Re: Systems thinking in the UK

[Roger Key <roger.key@onet.co.uk@pop3.onet.co.uk>]

In response to John C's response on the expectation raised by systems 
thinking in organisations.

Such agreement!

The edges we put on systems are just that , a frame we use to reduce 
the system to chunks.  We then take those chunks as having real 
meaning to the system - organisations etc.  As far as one part of the 
system is concerned the frame may be better put encompassing Sales 
from Co A and Purchasing from Co B, we frame as Co A and Co B and 
then seem to assume that these boundaries are meaningful.

What expectations does systems thinking raise in an organisation.  ST 
is a way of thinking, a model for the world, it raises nothing.  It 
is the application and the people that raise expectations.  What 
expectations should be raised by people using systems thinking?  Well 
that is a different issue.  I have seen and actually do raise 
expectation based on outcomes rather than the system - less waste, 
less variation, more understanding etc.  This is a real dodgy 
approach if we really think systemically, but so easy to do.  we live 
in a reductionist world that likes to have nice simple outcome based 
predictions - expectations.  ST will have some impact on these and we 
may be able to predict that we will reduce waste, increase 
performance, but these are the real little unimportant things that 
come out of systems thinking and to support focus on them - to me - 
seems to be dragging the thinking back to cause and effect.

R
-- 

	Roger.

---------------------------------oooOOOooo--------------------------------------Roger 
C. Key 				 mailto:roger.key@onet.co.uk
Prescient - The Whole as One
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