Get the parachutes out. It looks like it's time for Operation Cat Drop again!

In the UK Government toolkit, recently published for Civil Servants, they describe systems thinking as “a framework for seeing the interconnections in a system and a discipline for seeing and understanding the relevant aspects of the whole system - the ‘structures’ that underlie complex situations.”

An interesting TedX talk (13 mins) by ex-US Air Force Major, Dr Steve Woodsmall, gives us a good example of how it can go wrong, particularly in the natural environment, referring to the World Health Organisation (WHO) mission in 1960, called Operation Cat Drop!

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Advisor said, “Systems thinking approaches allow us to understand the full impact of interventions across department and policy area boundaries – ultimately leading to better solutions.”

Peter Senge uses the car analogy to describe how many of us think we are operating independently. He says that when we are at the wheel we tell ourselves we are independent but in fact, the moment we are on the road, we are in a system. At this time our life depends on others and how they behave within the system. It’s only when something goes wrong when we realise the interdependencies.

Take the following simplistic examples we've experienced:

• a supermarket manager who is measured (and rewarded) based on several metrics e.g., sales, staff cost, food waste, stock availability, legal compliance and much more. A conference call with the Regional Manager is scheduled to discuss the region’s food waste numbers. The following week the Regional Manager calls the manager up thanking them for having the best food waste numbers in the Region. The next week the store still has good food waste results but as each week progresses, other metrics start to become a concern. Stock availability, particularly in the fresh food department, has got progressively worse and sales are on a downward trend. Markdowns (the % amount of reduced to clear sales) have increased. A month or so later, the compliance manager visits the store and finds trolley loads of out-of-date food still on sale – illegal and brand damaging. The manager focused only on one part, reducing food waste, forgetting the relationship and connected nature surrounding how the stock is ordered, staff stock rotation processes, the quality consumers demand, the compliance elements etc.
• the HR manager who created and implemented a wellbeing programme. It was celebrated with great fanfare and shared throughout the business. Senior leaders were heard saying ‘it will win awards’ and ‘set us apart from the competition’. Months later, engagement results, high absence, and labour turnover still highlighted stress within the workforce. If the purpose was to have a healthy and productive team, the wellbeing solution ticked many boxes, but it failed to consider the real problems within the system. Workload, how work was organised, and management were causing the problems in the first place! If the HR manager had thought 'system', they may have considered that things like management training could have had a much bigger impact than a free latte on a Wednesday!

What can you do to create the conditions for systems thinking? How could you introduce ways that encourage it?

In a previous article we introduced some of our personas that help guide people through the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® process. We want to introduce you to three more.