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BACK COVER

Relying on quick fixes creates difficulty for many organizations. As Billibonk & the Big Itch demonstrates, seeking a fundamental solution to a recurring problem is more important than scratching that itch! This is one of the essential lessons of the "Shifting the Burden" systems archetype. Frankl's "Big Itch" Fieldbook shows you not only how to apply the archetype to the "systems mystery" in the jungle of Knith, but also how you can do the same for your own organizational "story."

Learn how you can overcome "Shifting the Burden" in your organization by:
• Distinguishing between problems and symptoms
• Investigating to learn rather than to assign blame
• Testing your ideas by looking for disconfirming rather than confirming evidence
• Avoiding addiction and other harmful side-effects of quick fixes
• Tolerating system delays that make things feel worse before better

Presented in a workbook format complete with causal loop diagrams, questions, and exercises, Frankl's lessons show you and your work group how to investigate, analyze, and take action for lasting solutions. Includes tips for introducing children to systems thinking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phil Ramsey has worked at Massey University in New Zealand for 13 years, teaching and conducting research in training and development and organizational learning. He is the author of Successful On-the-Job Training (Palmerston North, NZ: Dunsmore Press, 1993) and the first book in this series, Billibonk & the Thorn Patch (Pegasus Communications, Inc., 1997). Phil and his family live in Palmerston North, New Zealand, where there are plenty of mice and an elephant who visits town with the circus, and where bug infestations are very rare.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome to My Fieldbook!
Problem, or Symptom?
Quick Fixes: Making the Symptoms Go Away
Uncovering the Real Problem
The Problem with Blaming
Waiting for Results
Side-Effects of Quick Fixes
Over-Helping
Addiction
Combining Fundamental and Quick Fixes
Important Practice
A Goodbye


EXCERPT

This Fieldbook uses the Big Itch story to get you thinking about a particular problem that affects you or your work group. I'll give you questions to think about, and there are some diagrams to help you further. Whenever possible, try to work with colleagues on the questions and exercises in this book—the more you can do this, the richer your insights will be.

The last Fieldbook (for Billibonk & the Thorn Patch) introduced the idea of interconnectedness—it described some of the complexities of making decisions and showed how communities can learn together. In this Fieldbook, we'll explore a common systemic structure—called "Shifting the Burden"—-affecting the way individuals and groups solve problems. As you'll see, this systemic structure created a pattern of problems that the elephants had trouble understanding. Once they grasped it, though, they saw their itching problem in a whole new light. Rather than treating the itching problem as if it were a one-time event, they looked at the whole system in which they were living, and identified how its very structure was causing them problems. With this new way of thinking, they were able to get rid of their itching and make sure that it didn't come back.

It can be hard work exploring questions about your problems. You may even feel like blaming other people. That's a very normal reaction. If you see yourself doing it, have a little laugh at yourself, apologize to the others, make a mental note that you tend to do that when you're under pressure, and carry on. The idea is to use this Fieldbook to explore new insights together, in a way that will help you and the people you work with.

Happy learning!

Frankl