Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer: Managing for Conflict and Consensus, Second Edition

7. The Dynamics of Indecision

“Deliberate often. Decide once.”

—Latin proverb

In 1996, a merger took place between the Beth Israel and the Deaconess hospitals, two large and well-respected health-care institutions in Boston, Massachusetts. The merged entity brought together more than 1,000 highly accomplished physicians and had revenues of nearly $1 billion. Senior executives at the newly formed Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) hailed the merger as a “good fit” and cited the potential for “tens of millions of dollars” in cost savings.¹ Not everyone remained convinced that the deal would pan out. The Boston Globe commented, “The concept is attractive; the reality may be a bit messy.”²

The early years of the marriage did not go smoothly, ...