Applying Systems Thinking and
Common Archetypes to Organizational Issues
Module 2: Organizational Learning and Systems Thinking Framework
Module Description
Systems Thinking is one of the disciplines practiced by learning organizations. It is our experience that a systems view is only likely to become a habit in organizations that are vision-driven.
Two conceptual models are presented in this module: a framework for organizational learning and the basic steps of Systems Thinking.
The framework for organizational learning begins with the premise that learning is driven by a discrepancy between vision and current reality (or creative tension). Establishing and maintaining creative tension is an outcome of the disciplines of shared visioning, personal mastery, mental modeling, team learning, and Systems Thinking. Learning organizations stress these disciplines in their practice in contrast to being crisis-driven and internally competitive with a short-term, functional orientation to problems.
Systems Thinking makes it possible to achieve critical results when problems are chronic and resist traditional approaches. The steps of Systems Thinking enhance teamwork by actively engaging those with diverse points of view in a process of inquiring into the nature and structural causes of the situation or problem. These steps were introduced in Module 1; they are put into practice here and are further developed in Module 7, integrating all the tools covered in the program. The iceberg image provides a reminder about these basic steps as we go from the tip of the iceberg to deeper levels of understanding about our problems. With this appreciation for the structure "beneath the surface," we can craft more effective and high-leverage intervention strategies to improve system performance.