Why Systems Fail LO10448

Dale Emery (72704.1550@CompuServe.COM)
11 Oct 96 23:32:36 EDT

Replying to LO10350 --

Rol,

> In my experience, existing systems tend to have a momentum
> of their own, and they will self-correct if they get out of kilter. Of
> course, they may be doing something poorly, or irrelevant, but they will
> still self-correct. Any new direction that you want to establish as the
> norm will take a lot of energy to establish permanently. It will require
> continuous input of energy ( or better tools or systems) for a significant
> period of time until it becomes permanent. During that time, any lapse in
> the input of energy will allow the system to drift inexorably back to
> where it was before.

If I understand what you're saying, you're talking about changing the
direction of a system by pushing on it in some way. I think there are
other possible ways to change the direction of a system, though it may not
be easy to predict exactly which direction the system will go in.

One way is to offer the system information, about its own structure, about
the results of what it's doing, or about the environment in which it is
operating. (Of course, the system may choose not to acknowledge the
information you're offering.)

Another possibility is to directly tweak the structure of the system.
(And, naturally, the system may have some ways of preventing you from
doing that.)

Unfortunately, I'm in a very abstract mood, and can't think of any
concrete examples.

Dale

--

Dale H. Emery | 27 Tall Pine Road Consultant | Berwick, ME 03901 Relationship and Communication | (207) 698-1650 For Successful Organizations | 72704.1550@compuserve.com

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