Zipperer/Corliss/Tompson

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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• A State-of-the-Art Continuing
• Education Seminar for the
• Special Libraries Association
• June 6, 2004, Nashville TN.

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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Sponsored by the SLA Engineering, Biomedical
  Life Sciences Divisions and Aerospace section of
  SLA-SNG
• Moderated by Cynthia Bennington, SLA/ Eng
• Support from EBSCO

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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Lorri Zipperer, Zipperer Project Management
• lorri_at_zpm1.com
• Rebecca Corliss, Schiff Hardin, LLP
• rcorliss_at_schiffhardin.com
• Sara Tompson, Packer Engineering, Inc.
• sarat57_at_msn.com

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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Our actions create our reality.

Peter Senge 5th Discipline, 1990
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Systems Thinking Class Objectives

• Explore core concepts.
• Identify effects on information center
  interactions within an organization.
• Identify affects on librarians interactions with
  all levels of the organization, immediate
  reports and exterior clients.
• Construct how acceptance changes an individuals
  decision-making.
• Determine how the tools affect librarians
  strategic planning thought processes.

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References and Tools

• Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
  Strategies and tools for building a learning
  organization. 1994.
• Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline The art and
  practice of the learning organization. 1990.
• Select Bibliography
• Glossary

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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Logistics
• Three section program 8am- noon
• Both lecture and group / team exercises
• Break 1000 to 1030 am
• Wrap up by noon

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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Will you please
• Introduce yourself
• Share one key reason for attending the class

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PART ONE

• 1.1 What is Systems Thinking
• 1.2 Am I A Systems Thinker?
• 1.3 Questions Recap

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What is Systems Thinking?

• Interconnectedness
• A set of elements that interact to shape behavior
• Learning Organization
• Key movers
• Forrester (1961)
• Center for Organizational Learning / MIT (1989)
• Argyris (Teaching Smart People How to Learn,
  1991)
• Senge (5th Discipline 1990)

Class Section 1.1
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Systems Thinking Proven Value

• Complex problems that involve helping many actors
  see the connectedness of the big picture and
  not just their part of it.
• Recurring problems or those that have been made
  worse by past attempts to fix them
• Issues where action affects (or is affected by)
  the environment surrounding the issue.
• Problems whose solutions are not obvious

Class Section 1.1
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Systems Thinking Basic Concepts

• Everything is connected to everything else
• You can never do just one thing
• Different people in the same structure will
  produce similar results
• From either/or to both/and
• There is no away to throw things to
• The easiest way out is the fastest way back in
• Profound changes can take place in ways we cannot
  foretell
• The map is not the territory
• An answer is a questions way of asking a new
  question

Class Section 1.1
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Five Phases of Systems Thinking

• Structure the problem
• Understand causal loops and feedback
• Model the dynamic relationships
• Use scenarios to plan and model affects of
  actions taken
• Implement and share learnings with the
  organization

Class Section 1.1
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• How Does Systems Thinking Pertain to the Library
  Profession?
• Allows information work to be effective and
  innovative, not isolated
• Situates the Information Center as proactive not
  reactive

Class Section 1.1
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Facilitates achievement of SLA
  Competencies
• Will highlight a few today
• http//www.sla.org/content/learn/comp2003/index.cf
  m

Class Section 1.1
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Professional Competencies
• Aligning the information organization with key
  stakeholders
• Assesses and communicates the value of the
  information organization
• Builds a dynamic collection of information
  resources based on deep understanding of clients

Class Section 1.2
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Professional Competencies, cont

• Develops and maintains a portfolio of effective
  and aligned information services.
• Conducts market research to identify concepts for
  new or enhanced information solutions for these
  groups.

Class Section 1.2
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Personal SLA Competencies

• The special librarian
• Sees the big picture
• Creates partnerships and alliances
• Employs a team approach recognizes the
  balance of collaborating, leading and
  following

Class Section 1.2
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Barriers to Systems Thinking

• Resources (financial and people)
• Cultural and value-based
• Leadership
• Knowledge (ie identification of the problem)
• Process-oriented
• Time constraints
• Strategic operation and planning
• IT

Class Section 1.2
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Systems Thinking for Librarians Exploring Impact

• Stories of Engagement
• Lorri
• Rebecca
• Sara

Class Section 1.2
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Are You a Systems Thinker?

• A Systems Thinker Perceives
• The whole whose elements continually affect each
  other over time and operate toward a common
  purpose.
• The Big Picture
• The interrelatedness of forces/nothing exists in
  a vacuum
• Info Center example
• The interdependencies means no single right
  answer

Fieldbk, pg 90
Class Section 1.2
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Systems Thinking Assessment

• Complete in five minutes
• Talley each column
• Discuss results
• There are no incorrect responses
• so be honest with yourself

Class Section 1.2
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Readiness Assessment - Continuum

Goal - Top 2
Class Section 1.2
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Questions Recap
• Basic concepts of systems thinking
• Why this class?
• Where are we on the journey to systemsness?

