It seems obvious that our organizations, and the environments that they operate in, are complex and dynamic. Yet, there appears to be an insatiable appetite for simple answers. Unfortunately, many to most simplistic solutions don’t work. As Dr. W. Edwards Deming used to say, “there is no substitute for knowledge.” In the latter part of his life, …
Systems Thinking
Understanding the Organization as a System
Using a system to understand and lead an organization is not a new idea - it is at least 2,500 years old. According to Mo-Tze (a.k.a. Miscius) a Chinese philosopher around 500 B.C.E. Whoever pursues a business in this world must have a system. A business which has attained success without a system does not exist. From ministers and generals down …
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Without People – Organization Systems Don’t Exist
While Dr. W. Edwards Deming, and others, have estimated that the organizational system is responsible for a large percentage of problems and performance in organizations (70-85%), it is not at all clear how he (or the others) came to this conclusion nor if it is based on any empirical evidence. Organizational systems do not exist without the humans …
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Three Challenges
Systems Thinking The first challenge is developing a systems perspective and understanding of dynamic systems. We’ve been talking about this for over 50 years, and yet we still don’t teach it in most business schools. We train people in business schools in different disciplines. So much so that the professors, who are really good at their …
Stakeholders – What’s in it for them?
Chad - Like the title of your book, [Re]Create the Organization You Really Want, I see a key benefit is making the organization that you want to work in and everyone else wants to work in too. WIIFM John - That’s the "what’s in it really for me,” or WIiFM part right? It’s your opportunity to create the organization you want to work inside and be …
