3 Challenges To Maintaining A Systems Perspective

Leadership Workshop (8 of 12) – Spread Systems Thinking

Leading at Light Speed is a groundbreaking leadership book by Eric Douglas describing the 10 Quantum Leaps which build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.

In Chapter 7, Spread Systems Thinking, Eric talks about 3 Challenges to Maintaining a Systems Perspective.

First, because we live in an era of accelerating change, it’s easy to become distracted by the daily influx of events and issues – “to spend 24 hours a day fighting fires,” as the vice president of a health care system told me. Almost by nature, people tend to focus on the things right in front of them: on the people who aren’t performing, budgets that aren’t met, or logistical issues that need attention. It’s easy to become bogged down in the details and forget to use systems thinking to create leveraged solutions.

Second, people don’t receive systems thinking training. Few companies offer it. Few human resource managers recognize its value. To put it simply, it isn’t a priority. As a result, there is no forum, no conversation, for leaders and managers to engage in systems thinking together. Lacking a dialogue around systems thinking, it’s easy to miss the opportunities and the benefits.

Third, aside from getting distracted by day-to-day details and the lack of training, it’s human nature to avoid confronting deeply-rooted problems. “There are some issues I’d just as soon leave alone,” one manager said. “We have to pick our battles.”

That may be human nature. But a leader’s action must be focused through a systems thinking lens. Ultimately, one can imperil the organization by failing to listen to data, to challenge assumptions, or to use systems thinking to address underlying issues. One need look no further than General Motors, Lehman Brothers, or Enron. In contrast, think about Porsche, which has single-mindedly focused on engineering high-quality cars for five decades. Of the most profitable automobile companies in the world, Porsche has been consistently relevant. Disciplined performance and analyzing their customers and their competitors are core values amongst managers at Porsche. It’s this kind of thinking that builds high performing organizations in a time of accelerating change.

Systems thinking helps people address hidden issues. When leaders use different frames to identify problems, when they understand traps like the assumption of causality, feedback delays, and the substitution fallacy, they can steer clear of problems and focus their attention where it can have the greatest impact.

Better able to tackle problems at their core, are leaders who understand their own mental maps and the system of forces.

Are the practices of high performing organizations realized by your organization? Find out with this free work survey.