Consistency can be linked to stability or solidity.
The term consistency is used in different ways depending on the context. The concept can refer to the coherence that exists between the elements or pieces that are part of a set.
A material is said to have consistency when it appears solid or stable . For example: “If we want to give the dough greater consistency, we must add another cup of flour” , “The dessert lacks consistency due to the high temperatures” , “With such a quantity of water, the concrete will never reach the necessary consistency” .
The idea of consistency can also be used with reference to symbolic solidity : “The team played with great consistency and did not give the rival any opportunities,” “I am confident that the consistency of the national economy will allow us to resist the turbulence caused by the global crisis.” ” , “The relationship began to lose consistency when the man, for work reasons, began to spend several days a week in a city located more than two hundred kilometers from his home” .
Consistency of an image
If we look at the business environment, it is expected that the image that a company gives is consistent over the years to prevent the public from losing trust in it. Maintaining consistency in the market is not easy, as it involves facing a series of obstacles and overcoming several challenges, such as the following:
* Companies are usually made up of dozens or hundreds of people, if not more, and this makes it almost impossible to maintain a single line of thought and action. Given that there are so many opinions that are considered before making each decision , it is normal to notice stages in which their objectives or even their principles seem to have changed;
* As if the number of people who participate in the decision-making of a company did not pose enough difficulty to the consistency of its image, the change of personnel is added, whether due to natural reasons (retirement or death), resignations or layoffs. When a new president takes office, for example, he can modify the course of the entire entity if he has the support of the majority;
* Technological advances and new market trends put considerable pressure on companies, and many of them do not choose the most appropriate strategies to adapt to such demands. This has led to numerous failures due to the distortion of its identity and its consequent loss of loyalty on the part of consumers.
Consistency brings confidence.
Trust building
Consistency inspires confidence in us, and this is true of the people we deal with every day as well as government leaders and large companies.
We need to believe in others and their promises to live in society: in the seriousness of public transportation companies, in the commitment that our employers make to pay us every month, in the security guarantee that the police force and in the principles that define the companies that make our favorite products. If they change their ideals, we notice an inconsistency that generates fear.
Internal consistency
In the field of research and statistics, we speak of internal consistency to mention the correlation that exists between the different components of the same work or test .
Suppose that, in a survey, a person agrees with the following statements: “I love listening to music” and “When I travel I always listen to music.” On the other hand, he disagrees with the statement “Music bores me.” The correlation between the responses reveals that the survey has good internal consistency. On the contrary, if someone marks affirmatively the expressions “I love listening to music” and “Music bores me” , the survey lacks internal consistency since the answers are contradictory.