RE: Terez on Sloganeering

["Prevette, Steven S" <Steven_S_Prevette@rl.gov>]

 Peter asked:  Could you please elaborate your point, Steven.  Do you
mean that systems thinking is a joke, Rube Golberg illustrating the
level of ridiculousness that can be achieved when engineers rule the
world and treat everything as systems?

I suppose this is a matter of personal perception.  I personally find a
sort of elegance to Rube's designs, although completely outlandish.  I
suppose from an Ackoff perspective the Rube Goldberg designs can be
flawed as being portrayed as clockwork rather than a social system.

Perhaps a better thing to reference would be Russ Ackoff's latest book -
"Beating the System - Using Creativity to Outsmart Bureaucracies".  One
story he tells is of tenants of an office building very frustrated with
long waiting times for elevators.  Engineers were hired, but no
economical solution could be found to reduce the waiting times.
Finally, during a staff meeting, a psychologist in the HR department
suggested there was a possible answer, but they wouldn't like it.  He
was encouraged to present his idea.  His idea was to place mirrors in
the lobby for people to be able to look at themselves and perhaps comb
their hair, etc, and also to be able to look at other people without
apparently staring at them.  Mirrors were installed.  Letters started
pouring in thanking the building administrator for improving the
elevator wait times.

I think this is a very good anecdote about a social system and how
mirrors improved the elevator wait time problem.



Steve Prevette
Occupational Safety and Health
Fluor Hanford, A Fluor Government Group Project
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer
steven_s_prevette@rl.gov
509-373-9371