Chemistry & People-People Relationship

Posted the following question in Facebook (the Student account)... no response yet... I guess, maybe none could think of the possible solution yet:

There are 4 solutions A, B, C and D
A & B, when mixed in a beaker, remain as a mixture (A+B). The solution looked homogeneous.

• When C is added to the mixture (A+B): Immediately, all 3 solutions are separated.
• When D is added to the mixture (A+B): All 3 become one solution (mixture A+B+C) and look homogeneous.

What are the possibly solutions A, B, C and D?

 

Indeed, this analogy came about as I was reflecting on the complexity of human working relationships.

Imagine a team made up of 2 people. They were like solutions A & B. They worked together very well and the level of synergy was high. Naturally, the morale was high. They both co-exist as a homogeneous solution :)

(See the parallel?)

Now, came the 3rd person - which could be C or D.

C was the new addition to the team, which supposedly would bring the team performance and capacity to greater height. C came with the relevant expert knowledge and skills that A & B did not possess. However, because of C, the morale of the team deteriorate... Surprise! Isn't it? The team supposed to be stronger now! However, because of the personality and the lack of people-people relationship, the supposedly stronger team now could not exhibit or demonstrate the desired level of work performance! 

Whose fault? I guess that was the first reaction from most people, and next, they would probably be all pointing finger at C. Was that really C's fault? On the other hand, A & B might not be at fault too! So, what to be blamed? "Chemistry"?

Of course, the ideal situation is "D", someone who could immediately gel very well with the team and bring it to new heights? 

I think, most of the time, we look forward to ideals like "D" and we expect people who join the team would be able to "naturally" gel well with the existing team.

I guess the challenge is to turn all the "C"s into "D"s and for this to happen, possessing good people-to-people skills is important and it's one critical success factor.