Leverage the Dynamics in Human Systems
Dynamical Model of Human Systems
The patterns that shape our lives the success, the joys, the challenges, the opportunities, and just the patterns of everyday life and workemerge as we move through the complex human systems where we live, work and play. These patterns are shaped by the interdependent influences of three conditions in those systems. The emergence of patterns is governed by the interplay among the conditions:
Container: Similarities that contain the system while patterns emerge
Differences: The significant distinctions that hold tension and have greatest influence on decision and action
Exchanges: Connections in the system that ensure the movement of information, energy, and other resources
Influencing the dynamics of human systems
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Adapt Containers
Containers hold the system while patterns form. Containers may emerge from physical boundaries, such as a room or a building. A container may be a psychological or emotional connection that gives rise to patterns. A strong, charismatic leader, organizational silos, the love of a child, fear of the future—all of these are containers that can shape patterns of interaction and decision making. A container may be as simple as the agenda for a meeting, creating the length, time, content, and discussion. Or a container may be as complex as the history, social agreements, shared experiences, and language of a cultural community.
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Leverage Differences
Difference in the system provides the potential for change and the emergence of patterns as the agents negotiate and accommodate the diversities that separate them.
Difference may be represented by the degree of skill, amount of understanding, leadership skills etc.
Increasing, decreasing, or introducing new differences will shift the conditions and change the emergent patterns in a system.
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Facilitate Exchanges
Exchange is any flow that generates change in the system. Feedback, dialogue, entertainment, conversation are all examples that come to mind first because you live and work in verbal communities.
They are multiple ways the system or the agents in the system share information, energy, and other resources. Rules inform the agents in the system of what is acceptable or allowed activity. Experiences help agents form opinions and build knowledge. Competition and collaboration, giving and receiving are all ways the system engages in exchanges that shape patterns of behaviour.