February 22, 2001  Issue 9

Simple miracles. Satisfying work, like baking bread or building a shelf. Fresh, delicious food. . . . Health for land and people. Sometimes I wonder, with all our supposed progress, what we're rushing toward and what we're leaving behind.
—Donella Meadows, "An Ode to the Cow and the Milk," The Global Citizen, January 25, 2001

Donella Meadows died on February 20 after a brief illness. She was a leader in the field of system dynamics, adjunct professor at Dartmouth College, and director of the Sustainability Institute. In 1972 Meadows was on the team at MIT that produced the global computer model "World3." She coauthored the book The Limits to Growth, which described the model and sold millions of copies in 28 languages. Among her other accomplishments, Dana was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; cofounded the Balaton Group; developed the PBS series "Race to Save the Planet"; was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship; and served as a director for several foundations. In 1999 she moved to Cobb Hill in Hartland Four Corners, Vermont. There she worked with others to found an eco-village and maintain an organic farm. Dana was a true pioneer and visionary who was committed to—and succeeded in—making the world a better place. Learn more about her contributions.


The Essentials of Servant-Leadership: Principles in Practice
by Ann McGee-Cooper and Gary Looper

We're pleased to announce the publication of the newest volume in Pegasus Communications' Innovation in Management Series. This 16-page booklet differentiates servant-leadership from traditional leadership models, shares case studies, and offers practical suggestions for putting servant-leadership to work. The softcover book costs $10.95. Volume discounts are available. Order #IMS016 or IMS016E (for PDF).
Order print version
Order PDF version



Systems Thinking for Kids Forum

Linda Booth Sweeney, author of When a Butterfly Sneezes, is now appearing at the Systems Thinking for Kids Forum on the Pegasus Community Bulletin Board. Share your ideas about how stories can communicate the concepts of systems thinking.

Praise for When a Butterfly Sneezes
"In this new century, education will increasingly mean the ability to think systemically-in terms of relationships, patterns, contexts, and processes. Linda Booth Sweeney offers us an inspiring guide book to this kind of education, exploring the meaning of ancient 'systemic' folk wisdom as it speaks to us in timeless stories. This is an important and truly delightful book."
-Fritjof Capra, author of The Web of Life



June 9-16. Authentic Leadership, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This six-day learning community sponsored by The Shambhala Institute is designed for community and organizational leaders who aspire to deepen and integrate their skills in a collaborative context. Participants choose one module as an area of focus, including "Strategic Dialogue as a Core Business Practice" with Juanita Brown, "Scenario Planning" with Art Kleiner, and "The Power of Systems Thinking" with Jennifer Kemeny. In addition, they will come together for conversations, arts exercises, meditation, keynote presentations, performances, and other events. Speakers include Fred Kofman, Peter Senge, Margaret Wheatley, and Francisco Varela. For more information, visit the Shambhala Institute's Web site, call 902-425-0492, or send an e-mail to info@shambhalainstitute.org.


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Pegasus Communications provides resources that help people explore, understand, articulate, and address the challenges they face in the complexities of a changing world. Since 1989, Pegasus has worked to build a community of practitioners through THE SYSTEMS THINKER™ newsletter, books, audio and videotapes, and its annual SYSTEMS THINKING IN ACTION® Conference and other events.

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LEARNING LINKS
Managing for Underperformance: The "Set-Up-To-Fail" Syndrome
SHOP TALK
How Have You Introduced Group-Bonus Programs to Honor Interdisciplinary Team Efforts? and Reader Response to Teaching People to Use Visual Tools
FROM THE FIELD
Youth Boom Sparks Prevention Efforts
 



LEARNING LINKS
Managing for Underperformance: The "Set-Up-To-Fail" Syndrome
by Janice Molloy

Are managers creating personnel problems rather than solving them? According to Jean-François Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux, authors of the Harvard Business Review article "Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome" (March-April 1998), managers' perceptions of employees can actually affect employees' performance--for better or worse.

