An Unusual Synergy

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.