cloud’) assumes that a stubborn conflict is not a real trade-off but a false dilemma resting on a hidden, faulty assumption. It maps both sides back to the shared goal they actually serve, exposing that the two ‘incompatible’ wants both aim at the same objective.
Once both sides and their underlying needs are laid out against the common goal, you hunt for the assumption that makes them look incompatible. Break that assumption and the conflict ‘evaporates’ — a third option appears that meets both needs at once.
When to use it
Two options seem mutually exclusive and a compromise satisfies no one — team disputes, strategic either/ors.
How to use it
Name the common goal
Both sides ultimately want the same thing — state it.
State each side’s requirement
What each party believes must happen to reach the goal.
State each side’s want
The specific, opposed action each is demanding.
Surface the hidden assumption
Why does satisfying one want seem to block the other? Name the belief that links them.
Break the assumption
Find the third option that meets both requirements once the faulty assumption is removed.
Worked example
Engineering wants to slow down for quality; sales wants to ship now for revenue — both serving the goal ‘grow the company’. The hidden assumption is ‘quality and speed are opposed here’. Breaking it, they ship a smaller, fully-polished slice now — satisfying both. The either/or was an illusion built on one shared bad assumption.
Common pitfalls
- Skipping the common goal, which is what makes the win-win possible.
- Attacking the people instead of the assumption.
- Settling for a grey compromise instead of finding the third option.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called an evaporating cloud?
Because a well-run diagram makes the conflict dissolve rather than forcing a winner.
What if there really is a hard trade-off?
Some are real — but far fewer than they appear. The tool is worth running before you accept one.
Does compromise count as resolution?
No — the aim is a solution that meets both needs, not one that dilutes both.