Battle of the Sexes
EHR Downtime Drill
EHR Downtime Drill is a Battle of the Sexes scenario. The core lesson: When two parties must coordinate on one of two options and each prefers a different one, both coordinating is better than neither, but agreement is harder than it looks. IT and clinical informatics need to schedule a mandatory downtime drill for the EHR system. IT prefers a Sunday overnight when server load is lowest. DecisionPlay maps the players, payoffs, and equilibrium dynamics that shape how this situation typically resolves.
The situation
IT and clinical informatics need to schedule a mandatory downtime drill for the EHR system. IT prefers a Sunday overnight when server load is lowest. The charge nursing team prefers a Tuesday afternoon when backup paper workflows are most practiced. Both teams agree the drill must happen. Neither wants to host it on the other's preferred date.
Background
Coordination problems in healthcare operations often take the form of battle-of-sexes games: two parties must do something together, they agree it must happen, but each prefers a different version of the joint activity. Unlike pure conflict, the problem is not disagreement on goals but on execution parameters. Failure to coordinate leaves both parties worse off than either suboptimal coordination outcome.
What this reveals
Why small coordination failures persist
Battle-of-sexes deadlocks look like conflicts but are actually coordination failures. Both parties want the same outcome but disagree on the form. The solution is rarely to prove who is right. It is to give one party a reason to move without losing face, or to introduce a third option that neither party is defending.
How to counter it: When scheduling negotiations stall, name a third option out loud. 'What if we didn't do it on either of those dates?' resets the conversation from a two-option deadlock to an open search.
A question to sit with
Where in your organization does a project stay stalled not because people disagree on the goal, but because they cannot agree on a single execution date or format?
Frequently asked questions
- What game theory concept does EHR Downtime Drill illustrate?
- EHR Downtime Drill illustrates Battle of the Sexes. When two parties must coordinate on one of two options and each prefers a different one, both coordinating is better than neither, but agreement is harder than it looks.
- What is the situation in EHR Downtime Drill?
- IT and clinical informatics need to schedule a mandatory downtime drill for the EHR system. IT prefers a Sunday overnight when server load is lowest. The charge nursing team prefers a Tuesday afternoon when backup paper workflows are most practiced.
- What does EHR Downtime Drill reveal about how people decide?
- Why small coordination failures persist. Battle-of-sexes deadlocks look like conflicts but are actually coordination failures. Both parties want the same outcome but disagree on the form. The solution is rarely to prove who is right. It is to give one party a reason to move without losing face, or to introduce a third option that neither party is defending.
- How do you avoid the trap in EHR Downtime Drill?
- When scheduling negotiations stall, name a third option out loud. 'What if we didn't do it on either of those dates?' resets the conversation from a two-option deadlock to an open search.
- What is the research behind EHR Downtime Drill?
- Coordination problems in healthcare operations often take the form of battle-of-sexes games: two parties must do something together, they agree it must happen, but each prefers a different version of the joint activity. Unlike pure conflict, the problem is not disagreement on goals but on execution parameters. Failure to coordinate leaves both parties worse off than either suboptimal coordination outcome.
- How long does EHR Downtime Drill take to play?
- About 7 min, at intro difficulty, across 1 decision points. It runs in your browser with no account and no sign-in.
Keep exploring
More Healthcare Ops scenarios, or browse all scenarios. New to this? Start with how DecisionPlay works or the game theory glossary.
Topics: ehr, downtime, coordination, informatics