Replying to LO25540 --
>Elements, connections and relationships; these are the stuff of structure.
Fred responded in part to Richards question concerning structure and
system... by coincidence I was just at the SoL online domain and saw
these...they made me wonder how many things in May's letter that i just
posted contain these essentials without her formally being aware of it?
Maybe others can see connections, relations and elements I can't. I would
be interested to hear what anyone thinks about that application.
Quotes from The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (see end)
A system is a perceived whole whose elements "hang together" because they
continually affect each other over time and operate toward a common purpose.
The word descends from the Greek verb sunistánai, which originally meant "to
cause to stand together." As this origin suggests, the structure of a system
includes the quality of perception with which you, the observer, cause it to
stand together.
Examples of systems include biological organisms (including human bodies),
the atmosphere, diseases, ecological niches, factories, chemical reactions,
political entities, communities. industries, families, teams -- and all
organizations. You and your work are probably elements of dozens of different
systems. (Art Kleiner)
Vision : an image of our desired future
A vision is a picture of the future you seek to create, described in the
present tense, as if it were happening now. A statement of "our vision" shows
where we want to go, and what we will be like when we get there. The word
comes from the Latin videre, "to see." This link to seeing is significant;
the more richly detailed and visual the image is the more compelling it will
be. Because of its tangible and immediate quality, a vision gives shape and
direction to the organization's future. And it helps people set goals to take
the organization closer.
Values : how we expect to travel where we want to go
The word "value" comes from the French verb valoir, meaning "to be worth."
Gradually it evolved an association with valor and worthiness. Values
describe how we intend to operate, on a day-to-day basis, as we pursue our
vision. As Bill O'Brien points out, Adolf Hitler's Germany was based on a
very clear shared vision, but its values were monstrous.
A set of governing values might include: how we want to behave with each
other; how we expect to regard our customers, community, and vendors; and the
lines which we will and will not cross. Values are best expressed in terms of
behavior: If we act as we should, what would an observer see us doing? How
would we be thinking?
When values are articulated but ignored, an important part of the shared
vision effort is shut away. By contrast, when values are made a central part
of the organization's shared vision effort, and put out in full view, they
become like a figurehead on a ship: a guiding symbol of the behavior that
will help people move toward the vision. It becomes easier to speak honestly,
or to reveal information, when people know that these are aspects of
agreed-upon values.
Purpose or Mission : what the organization is here to do
"Mission" comes from the Latin word mittere, meaning "to throw, let go, or
send." Also derived from Latin, the word "purpose" (originally proponere )
meant "to declare." Whether you call it a mission or purpose, it represents
the fundamental reason for the organization's existence. What are we here to
do together?
The "mission" is more popular in organizations today, but it has unfortunate
military, religious, and short-term overtones: "Our mission is to take this
hill [or die in the attempt]!" I prefer the word "purpose"; it suggests more
of a reflective process. You will never get to the ultimate purpose of your
organization, but you will achieve many visions along the way.
Goals : milestones we expect to reach before too long
Every shared vision effort needs not just a broad vision, but specific,
realizable goals. Goals represent what people commit themselves to do often
within a few months. The word may have come from the Old English goelan, to
hinder and goals often address barriers and obstacles, which we must pass to
reach our vision. (Bryan Smith)
The word "community" has old roots, going back to the Indo-European base mei,
meaning "change" or "exchange." Apparently this joined with another root,
kom, meaning "with," to produce an Indo-European word kommein: shared by all.
We think the idea of "change or exchange, shared by all," is pretty close to
the sense of community in organizations today. Community building is a core
strategy for sharing among all its members the burdens and the benefits of
change and exchange. (Juanita Brown)
Archetype The word comes from the Greek archetypos, meaning "first of its
kind." A stepchild of the field of systems thinking, systems archetypes were
developed at Innovation Associates in the mid 1980s. At that time, the study
of systems dynamics depended upon complex causal loop mapping and computer
modeling, using mathematical equations to define the relationships between
variables. Charles Kiefer, I.A.'s president, suggested trying to convey the
concepts more simply. Jennifer Kemeny (with Michael Goodman and Peter Senge,
based in part upon notes developed by John Sterman) developed eight diagrams
that would help catalogue the most commonly seen behaviors. Some archetypes,
including "Limits to Growth" and "Shifting the Burden," were translations of
"generic structures"--mechanisms which Jay Forrester and other systems
thinking pioneers had described in the 1960s and 1970s. (Art Kleiner)
Excerpted from The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. Copyright 1994 by Peter M.
Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard B. Ross, and Bryan J. Smith
Andrew Campbell
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