The chief benefit of flying solo is independence . Flying in formation requires interdependence . The conflict over seemingly mundane matters that afflicts so many cost-sharing arrangements and small partnerships is often driven by the tension between independence and interdependence. Take phone answering, a common problem in small firms where the secretaries share telephone reception. Conflict arises when it is perceived that one lawyer gets a disproportionate number of phone calls, thereby overburdening the other lawyer's secretaries, or when one secretary is much busier than the others and is perceived not to be carrying a suitable share of the load.
Most lawyers attribute phone-answering conflict to personality clashes or isolated explosions.
However, the problem is deeper than that. The secretaries have to cope with conflicting messages and loyalties. The difficulty is to determine what is fair . Phone answering is just one of numerous tasks that benefit the firm, but do not directly benefit the individual lawyer. To resolve the conflicts these jobs generate, the lawyers will have to establish among themselves what they consider to be fair, inform the staff of their decision, and direct to the staff to make the appropriate contribution to the firm, even if it impinges on completion of the lawyers' work.