General Systems Principles:
It’s helpful to remember the following properties of systems, gleaned from our four foundational research concepts:
In sum, a system cannot be understood by analysis, but by synthesis—looking at it as a whole within its environment. That’s why organizations don’t deal with problems—they deal with “messes of problems.” As Russell Ackoff said, “Effective managers do not solve problems. They dissolve messes.”
From Systems Thinking: The New Frontier by Stephen Haines
- The whole is primary. The whole is primary and the parts are secondary. Focusing on maximizing the parts leads to sub-optimizing the whole.
- Systems must be understood holistically in their environment. Systems—and organizations as systems—can only be understood holistically. First, try to understand the system and its environment. As open systems, organizations are only viable in mutual interaction with and adaptation to the changing environment.
- Each system functions uniquely. Every system has properties and functions that none of its parts can accomplish separately.
- Start with system purposes. The place to start is with the whole and its purposes within its environment. The parts and their relationships evolve from this.
- The role of parts is to support the whole. Parts play their role in light of the purposes for which the whole exists. Focus on the desired outcomes, not just on the problems of the parts.
- All parts are interdependent. Parts, elements and subsystems are interdependent, composing a web of relationships. Therefore, yesterday’s great solutions may lead to today’s issues. Every system cannot be subdivided into independent parts, because a system as a whole cannot function effectively when it loses a part.
- Small changes produce big results. Change in any element of a systems effects the whole as well as the other elements and subsystems. The small changes can produce big results if the leverage points are clear.
- Maximizing the parts sub-optimizes the whole. An exclusive focus on one element or subsystem without simultaneous attention to other subsystems leads to suboptimal results and new disturbances. The solution or simple cure can often be worse than the real disease.
- Causes and effects are not closely related. Delay time and delayed reactions, along with cause and effect not being closely related in time and space, cause inaccurate diagnoses and solutions. Direct cause and effect is an environmentally-free concept.
- Faster is ultimately slower. Systems have a natural pace to them. Sometimes trying to go faster is ultimately slower.
- Feedback and boundaries. Systems are more open—the more feedback they receive from the environment through all aspects of their boundaries, the more likely they are to sustain their existence longer and more effectively.
- Systems have multiple goals. All social systems have multiple goals. Building consensus on them first is the key to successful teamwork and achieving these goals.
- Systems operate under equifinality and flexibility. People can achieve their goals and outcomes in many different ways. Consider the Haines Centre for Strategic Management’s concept of strategic consistency and operational flexibility.
- Hierarchy is normal. Despite some recent political correctness against hierarchies, all systems have a natural hierarchy—find it, maximize it and make it work for you.
- Systems tend to run down. All systems have a tendency toward maximum entropy, disorder and death. Importing resources from the environment is key to long-term viability. Close systems move toward this disorganization faster than open systems.
In sum, a system cannot be understood by analysis, but by synthesis—looking at it as a whole within its environment. That’s why organizations don’t deal with problems—they deal with “messes of problems.” As Russell Ackoff said, “Effective managers do not solve problems. They dissolve messes.”
From Systems Thinking: The New Frontier by Stephen Haines