I have just experienced an unusual synergy at BGI's
first intensive of the 2012 school year. BGI weekend intensives are jam-packed
with classroom sessions, seminars, discussions, and opportunities for career
exploration between students, faculty, and industry professionals. I expected
the weekend to be non-stop and was given the recommendation to go into it with
mind and arms wide open. This, I did. But no amount of advice or pre-reading
would prepare me for what I observed and participated in. The conversations
that sprung up, the push to "lean" into whatever encourages personal
growth, the respect and curiosity of those present, and the support
offered astounded me. This created an atmosphere for extreme growth and
"stepping into the unknown." Over the period of four days, surrounded
by colleagues exercising these same practices, I can only describe this
experience as unusual in the most wonderful sense of the word.
Throughout the weekend we broached many topics,
some new and some familiar to me. Systems thinking is an area we will be diving
into frequently throughout our program and one we began to examine as a group
this past weekend. I would suggest that we innately think in a systems manner
when making decisions, however most of us stop superficially once we make up
our mind. The purposeful, conscious act of systems thinking is a fascinating
subject. Systems are all around us. From our cat or dog and the dust mites that
live on them to the shipyard up the street or the trade or shipment of
materials that form various structures in our communities. Systems analysis is
a very useful tool in identifying problems and understanding various ways to
manipulate a system for improvement. Thinking with a systems lens forces
one to identify all players, or parts, in a system and how the interactions
that take place affect the rest of the system. Levers are often referred in
order to express what would happen if one part of the system was altered in
some way. Systems analysts, once a system is thoroughly defined, thrive on
playing with different levers to experiment with the results, which could be a
minor shift in the relationship between two parts to a major disruption of the
entire organism. During one class this past weekend, our project team, Rivers
and Oceans (nicknamed ROYO!), was given a case study which scrutinized bottled
water versus tap water in the U.S. and internationally. Our task: Draw a
systems diagram identifying all key players and variables in about one hour!
Needless to say, this was a brutal awakening to the challenge of systems
analysis. Many initial questions surfaced for me. How detailed do we get? Where
do we start? What symbol do we use to represent stronger/weaker relationships
between two parts? How do we know which levers to pull or push? As our team
worked through the activity, we discovered the answers to these questions were
determined by what our end goal was. This activity pushed me to break the
mental models I had about water availability and the image bottled water
portrayed in the U.S. In the short time we had to study this system, I got a
taste of how enlivening this type of analysis can be and the various inferences
that can be made while working towards a solution.
As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I work in
front end operations at Costco Wholesale. The Costco warehouse is a prime
example of many systems within a larger system working together to achieve a
common goal. Many would argue this goal is to make a profit. But as I have
recently learned, any system is designed to achieve the exact results it is
achieving whether or not they are intended. I hope to examine this idea more
closely at Costco. The various systems within a Costco warehouse are made up of
many moving parts and their interrelationships, creating intended or unintended
results. A major variable in this analysis will be the “altitude” from which
each system is viewed. Finely adjusting the scope of each analysis will reveal
new levers, or interconnections that, when modified, could drastically affect
the sales of an item, the productivity of a department, or the number of
members that pass through each cashier lane every hour. Over time, this system
will undoubtedly change as employees join or leave the company, new products
are introduced, different materials are used to package goods which must be
unpacked and repacked, policies regarding break times are revised or
merchandising procedures are modified. Presently, I would argue all the moving
parts in the Costco warehouse system function in harmony primarily to make
a profit. However, when systemic variables in the supply chain are adjusted to
support a local food demand from Costco members, the system's primary goal of profit
making is perhaps augmented. The energy management system at Costco's warehouse
is a significant system, and variable, within the larger system of Costco
Wholesale. By triggering a few levers to reduce electricity use during the
hottest part of the day will definitely reduce expenses and conceivably align
with an increased profit as well.
I have learned that systems thinking can be applied
to an endless array of problems. It is a challenge to remain objective and create
an in-depth analysis before jumping to solutions, but absolutely necessary! As
I begin to explore micro- and macroeconomics in the coming weeks, I look
forward to drawing connections among various systems and understanding why our
current economic system in the U.S. is operating the way it is. As the year
progresses, I will begin to uncover how I can create change within organizations
by combining my new knowledge of sustainable business practices with my passion
for preserving our critical resources.
