Learning Systems Thinking

Chapter 12. Redefining Success

Systems are the essential building blocks of every successful business.

Ron Carroll

We are nearing the end of our journey together. It’s time to ask ourselves two questions:

• How do I know that I’m learning systems thinking?

• What is success, from a systems point of view?

If we envision success for you, the systems thinker, we are also envisioning success for an organization. You are becoming comfortable with uncertainty and experimentation. So is an organization. You are developing a mind in which systems thinking flourishes. An organization’s ecosystem nourishes and supports systems thinking. You can shift perspective, discover root causes, and understand the reasons that support your propositions. So can an organization.

You contribute more signal than noise, engage in deep learning, and think well with others. A successful organization, from a systems point of view, benefits from these activities, so actively encourages them.

What about the system itself? How can we tell a successful system from one that needs our intervention?

Success Is a System

We do not rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems.

James Clear

If there is no single way to measure success in a system, how do we measure it? We look at a system from multiple points of view, examining it using a system of criteria that help us identify whether ...