MANAGEMENT
- SPRAY DIAGRAM
- rough spray diagram
b. tided up spray diagram
The above diagram is a spray diagram which displays the usefulness of system thinking. The diagram demonstrates how system thinking is useful in various aspects. One of the aspects is that of examining interrelationships. System thinking tries to view things as a whole system and in that way the interrelationship between such things is identified. This is helpful in identifying initial level of the problem and viewing problems as a whole system.
System thinking is also an important agent of integration. When used with strategic planning it leads to identification of all possible solutions, permanent and better solutions. It also leads to better planning. Strategic planning if used alone, only identifies the issues related to the main problem only and only leads to temporary solutions as shown in the diagram,
Other areas in which system thinking contributes is in better planning, testing of new ideas, and business management
- SYSTEM MAP DIAGRAM
The above diagram is a system map diagram that represents the idea presented by the article on system thinking and strategic approach. The main interest is in management thus it is the main system. Management involves planning and problem solving as the subsystems. In short system thinking and strategic approach. These two must be combined for effective problem solving. While strategic approach helps to identify the issues related to the problem only, system approach helps to identify all the issues that are not directly related to the problem.
System thinking and strategic planning are also used in planning. While Strategic approach is effective for planning, system thinking helps identify issues that may occur in the course of operation.
Skills exist as an environmental component of the management system. Persons involved management must possess the skills to integrate system thinking and strategic approach. Managers acquire these skills outside the management system for example by reading.
- . SYSTEM THINKING AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
System thinking and strategic management are two tools which are used together in problem solving and planning. When used together optimum results are realized than when either is used alone. Early system thinkers portrayed system thinking to be synonymous to strategic management. In real sense though the two have different principles where system thinking is seen as a great contributor to strategic management.
System thinking is a method of analysis in which the thing being analyzed is considered a component of a whole system which has an environment. By viewing something as a component of a system interrelationships are realized. In this way several types of problems can be solved including complex problem whose big picture cannot be seen, recurring problems or those that have been worsened by attempts to solve them and problems whose solutions are not obvious. Strategic management on the other hand is a tool which is used for planning and problem solving especially in organizations. It is majorly important in pointing the direction of an organization. It helps answer questions such as what is to be done, for which it is to be done and how to succeed.
System thinking has various principles that make it distinct from strategic management. One of them is that in system thinking things are not broken down into components for separate analysis. Instead the thing is viewed as part of a system. How the thing interacts with other components of the system is focused on. In this way conclusions can be made. In strategic management a problem is analyzed alone. This analysis may involve breaking the problem into components. Contributors that are not directly related to the problem may not be identified. As such the best solutions may not be identified. This is part of the reason that brings out the need for combining it with system thinking in problem solving.
System thinking has steps to be followed in approaching a problem. These steps are different from those of strategic management. The first step involves defining the situation. This is followed by identifying patterns of behavior then exploring the underlying structure responsible for such patterns. The factors related to the structure are identified and the leverage points known. The alternate structure is developed and the solution to the problem identified. Strategic management has strategic planning as a component. Strategic planning has a set of steps in solving a problem. Firstly the problem is identified then mission and objectives stated. This is followed by analysis of the problem taking into consideration the mission and objectives. A strategy in solving the problem is formulated and implemented. Control is then applied on activities as time passes to keep them in line with the stated mission and objectives.
System thinking has various laws that help in problem solving. One of the laws states that present problems come from solutions made in the past. Another law states that the more a system is pushed the more it pushes back harder. This implies that when one component of the system is changed, the system adjusts itself equally in accordance with the change. Others state that small changes can amount to big results and that faster is slower. Strategic management does not have specific laws to help in problem solving. Instead it has various tools that are used for solving a problem. These include SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths) analysis, STEER (socio-cultural, technological, economic, ecological and regulatory factors) analysis, EPISTEL (environmental, political, informatics, social, technological, economic and legal) analysis and PEST (political, economic, social and technological) analysis. These tools are used in different situations.
As can be seen above system thinking and strategic management differ in various aspects. Their most important difference is in the approach to problems and consequently the solutions that can be drawn. This makes it important to combine the two in problem solving as this explores all the possible solutions.
System thinking is a very effective tool in management whether in business or other organizations. Its effectiveness is due to its view of things as a whole therefore incorporating everything that is related to the issue being focused on. The steps used in applying system thinking clearly incorporate these factors.
The first step in system thinking is defining the situation by clearly stating the issue at hand. The second step is identifying patterns of behavior observable in such a situation. This helps in exploring the underlying structure and this constitutes the third step. Factors that are related to the structure are identified and this is followed by choosing the specific factors that affect the situation being focused on. A system that incorporates the situation together with the specific factors of the structure affecting the situation is developed. With such a structure the solution to the problem can finally be found.
