Systems Thinking
An application of Systems Thinking using the Natural World…
The Universe
Both holds everything
And is everything
And also holds and is the nothingness
We are both a part of the Universe
And we are the Universe because we exist
The Earth
Holds life as we know it
And is also alive itself
If I pick up loose dirt in my hands
Is this dirt
The Earth?
Does it cease to be “the Earth” when I pick it up?
Is this tree the Earth?
Or is it just a tree?
This worm creates the soil
Would we say
That this worm is the creator of Earth?
But how could a worm create the Earth?
Isn’t the Earth simply where the worm lives? It is both/and
Could the Earth exist without the worm?
Could the dirt?
If the dirt is the Earth
Then isn’t the worm the creator of the Earth?
When we say “Save our Planet” are we saying “Save us?” or even “Save me?”
When I view Earth from the moon
Is everything I see
The Earth?
Where does Earth begin and end?
When I stand on my living room floor, am I standing on the Earth?
When I stand outside on the grass, am I standing on the Earth?
If I pile the grass up into a heap
Creating a barrier between me and the Earth, what am I standing on now?
What if I stand on a person, am I still standing on the Earth?
We are each like roses
Earth itself is a rosebush
Each person a single rose
Sharing a common source
The rosebush
Alive in and of itself
So too, the rose
On this rosebush and that rosebush
Each rosebush, Earth
Each rose, a person
Pollination creating seeds
Seeds becoming rosebushes
Like people coming together to create life
The person is also like a rosebush
Each cell or each organ in a person, alive
Unable to live without the person
All the cells and organs need the person to survive
All of the cells and organs work together so the person can live
How can we use this imperfect metaphor to serve us in continuous improvement?
When creating change in systems, changing something small is worthwhile, and knowing that a small change may impact an entire organization is also important. Changing an organization may also impact an entire community.
Organizations are as complex as biological systems. Organizations are also part of our biological system(s).
This is Systems Thinking. Every thing is connected to everything.
If this virus has taught us anything, it is that we can no longer think in terms of separation and isolation.
