Systemic Thinking for Public Managers

Chapter 5 Developing a Systemic Culture

DOI: 10.4324/9781003335153-5

A systemic culture means a culture in which people and departments are working together toward a common purpose, continuing to learn and develop themselves and their organization to serve clients more effectively. Social systems inherently involve learning and teaching to create a vibrant organization in which discovery is perpetuated throughout the systemic culture. A key to this learning and teaching is discovery, where people engage in conversations, activities, and ideas through natural inquisitiveness and curiosity.

In contrast, bureaucratic organizations are less interested in engaging in discovery, learning, and teaching. Bureaucratic organizations, at their ...