How do bosses undermine a subordinate's success? The process may start just after a new hire comes on board. Perhaps she misses a deadline or possesses a personal style that leads her manager to silently judge her as a poor performer. The supervisor may then focus more attention on her work, subverting her confidence and her ability to make autonomous decisions. Her performance may slip, thus confirming the boss's assessment of her abilities. At the same time, the manager might have a more positive preconception of another employee and give her more challenging assignments and greater autonomy. Both employees might possess the same skills, but one ends up far outshining the other.

This dynamic is a variation of the "Success to the Successful" systems thinking archetypal structure. This kind of self-fulfilling prophecy underscores the importance of maintaining a sense of objectivity when managing people. To do so, Manzoni and Barsoux recommend that managers set clear expectations with new hires, maintain an ongoing dialogue with workers about their performance, and continually challenge their own assumptions about individual employees. By avoiding simplistic categorizations and comparisons, we can help to ensure that all workers have an equal opportunity to contribute to an organization's success.

Read the complete article or see THE SYSTEMS THINKER™ V10N10, Dec. 1999/Jan. 2000. Readers who wish to discuss this topic are invited to the Leverage Points Discussions forum.
 



SHOP TALK
Team Bonus Program
I am a consultant here in Zurich and currently in contact with a fairly large hospital in Europe that wants to introduce a group-bonus program to honor interdisciplinary team efforts (e.g., doctors, nurses, technical personnel in operating rooms). Does anyone have field experience on this subject?
Juerg Kuster

Please take a minute to share your thoughts about this issue in the Health Care Community Forum. Selected comments will be shared in a future issue of LEVERAGE POINTS.

FROM ISSUE #8
What techniques have you used for overcoming the challenges of teaching people to use visual tools like causal loop and stock and flow diagrams?

In my experience, the most effective method is to "do" not "tell." I've tried various analogies to teach causal loops (folding paper, lilies in the pond, company-specific things that have more meaning to the audience, etc.) and stocks and flows (showers and electric blankets work well, and other thermostat-like structures). The best reaction I've ever received, though, came just the other day. I was chatting with one of my company's information technology folks, and he explained to me that I couldn't buy some software package until they had tested it on their server. I asked if they were testing it, and he said, "No, we don't have it yet." We went on for a while, and the truth of the matter hit: Catch-22. I couldn't buy it until he tested it, and he couldn't test it until I bought it. I said, "Okay . . . let me make sure I understand this. . . ." and started drawing a loop. In about 30 seconds, he saw the light, approved the purchase, and as he was leaving said, "That was a pretty neat way to explain that. . . . Is that a technique or something?" "Sure," I said, "want me to show you more?" Now I'm doing a brown-bag lunch for his colleagues!
Stephen Wehrenberg

Readers who wish to view the complete responses to this question or to continue this discussion are invited to go to the Systems Thinking Forum.
 



FROM THE FIELD
Youth Boom Sparks Prevention Efforts

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" seems to be the new philosophy of youth-services agencies in the United States. Over the next 30 years, the population of 10- to 19-year-olds will increase dramatically--and these organizations want to be prepared for higher demands on their resources. In particular, minority and immigrant populations, who experience greater social problems stemming from poverty than the general population, will constitute more than half of all youths. Instead of handling problems such as juvenile crime, teenage pregnancy, and drug abuse primarily by punishing the offenders--the approach used in the past--social-service providers are redesigning education and health programs to focus on deterrence.

This new direction derives from research showing that teenagers who have good health, close ties to responsible adults, well-defined goals, and steady jobs are less likely to engage in risky behavior than their less-connected peers. Accordingly, agency officials believe that promoting healthy lifestyles, mentoring, youth leadership, and job training will lead to positive outcomes for many young people.

To meet this challenge, many states have begun coordinating their youth services to make them more comprehensive and accessible than before. Because teens tend to engage in several risky behaviors simultaneously, planners feel that services that address a wide range of problems can be more effective than single-issue programs. In addition, health officials are recruiting community members to develop programs. When adults involve themselves in supporting youth leadership development in their community, they can help young people fulfill their potential and make valuable contributions to society.

Source: V. Dion Haynes, "States Prepare for Youth Boom," The Boston Globe, December 14, 2000
 


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