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Applying

The observant reader has noticed a change in the title of this blog. Do you see the change? I have changed it because I want to emphasize the application of systems thinking even more. Thinking high and lofty thoughts are not enough. I am interested in changing the way things are to the better.

One reader asked me: what do you offer? I gave it a thought. I like to solve problems and find new ways. As a consultant I have many years of experience of building IT-systems to solve problems. But there is a bigger perspective. Information technology can produce a lot of “waste”; information that does not add real value.  They can also just reinforce bad ways of doing things. It is better to do right things than to do less of wrong things.

You are in a situation and you are not satisfied. There is a problem, an undesired behaviour or you want to move on and find new ways of doing things.  How can you proceed?

System behaviour

When we are looking for solutions, we have a tendency to single out one or two possible causes and attempt to correct them. We fail to see the big perspective and because of this, our solution does not lead to long-term change. It is as if what we trying to change have an inherent resistance to change. After a while things revert to the old conditions or get worse. We fail to see that material and immaterial things around us: habits, machines, people, programs, attitudes and culture are connected to each other and form a system. Different parts of this system depend on each other and interact. It is the system that probably produces the undesired behaviour and not a single part, a single process or a single person. I can help you to identify the relevant perspective.

We have a tendency to focus on certain details (abstractions) for optimization. This can be negative for other parts and for the whole. What we call side-effects are ordinary effects, just like the effects we desire. The abstraction exists only in our minds. For example, we have focused on transportation and considered pollution a side-effect. But this “side-effect” is biting us badly now.

Time

We need to increase the boundaries of the area we study and take into account the time factor. Systems have inertia and different parts interact through feedback. Changing one part might produce something unexpected in another part. Consequences might take a sudden turn and not behave as nice and calm as we thought.

We should recognize properties of connections and relationships as having real importance, just like the properties of the parts. Some strenghts only exist because of relationships. People are not like a container of competence that you can move around. We often talk about employees as resources. If you reorganize, have you considered what will happen with the relationships of trust within groups of people?

Leverage points

There are places in this mix of parts and connections where you can get the most long term change with minimal effort. These points are sometimes not so obvious and perhaps counter-intuitive. The discipline systems thinking calls these places leverage points. Efficient problem solving is done by studying the whole system and finding the leverage points. I can help you to find these leverage points.

Problem solving can result in a redesign of a system. It can also mean that we learn to navigate more efficiently in a system we cannot change. Actually we can control much less of our environment than we think.

How to do it

There is a practical approach of how to efficiently solve problems. It can be done with a series of meetings or modelling sessions where a group of people together with a facilitator meet. The facilitator guides the group through the process and together they co-create the solution. The outcome might be a process map, a vision statement, an informational model or just a bunch of good ideas. The dialogue during the sessions is very important. The journey is just as valuable as the result. By working together a shared view of the problem and the solution is built. I can help you by guiding you through the problem solving sessions.

Computer model

The system dynamics discipline takes it a step further by attempting to make a computer model of the relevant part of the system. During the modelling sessions we build a flight simulator where different policies that can be tested and evaluated. It may sound strange that is can be useful to build computer models with “soft” variables. But even a limited model is of great value, since during the work hidden assumptions are made visible. A shared “live” graphical model says more than thousands words and can be of great help in to learn to think systemic in a situation.

So what do I offer? I offer you help in solving problems and finding new ways by applying systems thinking.

My work with system dynamics triggered an interest in the broad perspectives of economy. Almost everything we do is affected by economic thinking or activity, whether we like it or not. And if we want to change how things operate, economic incentives are powerful.

Economics course

Because of this awakened interest I will take courses in National Economics the coming two terms. The courses will touch on micro- and macroeconomics, international and political economics. I would like to move inside the economic thinking and understand the underlying models and assumptions . I felt the best way for me to do that was to steep myself in economics with an open and curious mind; a better alternative than just peek into it with preconceived ideas. I have started reading the course literature (Parkin, Economics for example) and I can’t avoid noticing the authors’ enthusiasm and faith in the market economy principles.

Reinforces itself

You could think of the economic principles of supply and demand (Adam Smith) and model of the “economic man” that acts out of self-interest as facts; “this is how reality and man is”. Or perhaps “this is a very true model of reality”. This way of thinking developed over time and formed a culture inhabited with people that acts according to it. Institutions like stock markets, banks etc that supports the economic paradigm have evolved and shaped the way man thinks and act. Things work the way they do because we have made them to work that way. It is hard to tell what is cause and what is effect. The thinking reinforces itself. It produces people that behaves accordingly, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. We stand in the middle of this universe we have created and believe that this is the natural way the world operates.

Part of a something greater

The economic principles are part of a dynamic social system and we have the possibilities to influence it and change it. Some say that economics should be considered by itself, separate from other areas. Perhaps that is true; you simplify and make it understandable. But this dividing up and analytical approach is also an assumption and just one approach. It will be very interesting to go deeper into economics with a system perspective. We can work on uncovering the hidden assumptions, combining ideas and promoting a holistic perspective.

