The Tools of Systems Thinking When you use systems thinking, you start to see the invisible forces acting upon your organization. Small signals become more important; symptoms become relegated to the background as you identify underlying causes. You see patterns of recurring behavior reinforced by either positive “learning loops” or negative “ignorance loops.” You come …
The Five Frames of Systems Thinking Systems thinking can help you appreciate the multiple ways that one can “frame” a problem. In the field of cognitive science, it’s well understood that frames influence how people think about a particular issue or problem. Each frame typically oversimplifies the problem and inhibits systems thinking. Download the PDF …
The Substitution Fallacy Process improvement is a complex combination of art and science. It’s all about how value is created for the customer. Typically, you discover a process is only partially connected to what customers want. Rather, it’s rooted in deep traditions and habit. When does a motion picture project move from editorial review to …
Developing Management Standards Leaders and managers need to take the time to articulate and implement a consistent set of management standards for themselves and every manager and supervisor in the company. This checklist should detail the specific practices expected of every manager and supervisor. For example, it should clarify how managers assign decision-making responsibilities, how …
How to Grapple with Dynamic Complexity Peter Senge, the author of The Fifth Discipline, points out human beings are experts at dealing with detail complexity but poorly equipped to deal with dynamic complexity. We are great at Cartesian thinking – dissecting a process or a machine into its constituent parts. But we are not wired …
Ignorance Loops I wrote in an earlier blog about the virtues of localized learning loops. In contrast, one of the most insidious forces at work in any organization are ignorance loops. They occur when people assume they know the answers and avoid looking further – even when the data suggests they are wrong. If their …
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