Systems’ thinking in healthy organizations

Photo Copyright:
http://throughput.blogspot.com/

When we identify a “sick organization”, we will probably find it to be one that lacks systems’ thinking among the organization’s members.

Some argue that the DNA of those “sick” environments are unhealthy, politically-charged, or even toxic due to a heavy and consistent presence of individual agendas and motives over an extended period of time vs. a consistently high degree of systems’ thinking by its members.

Systems’ thinking can easily trigger constant reflective practices by an organization’s members, and can lead organizations to operate like attractive, healthy and well-oiled machines that other systems compete to emulate.

The individual members of the system or organization constantly and consistently ask themselves this reflective question at the end of every day:

Have all of my decisions, actions, and conversations throughout the entire day been framed around first the needs of the organization, second, the needs of each department or division, and third, the needs of each individual member?

People who may want to flex their own political muscles and increase their individual level of power and influence within an organization may oppose the thought behind the daily reflective question.

They might even claim to others that thinking of the system first overlooks the human element of the organization.

How so if a collective unit of humans make up the entire organization’s or system’s DNA?

What happens to the organization when someone who refers to him or herself as a systems’ leader focuses solely on meeting targeted individual needs instead of considering what is in the best interest of the organization?

This may very well create an environment where people will do any and everything in order to have their individual needs met with regularity.

Will that approach lead a system to succeed, excel, and move forward?

Or will the system and its individual members eventually crash because the organization as a whole hasn’t gotten the right amount or kind of healthy input by its members?

Placing constant thought and focus on “the good of the group” will lead to a healthy system that operates well because it considers the needs of its members; first as a whole group, second, as subgroups, and third, as individual members…

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader & school district administrator who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc. This 24-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog. View other published works at http://www.examiner.com/. Contact Sharon directly for more information: smbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org.

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity." Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009