Paul Krugman’s NY Times article, Easy Useless Economics, brings to light a very important principle for problem solving—make sure you have identified the problem so you’re not wasting energy solving symptoms. Perhaps a simple example will help explain. Consider that the computer screen remains black when you press the on-button. What do you do? [...]
Archive for the ‘Systems Thinking’ Category
Lost in the Leaves
Posted in Economy, Problem Solving, Systems Thinking, tagged Leadership, Economy, Problem Solving, Systems Thinking, Decision-making, Critical Thinking, Business of business on May 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Cost as Cause or Outcome
Posted in Leadership, Progress, Systems Thinking, Management, tagged Business of business, Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Leadership, management, Progress, Quality, Systems Thinking on May 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »
To hear the talk of these days it would seem that to the business minded, costs are to be cut to the bone if not avoided altogether. So let’s consider what different minded leaders might do in regards to costs.
Not All Data Are Valid
Posted in Leadership, Management, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking, tagged Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Leadership, management, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking on April 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Many people—probably with the exclusion of politicians—have come to believe data based decision-making is the way to effective action. In the words of Lord Kelvin, “to measure is to know” and so if our decisions and actions are to be directed by knowledge—not just by what we believe—then we must base them on data. While [...]
Mindset Not Market Failure
Posted in Change, Economy, Life, Problem Solving, Systems Thinking, tagged Business of business, Change, Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Economy, Education, human spirit, Leadership, Moral Values, partnership, relationships, Systems Thinking on February 25, 2012 | 1 Comment »
In an article on Harvard Business Review Blog, titled U.S. Companies Versus the U.S. Economy, Thomas Kochan (of MIT Sloan School of Management) argues the disconnect between U.S. companies and the U.S. economy is the result of market failure. While the management of each business corporation makes decisions believing the unit of survival is the [...]
What’s a Frog To Do?
Posted in Economy, Life, Systems Thinking, tagged Business of business, Change, Economy, Ethical Principles, Progress, Systems Thinking on January 8, 2012 | 2 Comments »
I assume most are familiar with the parable of the boiled frog. Briefly, just to refresh your memory, a frog placed in a cool and comfortable body of water that is continually rising in temperature will not sense the incremental temperature change from the immediate past to present moment and remain in the water until [...]
Better Questions Afford Better Solutions
Posted in Education, Quality, Systems Thinking, tagged Decision-making, Education, human spirit, Leadership, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking on December 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
There seems to be a debate over the use of standardized test results for accountability as the way to improve student achievement, and thus our education system. Effectually, this debate is turning attention away from understanding the concrete educational experience toward the abstract measures. No wonder teachers and children have to be incentivized to respectively [...]
The Gravity of Vision
Posted in Leadership, Relationships, Systems Thinking, tagged human spirit, Leadership, Moral Values, organizational design, relationships, Systems Thinking on October 26, 2011 | 5 Comments »
The Gravity of Vision In our universe what keeps things together? In a general sense what brings chaos to order? Gravity. For without it every person and thing would be cast into space, floating aimlessly, making for quite a chaotic existence. If not for gravity then nothing would be at rest on earth. Moreover this [...]
The Indignation of the Immune
Posted in Change, Economy, Life, Systems Thinking, tagged Change, Critical Thinking, Economy, human spirit, Moral Values, Progress, Systems Thinking on October 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In a recent article by Paul Krugman spoke to the whining from the elite in Wall Street who believe that the good that they have done for society is not understood, claiming that “finance is the only thing America does well.” Not only is it telling of where we are as a society that [...]
Reformer Education
Posted in Education, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking, tagged Critical Thinking, Education, Learning, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking on October 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
A recent Huffington Post article describes the agreement and disagreement between Arne Duncan (Secretary of Education) and Dennis Van Roekel (President of National Teachers Association) over the preparation and evaluation of teachers respectively. Sadly what is not being discussed—as can be inferred from the article—is the very process of learning.
Act on Causes not Outcomes
Posted in Economy, Problem Solving, Statistical Thinking, Systems Thinking, tagged Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Economy, Problem Solving, Statistical Thinking, Systems Thinking, Variation on September 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Properly reporting and interpreting the movement in the monthly unemployment rate requires one to have an understanding of variation. Yes, while it may be a surprise to many, monthly outcomes do vary from month to month irrespective of whether there is an identifiable cause—you can call this random noise. There are also variation patterns that [...]
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