AlanMcM@aol.com asks
>... What makes an intervention
>systemic? Can an intervention itself be systemic or does the intervention
>simply work to certain effects in the systems of an organization? I have
>tried to develop a list of characteristics that might be common to
>systemic interventions. Any feedback and/or modifications to the list
>would be helpful.
I will add comments as appropriate in CAPS to distinguish them:
Characteristics of Systemic Interventions:
1) Recognizes that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
2) Recognizes that a key to shaping systemic structures is the mental models
behind them. ADD SHARED and CULTURE
3) Is wary of scapegoats and blame-shifting.
4) Recognizes systems integrity. NOT CLEAR THAT INTEGRITY IS DEFINED
5) Distinguishes between symptomatic solutions that give short-term
satisfaction and long-term solutions which may have in-built delays.
6) Addresses more than one issue at a time.
7) Maps the interactions of interrelating forces with the goal to assess
relationships and affective causes one upon another.
8) Cultivates a healthy interdependence between the participants in a system.
9) Assumes that the sources of the problems are multiple.
10) Does not try to solve the problems as much as resource the participants
in a system to mutually resource each other to solve problems.
DEFINITELY TRIES TO SOLVE PROBLEMS BUT ADOPTS A PARTICIPATIVE
APPROACH TO GET MAXIMUM INSIGHT FROM THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY KNOW
11) Identifies long-term consequences and unintended side-effects.
AND ESTABLISHES MEASUREMENTS TO ENSURE THAT FEEDBACK IS MONITORED
AND ACTED ON BECAUSE THE UNINTENDED SIDE-EFFECTS CANNOT BE FORECAST
PERFECTLY IN ADVANCE
--Keith Cowan <72212.51@CompuServe.COM>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>