Can Systems Thinking help solve real-life problems?

Not always because ST usually applies to tough problems. But it can be done.

Showing the Consequences of Escalation

My two sons fight a lot.

That’s what siblings do. But it bothers me when they refuse to collaborate. One will refuse to help the other because of something the other one did days or weeks ago.

So I show them the consequences of Escalation.

“You don’t want to help your brother because of the thing that he did last week, right? Remember that sometimes you ask your brother for help too. What will happen next time you need help? Do you think he will help you or do you think he’ll remember that you refused to help him today?”

 It doesn’t always work (it depends on the temper) but, when it does, it’s beautiful.

Reversing a Vicious Circle

I can’t go into details of a work-related situation but the pattern is quite common.

We have all seen vicious circles. Bad thing A happens, which causes bad thing B to happen, which makes A happen even more, and so on.

What is not obvious is that the structure of a virtuous circle is the same as the structure of a vicious circle. If you manage to make A happen less, it will decrease B, which will decrease A, and so forth.

Which will make everybody happy.

Avoiding Drifting Goals

Drifting Goals happens when underperformance brings standards down instead of bringing performance up.

The solution is simple, though it can make people temporarily unhappy. You make the standards official and make it widely known that the organization has the obligation to perform to those standards.

It’s worth it to see the pride in people when they deliver to the published high standards.