Class Section 1.3
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PART TWO

• 2.1 Setting the Stage
• 2.2 Why Use Stories?
• 2.3 Problem Identification Digging Deeper
• 2.4 Diagramming System Influences
• 2.5 Questions Recap

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A Typical Morning Conversation
Class Section 2.1
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Does this Sound Familiar ?

• Pflom and Meyer, established yet old-fashioned
  firm
• New librarian shut out
• Info gathering inefficient and unreliable
• Solutions require a new way of thinking .

Class Section 2.1
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Value of Stories

• Illustrates a theory
• Allows listeners to empathize more broadly
• Resonates with listeners
• SLA storytelling models

Class Section 2.2
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Value of Stories

• If you have chosen the right story and you tell
  that story in a certain way, then not only do
  listeners understand the story ... but they also
  begin to imagine a story in their own life ...
  They begin to draw on their own experiences,
  their own knowledge, their own understanding, and
  they start to imagine possibilities for
  themselves.

Making Change Happen Steve Denning Tells the
Story of Storytelling Information OutlookVol.
5, January 2001
Class Section 2.2
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Identifying the Problem

• Problem Structure Modeling
• Digging Deeper / The Five Whys

Class Section 2.3
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Problem Structure Modeling

• The problem is
• Important
• Chronic
• Limited in scope

Class Section 2.3
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Exploring the Problem The Five Whys

• Why X 5 to get at
• Who, What, When, Where, Why
• What are you trying to accomplish
• Determine the root cause
• Identify possible solutions
• Limitations of the 5 Whys

FieldBk pages 108 - 112
Class Section 2.3
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The Five Whys
Objective
Why?
Object
Subject
Why?
Why?
Root
Cause
Place
Time
Why?
Why?
www.burton.co.uk/cit/images/cit02.gif
Class Section 2.3
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Exercise Pfloms Problem

• And the problem is.
• Review the story
• Identify key processes or issues that resonate as
  problematic and support the ineffective
  relationship
• Post for further discussion to crystallize
  thoughts

Class Section 2.3
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Pflom Problem cont

• Individually assess the whys that may have
  contributed to the situation
• Collect them for discussion to drill down to
  the root cause

Class Section 2.3
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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

• As a systems thinking tool, diagrams
• Illustrate cause and effect relationships
• Facilitate communication
• Create the a-ha experience

Class Section 2.4
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Ways of Seeing Things

• Diagramming System Behavior
• Feedback
• Causal Diagrams
• Several sample techniques
• Key terms
• Illustrating a Story
• Archetypes
• Templates of Behavior

Class Section 2.4
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Importance of Feedback

• The practice of systems thinking starts with
  understanding a simple concept called feedback
  that shows how actions can reinforce or
  counteract each other. Peter Senge

Class Section 2.4
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Computer Diagramming

• Tool for observing patterns in large, complex
  situations
• Epidemiological in nature
• Software available
• Beyond the scope of this class

www.imm.ecel.uwa.edu.au/ cmms/project_mngt.htm
Class Section 2.4
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Behavior Patterns
2. Limits to Growth
1. Fixes that Fail
3. Shifting the Burden
Time
Class Section 2.4
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The Role of Delay

• Acknowledge delay as a factor in decision
  making
• Respect delay as an element to understand success
  or failure
• Regard delay as a force in determining value of
  change

Class Section 2.4
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The Role of Delay Serving ACME

• Key project
• High demand
• 24/7 service
• Guaranteed 4 hour turn around

Class Section 2.4
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The Role of Delay
ACME requests
Adherence
recorded hours/bills submitted
ACME leaves!
Time
Class Section 2.4
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Visualizing the System Reinforcing and
Balancing Loops
Target or Goal

Reinforcing Loop
Balancing Loop

Class Section 2.4
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Core Loops a Few Examples
1. Fixes that Fail

B
2. Limits to Growth
3. Shifting the Burden
Limiting process
Growth process
R
Growth Process Reinforces behavior Limiting
Process Balances activity
Class Section 2.4
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Visualizing the System Steps in a Process

• Perform the exercise with a group representing
  multiple disciplines
• Keep it manageable
• Start with a central element/service

Adapted from Kim D. Guidelines for Drawing
Causal Loop Diagrams. Pegagus Communications,
1995
Class Section 2.4
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Steps in a Process, cont

• Identify key variables
• Dont think of loops as stone tablets
• Avoid focus on details
• Air assumptions

Adapted from Kim D. Guidelines for Drawing
Causal Loop Diagrams. Pegagus Communications,
1995
Class Section 2.4
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Pflom Story Balancing Loop (-)

Cost Recovery
Key Element or Corrective Action
Delay
Client Activity
Research Quality
Leverage Expertise
Client Bills
Limiting constraints

Librarian isolation
Growing Action

Class Section 2.4
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Pflom Story Reinforcing Loop ()

Info gathering

• Staff use services more
• Info expertise applied more
• More team involvement

Revenue
Info Staff integration


Staff satisfaction
Client Bills

Client satisfaction

• More support for Info projects
• More info resources
• Business case for info staff improved

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Archetypes Seeing Patterns

• Accidental Adversaries
• Fixes that Fail
• Limits to Growth
• Shifting the Burden
• Tragedy of the Commons

Class Section 2.4
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Archetypes Why Bother?