Solving problems – economic incentives

I am very interested in how you can make policy changes the most effective way. If you have situation where people act in a certain way and you want to change it, what are the leverage points, the most efficient areas to alter? Economic incentives are likely to come up often. How do we solve  problems? We can have dreams about sustainability, but how can we actually make them come true? Understanding the economics part of the system is truly important .

So wish me good luck on this journey! I will report as I proceed.

Other posts about similar things you might want to read:
Me, a student
Systems dynamics learnings so far

Some time ago I came across this video. I don’t remember where I found it, it might have been at KarmaTube. The language is foreign to me, but the message is clear. This video became very special to me.
It’s title is: Be The Change.

I am going to get personal now. As I watched this video I was very much moved and started to cry. It came from deep within my heart. I was taken aback because of the intensity of my feelings. I decided not to control myself and did not hold back. Something was stirred and awakened in me. When I look back, I can see that this experience brought faith into my heart that we as humans can cooperate and that I could be part of it. For me it was like finding a deeper level within myself or maybe that a deeper level made itself known. It was special event.

We live every day surrounded by information, possibilities and choices. Among this noise there are encounters that can affect us deeply. It is hard to describe how to find them, but they are out there waiting for us. When our hearts are touched deep down we become passionate and compassionate.

I began to reflect on the importance that we have our feelings as well as our thoughts engaged in what we do. We need a holistic perspective in our dealings with the world today and that is possible to achieve when our feelings and thoughts go together. Wholeness. Intellectual solutions is not enough. Compassion is the foundation because we are dealing with the living.

I had a similar experience a little later when I saw this video where Juanita Brown explains the vision of The World Café. It moved me deeply in a way I cannot describe. I had heard about The World Café earlier, so the information was not new. Perhaps you don’t feel anything special when you watch the videos. They are not magical. But it was an opportunity passing by for me at that time. There are other opportunities for you. That second experience strengthened my conviction; yes, we can do it.

I believe opportunities of deep connection like these are given more often than we realize. Sometimes we fail to find them, but when we recognize them and embrace them, the change is profound. Learning by heart and doing things out of your heart, have new meanings for me now.

I and my friend Daniel Norman arranged a Green World Café last week at the Red Cross in our town. It was the first in a series of four, with the last one taking place in November at a big sustainable fair in Umeå. We had a great time with every one actively exploring the two questions of the night; they were “what is a sustainable lifestyle?” and “What is our personal responsibility?”. It is all too easy to get paralyzed or passivated concerning environmental issues, believing that it is only experts, politicians and technology that can make a change. No, we can make a change if we are many and if we begin to think together!

What is a World Café, you may ask? It is a way to have conversations in small groups and explore a given theme. It was originally “invented” by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs. They put together a number of proven principles about dialogue, creative thinking, appreciative inquiry and collective intelligence and it has been used successfully, world-wide in different contexts. The conversations in small groups build on each other as people move between groups (tables), ideas are cross-pollinated and people discover new insights into the questions that we choose to discuss. Seeing things from a broader perspective is a key.

We tried to create a relaxed and inviting café-atmosphere. The age-span was wide and we had people from all kinds of backgrounds. It is very exciting to look at diversity as strength. By having these cafés we hope to inspire people and help them to become more active to explore a sustainable lifestyle on their own. I really look forward to the next meeting, Oct 8. We have a swedish site about these meetings. You will find it here.

I have been thinking for a while along the lines of how to be a learning person. Learning how to learn. Learning how to be a learner. How does that sound? I would like to be a learning person in all areas of my life. We so easily become like stiffened clay when we grow up. We know what we know and we do not really listen in a discussion and are not willing to examine the worlds of other people. We become like professional advocates and defend our own ideas. Think of a little child, how curious they are, how willing to learn and try out new things. Learning seems so natural and spontaneous during the first years. They explore the world, they learn how to talk and walk. How to coordinate the muscles and keep the balance is so complex and yet they just learn how to do it.

All of us are living with mental models of the world around us. We have opinions about things, sometimes strong. We do generalizations all the time and continue to build on our model. Our own mental model can be our worst enemy in life. Like an impenetrable sarcophagus. It can hinder us from looking at things from a different perspective than our own. It hinders the westerner from seeing that his lifestyle is ruining the earth. It hinders a man from discovering the needs of his wife. He feels safe in his own world. And yet it is not the reality.

Timothy Gallwey wrote a book on how to improve in Tennis called “The Inner Game of Tennis”. In it he talks about how to be aware of your thoughts and actions, cooperating with yourself and learning how to learn. He found out that the principles could be applied to other areas and inspired Barry Green to write, “The Inner Game of Music”, a very interesting book. We have some eternal truths here, folks.

I can’t help thinking of something that in electronics is called a feedback loop. A device with a feedback loop monitors the output (result) and feeds part of it back to the input and that way improves and adjusts the result. This is a continuous process.

Yesterday I recorded my band when we played together and listened to it afterwards. I noticed some bad habits on my part. I thought I was playing in one way, but the recording revealed that it sounded otherwise. If I paid attention to it, I could hear it and if I am willing and acknowledge it, I can try to make a change.

