Discovering the Greatest Possibilities of Work
Leading a Living Organization brief summary
Peter wrote up the following to summarize some of the “why” of thinking of your organization as a living system, and I have attached some slides that also summarize some of what he was saying in class:
When we talk about organizations being living systems, there are two ways to think about this. On one hand, an organization is essentially an ecosystem, comprised of a diverse array of component parts each with a separate function that contributes to the maintenance of the system as a whole. The elements of an ecosystem interact with each other in various ways – cooperative and competitive – that serve to maintain a dynamic equilibrium in the system over considerable periods of time. This pattern of interactions constitutes the network structure that reflects how the system is organized. Organizations are also networks of people and resources with distinct functions that interact so as to help maintain the survival of the system. “Managing” living organizations thus implies a primary focus on facilitating the necessary and appropriate network interactions.
In addition to viewing them as ecosystems, or aggregations of interacting components, organizations are also living systems in that they are typically thought of as separate and distinct entities with particular purposes, goals, and values. In other words, organizations are readily assumed to be conscious beings, able to formulate plans, make decisions, and carry out actions. Whereas ecosystems don’t (apparently) have any intentions regarding the future, organizations are proactive entities that pursue an agenda relevant to their own well-being. This implies that, like other living things, organizations can and should be evaluated in terms of the extent to which they add value to and/or cause problems for those around them.
From both of these perspectives, a focus on “energy” suggests useful insights. Ecosystems are maximally efficient in the sense that all the energy that flows through them (most of it in the form of matter) is used; there is no such thing as waste. A key principle in ecosystems (as discussed in the “Natural Capitalism” reading) is that waste equals food – every output of any one part of the system serves as useful input to some other part. This implies that organizations, to act like living systems, must strive to reduce the amount of “wasted energy” they use, whether that energy comes in the form of natural resources, human effort and emotion, knowledge and information, or financial capital. The network of interactions through which organizational activity takes place can and should be adjusted frequently and readily so as to modify any technical, administrative, or social processes that are generating wasted energy.
A focus on energy also raises the issue of how an organization, as a living entity, can best be “energized” to accomplish its objectives. As a social system, much of an organization’s energy is a function of the energy of the human beings who contribute to the pursuit of its agenda. An organization has more and better energy to the extent that its human “cells” are healthy and happy, engaged and excited, reliable and responsible. This implies that organizational configurations and dynamics that elicit more and better energy from the human participants will result in more energetic organizations. It behooves those leading organizations to establish the conditions that will maximize the amount of positive energy available for the organization to use.
leading a living organization.ppt
When we talk about organizations being living systems, there are two ways to think about this. On one hand, an organization is essentially an ecosystem, comprised of a diverse array of component parts each with a separate function that contributes to the maintenance of the system as a whole. The elements of an ecosystem interact with each other in various ways – cooperative and competitive – that serve to maintain a dynamic equilibrium in the system over considerable periods of time. This pattern of interactions constitutes the network structure that reflects how the system is organized. Organizations are also networks of people and resources with distinct functions that interact so as to help maintain the survival of the system. “Managing” living organizations thus implies a primary focus on facilitating the necessary and appropriate network interactions.
In addition to viewing them as ecosystems, or aggregations of interacting components, organizations are also living systems in that they are typically thought of as separate and distinct entities with particular purposes, goals, and values. In other words, organizations are readily assumed to be conscious beings, able to formulate plans, make decisions, and carry out actions. Whereas ecosystems don’t (apparently) have any intentions regarding the future, organizations are proactive entities that pursue an agenda relevant to their own well-being. This implies that, like other living things, organizations can and should be evaluated in terms of the extent to which they add value to and/or cause problems for those around them.
From both of these perspectives, a focus on “energy” suggests useful insights. Ecosystems are maximally efficient in the sense that all the energy that flows through them (most of it in the form of matter) is used; there is no such thing as waste. A key principle in ecosystems (as discussed in the “Natural Capitalism” reading) is that waste equals food – every output of any one part of the system serves as useful input to some other part. This implies that organizations, to act like living systems, must strive to reduce the amount of “wasted energy” they use, whether that energy comes in the form of natural resources, human effort and emotion, knowledge and information, or financial capital. The network of interactions through which organizational activity takes place can and should be adjusted frequently and readily so as to modify any technical, administrative, or social processes that are generating wasted energy.
A focus on energy also raises the issue of how an organization, as a living entity, can best be “energized” to accomplish its objectives. As a social system, much of an organization’s energy is a function of the energy of the human beings who contribute to the pursuit of its agenda. An organization has more and better energy to the extent that its human “cells” are healthy and happy, engaged and excited, reliable and responsible. This implies that organizational configurations and dynamics that elicit more and better energy from the human participants will result in more energetic organizations. It behooves those leading organizations to establish the conditions that will maximize the amount of positive energy available for the organization to use.
leading a living organization.ppt
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