Do You Have a “Systems Thinking Capabilities Gap”? Does the Business or Organisation You Work For, Direct, or Invest in?

Your Answers to the questions in the title is almost certainly yes. And this explains why I have previously argued the world is facing a "Global Governance Crisis", largely caused by the "Systems Thinking Capabilities Gap".

This is principally due to the problem the United Nations Development Project has just given a name to, in its most recent development report from which I took the graphic for the head of this article. The name they give it is the “New Uncertainty Complex” – layers of uncertainty stacking up and interacting to unsettle our lives in unprecedented ways, interacting to transform shocks into “an impending global catastrophe.”

The report says “Institutions we used to rely on for stability and prosperity are not up to the task of today’s uncertainty complex.” Those institutions are involved in the kinds of enterprise, meaning “purposeful projects, undertakings or initiatives that are especially difficult, complicated, or risky, to achieve an objective.” And the covers enterprise in every sector: business, government, public sector, not-for-profit sector etc.

If they are “not up to the task,” and we can no longer rely on them, what are we to do?

First, we must recognise that this does represent a Global Governance Crisis, and it must be addressed. Our futures are in grave danger if it is not. Second, we must acknowledge that we have no option but to re-think approaches to governance, management, and leadership. Existing approaches are clearly outdated and not fit for purpose. Of critical importance is the need to overcome the Systems Thinking Capabilities Gap.

If we don’t have the ability to appreciate the systemic nature of the problems we face, we will never be able to understand them well enough to address them, and the actions we do take will by risky, and could generate additional problems elsewhere in the systems.

Good strategic thinking, decision making, planning and execution require a high degree of systems thinking competence. The fact such competence is in very short supply explains why most strategies fail or disappoint, and why crises are so common.

Addressing the tasks amount to the need for a New Enlightenment, in my opinion. And, I believe it must be on the scale of the first Enlightenment in the 18th Century, which led to the Industrial Revolution. This is why I created the Enlightened Enterprise Academy. But, I should make clear, the New Enlightenment will need to be very different from the first, and we must learn from its successes and failures of the first one.

A NEW ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE ENLIGHTENED ENTERPRISE ACADEMY

Find out more about the concrete actions the Enlightenment Academy is taking to address the Global Governance Crisis in the latest Newsletter . And get the details of the world’s first executive programme in Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity Programme starting on October 4th - online and for a global audience.

The eight week programme of eight modules will mix on-demand and live content. The 60 minute live sessions will be every Tuesday between October 4th and November 22nd and at 8am GMT (Repeated at 4pm GMT for other time-zones). APPLY

The Programme will be delivered by Dr Mike C Jackson (OBE) and I. Mike is author of the book with the same title as the course.?

As Founder and CEO of the Enlightened Enterprise Academy , I came to realise that what I call The Systems Thinking Capabilities Gap explains why so much strategic thinking, decision making and execution is fundamentally flawed and fails. It also explains catastrophic filings in risk management, project management and other disciplines. We see the consequences in the number, frequency and scale of corporate crises and institutional failures.

The problems have been made worse by intense rivalry between the various schools of systems thinking. Thankfully, Mike Jackson recognised that the strengths and weaknesses of each depends on the nature of the problem, or opportunity, being addressed. Practitioners of Critical Systems Thinking are also able to think critically about which approaches have most to offer in specific contexts.

"Critical Systems Thinking encourages a flexible mindset, which is necessary to navigate complexity, and provides a skills-set of systems approaches oriented to achieving improvement even when we are confronted with the most ‘wicked’ of problems"

"Critical Systems Thinking encourages a flexible mindset, which is necessary to navigate complexity, and provides a skills-set of systems approaches oriented to achieving improvement even when we are confronted with the most ‘wicked’ of problems," argues Mike.

“Systems thinking is a way of understanding a complex interacting problem. There is no doubt in my mind that for policy it is crucial,” said Sir Patrick Vallance, Head of Government Science and Engineering (U.K.)

Sir Patrick Vallance, Head of Government Science and Engineering (in the U.K.), recently stated: “Systems thinking is a way of understanding a complex interacting problem. There is no doubt in my mind that for policy it is crucial.” And Mike adds, "Complexity is the major issue facing decision-makers whether working in the private, public or third sectors. Systems thinking is increasingly recognised as the only way of successfully engaging with complexity."

Critical Systems Thinking capabilities are "crucial," but scarce. Why? Because today's leaders are "usually brought up on classical management theory that emphasizes the need to forecast, plan, organise, lead, and control. This approach relies on there being a predictable future environment in which it is possible to set goals that remain relevant into the foreseeable future; on enough stability to ensure that tasks arranged in a fixed hierarchy continue to deliver efficiency and effectiveness; on a passive and unified workforce; and on a capacity to take control action based on clear measures of success. These assumptions do not hold in the modern world, and classical management theory provides the wrong prescriptions.”

In short, classical management theory leaves today's leaders massively exposed and unable to deal with the levels of complexity they already face, let alone the even greater complexity they will face in the future.

In short, classical management theory leaves today's leaders massively exposed and unable to deal with the levels of complexity they already face, let alone the even greater complexity they will face in the future. This realisation led me to ask Mike if we could collaborate in developing a solution for directors and executives. The unique programme we now offer is the result. We are also developing the Critical Systems Thinking Institute to establish a growing body of knowledge and practice.

JOIN THE PROGRAMME

Participation in the programme is by application only, to ensure we have a good mix of delegates from various industries, sectors, and functions. It will be delivered online to reach a global audience. And it will be repeated for different time-zones, subject to demand.

The 8 modules will be released weekly as a folder featuring on-demand content, to include a weekly pre-recorded discussion between Mike and I, which should be watched before the live session. Each live session will feature Mike in a moderated dialogues with a practitioner of systems thinking. It will also include a Q&A session.

Delegates will also get to discuss what they are presented with each week in smaller Reflection Groups if they choose to join one. The discussions, guided by weekly prompts. This programme feature is designed to help participants develop their thinking about ways to apply the insights they have gained. Such applied thinking strengthens the chances of seeing and understanding the direct relevance and value of Critical Systems Thinking in practice.

Delegates will get a copy of Mike's existing book, and the practitioner's guide that he is currently working on. Upon completion of the programme, they will also be offered free membership of the Critical Systems Institute for the first year, and at a discount in future years.

The whole programme will be presented from the Enlightened Enterprise Academy Hub , which allows delegates to interact with each other and our larger communities. The same platform will also be used for the live streaming of the live sessions.??

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, so applying early is recommended. READ THE FULL DETAILS AND APPLY as soon as possible if you are interested. The application process for the first cohort will close soon.?