What's Wrong With This System?

Many people are looking around, scratching their heads and wondering why everything seems to be falling apart. We wring our hands and are abashed at the poor operation of our economic system, the educational system, management systems, medical systems, insurance systems, political system, military systems, media systems , even our religious systems. What is wrong with this picture? But, before we can fix or improve something, we must first identify and eliminate or at least minimize the root cause(s) of the problem. If we don't, the problem will only recur and come back to bite us again and again.

In order to fully appreciate what is happening in the world today, we have to consider several diverse, yet interconnected factors. We need to understand how we got here from there before we can determine where we need to go next.

First of all, understand that our best thinking got us here! Our systems were designed and developed by the best minds around. Perhaps they once worked but times and people have changed and evolved over the ensuing years. Our systems haven't. We are still using, for example, management systems that were designed some two or three hundred years ago! Think of how much the world has changed in that time and you begin to realize that we are still trying to operate in a modern global environment with systems that haven't improved with age like a fine wine. The game has changed but the rules have not.

Albert Einstein told us that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way over and over, expecting different results each time. He also said that no problem can be solved by the same mentality that created it. That boy was no slacker when it came to problem solving!

Change is accelerating at an incredible pace and the impact or volatility of change has assumed global proportions. Our ancient systems are too slow, constricting, bulky and inflexible to allow them to adapt to the changes modernization in technology and communications have wrought and we can expect the pace to only gain speed from here.

In nature, that which does not or cannot adapt to change dies. It is that simple. Natural systems are among the most adaptable models one can find and I have spent a great deal of time in nature studying its systems with a sense of fascination and awe. As much as we "modern, civilized" humans would like to believe otherwise, we are still creatures of nature. We are a part of nature, not apart from it. The human body contains incredible systems that operate according to natural principles. Our external systems, on the other hand, are artificial, created with predominantly linear thinking and extremely unnatural. Why aren't they working? Go figure!

If you think it is bad now, buckle your seat belts, for it is about to get worse! There is an amazing phenomenon that has taken place that I call The Great Convergence. I teach about it in my Visioneering workshops.

In nature, there are cycles. They are birth, growth, maturation and decline. In nature, nothing is really "born" and nothing simply "dies", fading into oblivion and nothingness. It is more a process of energy transformation. The decaying leaf, for example, becomes nurturing food for the tree that shed it, making way for new leaves. The cycle continues ad infinitum.

The Great Convergence is the merging of three extremely strong cycles and is a phenomenon that never could have happened in the past. We have the Industrial cycle that began in the 1750's, the Information cycle that began in the 1960's and a new cycle most people are not really all that aware of, the Molecular cycle, that began in the 1980's with the deciphering of the genetic code. This last cycle is going to challenge virtually everything we hold to be true in the very near future. It has already given rise to hotly debated issues that are moral ones, such as cloning. It is the convergence of these three cycles each of which, although can be viewed as separate and powerful influences in its own right, are actually interconnected and influencing one another and, therefore, us.

So, if we are to survive this Great Convergence, perhaps it would do us well to look at natural systems and learn why and how they are so adaptable. Maybe we can apply what we can learn from natural models at the molecular level to our own systems to make them more flexible and adaptable. I have done this with many organizations and the results have been nothing short of amazing.

Let's look at an organism most humans consider simple and primitive forms of natural life, bacteria. Talk about adaptive! Look what happened with Bird Flu! It is adapting faster than all our modern technology and medicines can handle. We are losing the footrace to an organism that has no feet! What principles of adaptability is found in nature at the molecular level? I will list six here and I hope that this sparks some interest and discussion. Remove you management hat, however. I find many "managers" cringe at first glance. Once they wrap their minds and arms around these principles, however, suddenly they see the light and start making some organizational adaptations of their own.

1. Self organize. Traditional management systems are top-down systems that are also compartmentalized. This prevents rapid decision-making and we all know where that takes us.
2. Recombine. Just as molecules recombine to meet the challenges of changing conditions and situations, we can do the same. Forget departments! Where is the talent in the organization and how can we put that talent to best use? Forget traditional organizational structure and develop new models based on what we find in nature.
3. Sense and Respond. The faster we can sense change and the wider our array of possible rapid responses, the more likely we are to survive. In nature, if I sense the presence of a poisonous snake only after it sinks its fangs into my leg, I may respond but it is usually too little too late. Better to sense it before the bite! The same is true in business. Our people on the front line, interfacing with the customer every day are our best sensors but too rarely have a voice or the authority to make on-the-spot decisions.
   
4. Learn and Adapt. We need to truly create learning organizations, not just pay such a concept lip service. We also need to create an environment in which people are free to apply what they learn. Too often, we operate in an atmosphere based on fear and punishment in wihc people will not try out new ideas and this stifles innovation and growth.
5. Seed, Select and Multiply. There is a principle of nature (and Physics) that is called the Tension Differential Factor. Simply stated, it means the more options from which I have to choose, the more likely I am to make a better choice. The oak tree drops hundreds of acorn, aware that not all will take root. In business, generate as many ideas as possible and try them out. When you find one that works, introduce it into other areas. In marketing, for example, don't just latch on to what seems like the best idea. Try several and see which ones work the best then launch a major campaign using them. Discard the ones that don't.
   
6. Destabilize. Ah! This is the one that sends shivers up the backs of most managers! Destabilize? Are you insane? I just got this company running the way I want it! Do you want total chaos? No, but a little chaos is a good thing. We tend to become too comfortable and complacent and this is obviously not exactly an innovative state of mind. Introduce change into the organization. Shake things up in a positive way. Get the creative juices flowing. Get people involved and included. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results. You are not the only person in the organization who is a thinker.

I never met a system that could not stand some improvement, though I have met many that were obsolete and some that were downright contrary to the purposes of the organization. Just because we have been doing something the same way and it seems to be working doesn't mean it is the best way. We have to get creative, folks, and nature is right there offering a myriad of models for us to study.

I invite your comments and input.