Similar Results from the Same System Structure

The system matters. Because systems carry significant power, they tend to overrule many factors that try to change the system.

Too often, this insight is overlooked. Instead of realizing the might of the system and working strategically to change it, we try to overpower it. We use force when a better approach is to align with the system to create change.

Peter Senge talks about this in his book The Fifth Discipline. He says, “Different people in the same structure tend to produce qualitatively similar results. When there are problems, or performance fails to live up to what is intended, it is easy to find someone or something to blame. But, more often than we realize, systems cause their own crises, not external forces or individuals’ mistakes.”

This demonstrates the power of the system and shows that we can substitute people into and out of the system, but the system remains the same. I’ve seen many managers make this mistake. They assume they have a problem with an individual, but it is in fact a problem with the structure of the role.

But this extends beyond the workplace. We experience it everywhere we experience systems and because we know systems are everywhere, this is commonplace.

This points to the value of the systems thinker. While others overlook the underlying structures, the systems thinker sees interacting parts and a full working system. He or she can identify leverage points in the system to create massive change by understanding how the system functions.

For most of us, we don’t need this level of understanding. We simply need a few key strategies to remake the systems and habits in our lives to point us in a direction we choose.

One tactics is to mirror how a system forms. It tends to start small and recur to create its power. If we look at our habits, they all started somewhere. But they went unnoticed until they grew strong.

We can flip that around to build positive habits by finding small positive behaviors that we can do over and over. Because they are small, the powerful system often ignores them. Once they solidify into habit, we can then grow them over time.

Doing something very small but repetitively will create a habit. It will be easy to keep up with it because it is small. It will start to become so automatic we don’t pay attention to it and takes on a life of its own.

The other strategy is to find a leverage point that is easily manipulated. When I drive to work each morning, I do so primarily from habit. Since I take a similar route each day, I don’t think much as I grab my keys and begin driving.

This isn’t a problem unless I need to stop for something on the way. If I need to pick up donuts for a coworker’s birthday, I have to consciously remember to stop. If I don’t bring it to the forefront of my awareness as I begin driving, I won’t take the correct route and stop for the tasty treat.

Therefore, I do silly things to make sure I remember. I might put one shoe by the front door and the other in the closet. As soon as I notice and think, “what the…” I recall I need to stop at the donut shop forcing my awareness away from the usual habit loops.

This is similar to how we can create better systems in our lives. I worked at a company where I oversaw a team of people, one of which was a logistics manager.

The logistics manager knew his job well but often would miss details causing problems. Once he created the driver log on the computer but left the print area with an old route. As you can imagine this caused a lot of problems for the driver who then took a different route.

Even after this individual was moved to another role more suitable to his skillset, we had another logistics manager make a similar mistake. Again, the calls from ownership was to replace the person.

But looking at Senge’s quote at the top, I realized that we didn’t need a different person, we need to change the structure of the system. We made a simple change to the print area of the sheet, and it stopped the problem from ever recurring. A simple change but a massive improvement. We, literally, never made that mistake ever again regardless of who was pulling the route and who we had in the logistics manager seat.

Years ago, we moved into a new house. That was the type of leverage point change that was so massive that it immediately changed the structure. Never did I go to the old house on accident. If I instead just wanted to start stopping at the store on the way home, I am sure I would have forgotten and gone straight home.

This is an example of using a major change in the system but because it is a key leverage point, it overrules everything else.

I’ve seen individuals struggling with addiction take similar positions. Instead of hanging out at the same bars but trying not to drink so much, they make a massive shift away from their current friends and establishments. They make major lifestyle changes, so they aren’t constantly tempted.

Regardless of your approach, realize that the systems are powerful. If we want to change them, we have to be strategic and deliberate. We can start small to slide under the radar or use a massive adjustment of a key leverage point. But we need to make sure we understand that similar results will continue with the same system structure.