These very are followed while applying system thinking in various aspects of life which include:
- A. I. MOTIVATION
Motivation is the driving force towards the accomplishment of a goal. It also controls goal-directed behaviors. It is majorly a psychological feature. It can be conscious or unconscious. Motivation is very important in accomplishing of goals. When the driving force towards the achievement of a goal is identified faster achievement of goals can be realized improving the factors that favor the driving force. In organizations for example there are factors that motivate employees to work towards organizational goal. These factors include better pay, good relations with staff members, proper supervision, and involvement in the setting of goals among others. If such factors are improved then better achievement of organizational goals can be realized. But this cannot be done without identifying what really drives the employees towards achieving the organizational goals. This can be done by systematically analyzing motivation in individuals.
Our problem is to identify factors that are connected to the motivation of individuals. We then identify the observable behavior patterns in individuals. We realize that individuals are motivated by needs. When one need is satisfied, another one emerges for satisfaction. Next, we explore the underlying structure. It can be observed that needs exist in a hierarchy. At the bottom level are the physiological needs. The other levels are security needs, love needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs which are at the topmost level. The bottom level needs are the most urgent to satisfy. The factor contributing to the structure is the importance or urgency of needs where urgency decreases from bottom to top. The leverage point is this single factor which is the urgency of needs. We therefore have a structure on which motivation depends on. For individuals to achieve the higher level goals such as self-actualization, their lower level needs such as the physiological needs must be satisfied first.
- B. II COMMUNICATION
Communication is the conveyance of information or ideas from one person or group of persons to another through a channel. Communication has various elements which include the source, the message, encoding, the channel, decoding, the receiver and feedback.
Good communication serves a very important role in various aspects of life. It is important in co-ordination of efforts in an organization. This is because it is through communication that instructions are known by the members of the organization.
Good communication also helps in to avoid conflicts and also in conflict resolution. In organizations, people know their roles through communication and conflicts that occur due to conflicting roles can be avoided.
Another role of good communication is unity among people in an organization. It is through communication that people know the goals of the organization so that they can they can direct their efforts towards such goals and hence work together towards common goals.
Active listening is one important element of good communication. it requires a person to listen to speaker and then give a feedback on what they hear. Active listening is a component of the communication system. Within this system are other components which affect active listening. One of them is the encoding of a message. The message must be encoded in a way that the receiver will be able to decode for effective active listening. The channel used must not alter the message being communicated. Feedback must be given for the continuation of active listening. There are other components that exist in the environment of the system. These are the barriers to effective communication. An example of such barriers is noise. For active listening to happen therefore the factors identified above must be considered. This is the system thinking approach of active listening.
- C. III CONFLICT
Conflict is a state of disharmony between persons, ideas or interests. Conflicts can get complex if not solved at an early stage. If handled in positive manner they provide an opportunity for learning and growth. If not well managed they can cause great destruction. They are the major causes of war and lack of achievement of goals. They are common occurrence in any kind of relationship.
There are various causes of conflicts. One of them is poor communication. When good communication lacks between people instructions or intentions may not be well understood. As a result disagreements arise in the process of doing things.
Another cause is differing interests. When people are working together they need to have a common interest. If one person changes his/her interest in the process of working, conflicts emerge.
Differing values also lead to conflicts. People who have differing values and are living together will always conflict unless they seek a solution. Other causes of conflicts are scarcity of resources and poor performance.
System thinking approach can be used in conflict resolution. Conflicts occur in relationships and such relationships can be viewed as systems with internal and environmental components. People within a relationship possess various items, features or qualities which they contribute in the relationship. The contributions from the different people interact within the relationship and constitute the internal components of the relationship system. These contributions include personal values, goals and effort. If for example the personal values of the people within the relationship are not in harmony with each other conflicts occur.
There are components which are in the environment of the system which are for instance the opinions of other people not within the relationship. For a conflict to be solved all the internal and external components of the system have to be considered.
- D. IV MENTAL MODELS
Mental models are the images people have in their thoughts about how things work in the real world. They affect behavior, reasoning and decision making. They are developed from imaginations, perceptions and the understanding of how things work. For a mental model to exist, the conclusion being tested must hold for all possibilities. Mental models may be different from the conventional structures that are guided by formal theories.
However, mental models may have false representation of facts. In a class for example students may be holding false mental models about the learning process. They may think that they are in class to be lectured and to memorize the theory they are being taught. In actual sense, students and teachers are supposed to interact and learn from each other.
This is where the need to integrate mental models and system thinking comes in. if the mental model created comprises of a system, then reasoning can be greatly improved since systems incorporate all factors of a relationship. Mental models are created in the learning process where there are single and double learning loops. In single learning loops for example people use mental models to make decisions on matters in the real world after which they get feedback. They use this feedback to make better decisions such matters in future. Without system thinking the learning process can be slow as many mistakes will have to be made until the time the best decisions will be made
References
Kremer et al (2013). Abraham Maslow and the pyramid that beguiled business. BBC news magazine.
M. Afzalur Rahim (2010). Managing conflicts in organizations. Transaction Publishers.
Barrouillet, P. et al. (2000). Conditional reasoning by mental models: chronometric and developmental evidence.
Tang, T. L., & West, W. B. (1997). The importance of human needs during peacetime, retrospective peacetime, and the Persian Gulf War. International Journal of Stress Management
Jehn, K. A.; Mannix, E. A. (2001). "The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study.". Academy of Management Journal
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