• Test mental models
• Provide consistent representations of hypotheses
  that contribute to complexity
• Explore hypotheses to illustrate organizational
  behavior in a variety of venues.

Class Section 2.4
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Archetypes Exercise


The problem symptom

Archetype Fixes that Fail


Delay




Unintended consequence
Class Section 2.4
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Fixes that Fail

Cost recovery initiated
The problem symptom
Client leaves
Quality
Archetype Fixes that Fail

Expertise leveraged
Delay
Client Bills

Isolation

Unintended consequence
Class Section 2.4
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Archetypes Making Change

• Visualize, study and implement change
  projects
• Identify positive reinforcing loops
• Dos and Donts
• Do run small tests, learn from the experience,
  explore effectiveness regularly
• Dont stop at the identification process, see
  loop as etched in stone

Class Section 2.4
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Questions Recap
• Problem definition and the five whys
• Diagramming methods and dialogue
• What to do next?

Class Section 2.5
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PART THREE

• 3.1 Intro and Personal Awareness
• 3.2 Ladders of Inference
• 3.3 Discussion and Dialogue
• 3.4 Wrap Up

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Role of Personal Awareness in Systems Thinking

• Mental Models
• Ladders of Inference
• Discussion and Dialogue

Class Section 3.1
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Mental Models

• Are deeply ingrained assumptions
• Are tacit, not explicit
• Can derail systems thinking
• Need tools to expose them
• Left hand column
• Ladders of inference

Class Section 3.1
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Ladders of Inference

• A common mental pathway of increasing
  abstraction, often leading to misguided beliefs"
  Chris Argyris
• AKA Leap(s) of Abstraction

Do NOT climb up the wrong ladder!
Fieldbk, p. 243
Class Section 3.2
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Ladders of Inference, cont

• Ladder rests on
• 1) observable data and
• 2) ones past experience - both are solid.
• Rungs move further
• away from the concrete.

Class Section 3.2
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Steps Toward Understanding

• 1st Rung Select data to focus on
• 2nd Rung Add own meaning to data
• 3rd Rung Make assumptions re data -
  can be more than one rung

Class Section 3.2
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Steps Toward Understanding

• Next Rung Draw conclusions - can be more than
  one rung
• Next Rung Develop, add to beliefs about world
  - worldview
• Top Rung Take actions based on beliefs

Class Section 3.2
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Climbing the Ladder an Exercise

• Start from the bottom of the ladder
• Build up one assumption is usually based upon
  another and the inaccurate belief system grows.
• Brainstorm the corrective behaviors
• Share tales from the front cases.

Class Section 3.2
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Recap Tool for Awareness

• MUST
• filter data,
• decide what is important,
• develop belief system, and
• act upon it.
• HOWEVER, one can develop inaccurate/harmful, etc.
  belief systems and views.
• AWARENESS and PERSONAL MASTERY can keep you from
  climbing up the wrong ladder!

Class Section 3.2
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Discussion and Dialogue
• Constructive interaction with colleagues promoted
  continued learning
• Librarians can apply reference interview skills
  to other interactions
• Modes of conversation have different elements and
  support different goals

Class Section 3.3
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Goals of Conversing Styles

• Advocacy
• Marketing leverage
• Arguing for one point of view
• Discussion
• Team consensus builder
• Goal oriented or task-based focus
• Dialogue
• Exploration and determining shared meaning
• Discovery and insight
• Collective inquiry and mindfulness

Class Section 3.3
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Setting the Stage for Dialogue

• Seek to catalyze insight and discover the process
  of thought.
• Encourage participants to develop a shared
  intention.
• Create a safe harbor environment where
  participants can say what they feel in a
  constructive manner.

Class Section 3.3
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Setting the Stage for Dialogue

• Listen not only to participate but with an
  openness to change.
• Be aware of your own thinking
• Manage conflict effectively and constructively
• Abandon the notion of the right answer

Fieldbk, 375
Class Section 3.3
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Dialogue at Pflom

• Step into the librarians shoes
• Structure an opportunity for dialogue

Class Section 3.3
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Recap
• Do you see a way you can apply systems thinking
  and tools to your situation right now?
• Stories and Scenarios
• 5 Whys
• Causal Loop Diagrams
• Archetypes

Class Section 3.4
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Systems Thinking for Librarians

• Wrap Up
• Refer back to desired goals from morning
• Please fill out evaluation form
• Please leave cards if you are willing to give us
  feedback down the road.
• Presentation available at www.zpm1.com
• THANK YOU!

Class Section 3.4
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Continue the Conversation

• Lorri Zipperer
• lorri_at_zpm1.com
• Rebecca Corliss
• rcorliss_at_schiffhardin.com
• Sara Tompson
• sarat57_at_msn.com

Class Section 3.4