The Core Challenge
Organizations, including technology organizations globally, struggle with deteriorating productivity, poor quality, and low engineering effectiveness. The situation is deeply paradoxical - technologists who believe technology can solve every problem fail to solve the dysfunctions in their own organizations.
The Root Cause: Lack of Systems Thinking
I assert that the root cause of smart, educated, and scientifically driven people failing to sustainably solve dysfunctions of their organizations and achieve their true collective potential is because they lack Systems Thinking. They lack Systems Thinking because they are unaware that they need it, so put no effort into acquiring it.
Making a general statement about technologists lacking Systems Thinking when their primary job is to architect, design, develop, operationalize, and maintain systems is a bold assertion. Unfortunately, after multiple failed attempts, I have concluded that I am incapable of explaining concepts of Systems Thinking in a few minutes to anyone.
The Endless Loop of Methodology Adoption
Organizations traditionally try to solve these problems through:
- Procurement of best tools
- Institution of best practices
- Defining metrics (KPIs, OKRs, SMART goals)
- Applying principles of responsibility and accountability
- Rolling out transformation & change management programs
But all of that is done in the context of adopting modern methodologies like:
- Agile
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Large Scale Scrum (LeSS)
- DevOps
- DevSecOps
- Lean
The question is how many times an organization needs to go through these transformations? My prediction is never. Organizations will continue the loop of trying the same thing, experiencing temporal victory only to retract back to a similar or worse situation.
Evidence in Support: DevOps Principles
Let’s examine the three principles of DevOps:
- Systems Thinking: The first and foundational principle
- Amplify Feedback Loops: A fundamental concept of Systems Theory
- Learning and Experimentation: Which requires Systems Thinking to be effective
What Should We Learn First?
If you had asked Dr. Deming or other organizational theorists this question, they would suggest learning Systems Thinking first. Here’s why:
- A methodology is sold to organizations as a recipe
- Systems Thinking enables you to create your own recipe
- Every complex system is different
- No readymade methodology will work for a modern organization
The Path Forward
The only way out of this rut is for organizations to:
- Learn Systems Thinking first
- Customize and adapt methodologies organically
- Design their own ways of working
- Embrace complexity instead of trying to simplify it
- Build capability for continuous learning and adaptation
As Peter Drucker said, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence. It is to act with yesterday’s logic.” Systems Thinking is today’s logic - it helps us embrace and manage complexity rather than trying to simplify it away.
Why No One Asked You to Learn Systems Thinking?
That’s a great question. You should be asking:
- Why did consultants never train us in Systems Thinking?
- If I’m not a systems thinker, what kind of thinker am I?
- How do I know if I am or am not a Systems Thinker?
- Where and how do I learn Systems Thinking?
Asking such questions and becoming critical of yourself and of people who sell you methodologies is the attitude every Systems Thinker should have. Keep asking these questions and keep seeking answers. This is your starting point for beginning the journey to become a Systems Thinker.