We can shy away from feedback. We can accept and be glad for it when it comes. But we can also strive for feedback, creating opportunities for it. Let’s challenge our own mental models, our own opinion of people, our own values. Let’s look around. Let’s listen next time our child, wife, husband or neighbor talks to us. Let’s listen to the needs of our society and let it affect us.

The last months I have been walking in a bit of personal revelation about who I am and what I really want to do. Life goes through ups and downs; we walk through light and darkness. Sometimes you have the opportunity to look around when passing over a hill (figuratively speaking) and you see experiences, motives and decisions in a new light.

When I had my own (small) company I got the habit of writing down business plans and goals every once in a while. Pretty soon I discovered that I could reason with myself through the process of writing and formulating my plans. The writing process did drag things out from me.

I started to do that for my personal life also and for my main interests. I tried to formulate my thoughts every month or when I felt like it. I jotted down something first and rewrote it a couple of times until I was satisfied. It may sound boring, but it was actually very exciting. My headings were something like “What has happened with that I thought and decided last time”, “What I am thinking now” and “Decisions now”. I started to monitor my reactions and evaluate the results of my decisions. Honesty is very important. I noticed that I began to understand myself and my likings better through this process. Reflection became more and more natural.

I was in a situation where I was unsure of what I really wanted to do. Instead of choosing the simplest path or what looked most attractive at first sight, I tried to walk a few steps on each of the different paths and observed the reaction of myself and others. I wanted to have feedback. I found out that I didn’t know everything about myself. You may have plans and dreams, but there are deeper levels in your being. You are more than the sum of your thoughts and plans that you know of.

So what are the main ingredients if I express it in a theoretical way; observation, feedback, evaluation and adaptation as a result.

You can look at the role and function of a teacher in many ways. One picture in particular has evolved in my mind during past teaching experiences and that is the role of a mediator. I see myself standing between the student and the subject, holding the hand of the student in one hand and the subject in the other. I need a deep understanding of the subject that I am teaching on, but also a good understanding of those who listen to me.

A mediator has to know the worlds of both parties to be successful. I have to frame my words, choose my examples and begin at the appropriate level for my audience. I have to monitor their reaction and response and be prepared to take an alternate route. A mediator has to be prepared for a compromise. Sometimes, if not most of the time, you cannot lead your audience to full understanding.

For teaching to be efficient the students have to be guided by someone walking together with them. If I instruct and stand at a distance, my mission is difficult to accomplish. If the teacher has a desire to see the students really learn he has to get to know their world also. The study of youth culture and how young people think, should have high priority at the teaching department of the University. When I teach Java-programming I have to find out at which level the audience is. I mean, not just passively give them a questionnaire beforehand, but actively “study” my students. Challenging! It is as much didactics and psychology as software science.

This week I have been struggling with some jazz concepts. I got frustrated that I did not “get it” faster. When I calmed down and took a step back, I realized that I had to be patient and use some principles of life. This is what dawned to me (nothing new):

I try to grasp too much at a time. I have to divide the task into smaller parts and conquer them that way. However sometimes it is hard to know how to divide. Then take a step back and think it through.

I have to practice the concepts more often, a few minutes several times a day. The most efficient learning is taking place when you repeat often. If you let several days pass, maybe only 50 % is left when you hit it again and you feel as if you are skiing uphill every time.

The third thing is to become more aware of what I am doing, to climb up to a higher level of concentration and stay there. It is easier to learn things mechanically, play what you already know or hone your slapping technique, than to intelligently steer your playing. Know why you play things. Play on purpose. Awareness can be trained. Drifting away and thinking on something else is an easy habit.

When we learn something new, it is often important to find the small steps we can take towards the goal and patiently take them one at a time. Many times we cannot directly jump to the goal, even if we use all of our will-power or strength. This evening I was thinking of trivialities like improving my swimming technique or learning to juggle. We can learn much more than we think, if we just have the motivation, the patience and know the small steps. My daughter learned how to juggle a while ago and the key for her was that someone pointed out to her how start with one ball and then then step by step move forward. Now she is juggling and it looks really cool!

Besides enjoying bass playing, I am very interested in the factors that governs growth as a musician. I am interested in pedagogical things and how people learn as I have worked as a teacher in different areas. My wife also is a teacher.

Since I started to play bass relatively late, I want to make the most out of every hour I get to practice. I have noticed that an hour sometimes can pass without anything special happening and sometimes you discover things that takes you further. Yes, I know that I have to be patient and that growth is step-wise. But I am interested in maximizing my investment in time. Aren’t you?

There are principles for learning to play bass and some of them are similar to other areas in life. Some has to do with how your mind works and some has to do with how your muscles work, the anatomy of your body and the mechanics of a string instrument.

We get impressed when we listen to some cool bass player, but it is even more cool when they share some of their wisdom and secrets how they got there. Some of them have the gift to analyze and communicate this understandably. I try to find them or what they have written. Not every player has to find out what works and what doesn’t work from scratch. So I am eargerly searching for gems. Exciting road!