Dennis Thompson’s definition has three moving parts: a primary interest the role exists to serve, a secondary interest that is perfectly legitimate on its own, and a ranking that quietly swaps them. Assemble one here, slide the price tag, and compare the influence you would report feeling with the influence the literature measures.
Assemble the conflict
Primary interest — what the role exists to serve
Secondary interest — legitimate in itself
Size of the secondary interest
How much does your judgment alone decide the outcome?
70discretion
Choose a remedy
What this situation actually is
Influence you would report feeling
Influence the evidence measures
Risk to the primary interest (influence × discretion)