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HSD - Human Systems Dynamics
p.3 Human Systems Dynamics (HSD) is a new field of study and practice that provides a perspective for seeing and influencing a system in ways that more traditional approaches don't offer. HSD enables leaders to "see" and understand patterns as the underlying dynamics of their organizations to gain a clearer understanding of the challenges they face. The building blocks described here are applicable from the field of HSD. They are simple and immediately actionable, and they provide multiple options to bring about change in an organization.
p.6 Because interactions and interdependencies are massively entangled, there can be no one root cause. Multiple forces are interacting whether they are seen and noticed or when they are not.
p.7-8 five assumptions frame an effective approach to organizational systems...
- An organization is a complex system with a goal of sustaining itself by establishing patterns of responsiveness and adaptation.
- Constraints emerging from inside the system determine the type of activity and interaction that will occur in the system, requiring change leaders who are flexible and supportive.
- Systemic change occurs when the underlying dynamics of patterns are shifted to increase responsiveness and adaptation across the system.
- Simple rules guide actions and behaviors in emergent, self-organizing systems.
- A system's capacity to sustain itself depends on repeated cycles of adaptive action.
This primer is designed to provide change leaders with a clear understanding of these assumptions so they can use them to guide actions and decisions as they increase the adaptive capacity of organizational systems.
p.18 "Patterns" are similarities and differences that have meaning across space and time. Behaviors and relationships among agents who work together build shared meaning over time and show up as patterns of interaction across the system.
p.29 The Landscape Diagram is a simple graph that provides a picture of the "lay of the land" in organizational work. It is designed to illustrate the necessary differences in activity across an adaptive system and provides a way to "see" the patterns that form in the organization as people shift between agreement and certainty.
p.48 Once change leaders have a good idea of the relevant containers, differences, and exchanges, they can see if the system is appropriately constrained. Constraints limit the activities of the agents in the system, and understanding them is important.
p.48 In seeing and analyzing a system it is important to be able to see the constraints and make appropriate choices about how to increase or decrease constraints appropriately.
p.49 Containers bound the system until system-wide patterns emerge. The container brings individuals or agents together so they can interact in ways that generate recognizable system-wide patterns... In real life there are many containers in operation at once, and they are massively entangled.
p.52 Exchanges are the ways a system connects to itself or its environment to share time, energy, information, and other resources.
p.59 The goal of self-organization in a system is to move toward greater fit with the environment.
p.63 Based on the group's beliefs and values, simple rules inform behavior in specific and operational ways. They make the beliefs and values actionable without codifying every decision or action that might emerge in day-to-day operations.
p.74 Adaptive action planning provides an iterative process of seeing the patterns in the environment, planning for change, and then re-scanning the environment to see what is needed next. Adaptive action planning can be used to bring about both short-term, operational, day-to-day change and longer-term improvements. It is a process that can be used at any level of the organization at any time... All it requires is a commitment to improvement based on data from the environment and the willingness to review progress continuously.
p.75 Planning strategically can be as simple as asking "What?" "So what" "Now what?"
p.76-77 Why Adaptive Action Planning Works
- It is iterative. - The cyclical design returns to the original planning point to check progress and provide the foundation for the next step. The planning cycle is iterative as the long-term goal remains the same, feeding back into the planning as each cycle is completed - evaluating success and setting the next target...
- It relies on patterns. Adaptive action focuses on paying attention to and shifting the patterns of behavior and interaction that emerge in the organization. In doing so, this process addresses underlying dynamics in the system rather than surface issues.
- It is flexible... most changes in the dynamics can bring about significant change in the overt activities in the system rather quickly.
- It is multi-dimensional. Because the parts of the organization are massively entangled, an intervention or solution tried in one part will cause some sort of shift in another part...
- It is fast... the degree of success will be known quickly because issues are attacked at their dynamic foundations, rather than at the symptom level. This foundational shift brings about change more quickly and efficiently than other forms of change.
Adaptive action planning operates within the context of a long-range direction or goal, and is specific and measurable. Using an iterative cycle of "What?" "So What?" "Now What?" helps planning moves progressively forward.
p.78 Adaptive action planning provides a simple, effective way to think about day-to-day improvements that contribute to on-going, overall effectiveness of the organization because the learning from one cycle feeds into the baseline of the next.
p.78 Adaptive action is based on reflection and learning.
p.83 This building block can be used on a daily basis to assess current situation, determine viable options for action and implement action steps toward goals.
p.83 Iterative planning is only as effective as the data people collect to understand their environments and measure their progress.
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