Systems

I really like the idea of 'systems'. The concept appeals to me, on a couple of different levels.

One is the idea of divergent, different things organized in a way that they product a useful output. They don't even have to be all that divergent. I remember being fascinated first time that I finally understood, in an almost visceral way, how air transfer happens -- and what the structure of the lungs actually is. Finally, I had a clue what they were talking about in The Hunt for Red October when the guy who got shot had a 'left tension pneumothorax'. And having a passing understanding whats going on when you get bronchitis, or pneumonia... wow! Okay, I do remember being just a little ticked that it took me this long to find this stuff out ( I'm a cherrypicker; I grab concepts, and often know nothing about the underlying rationale or infrastructure) but still: cool!

Another way that I like the idea of systems is as a way of saying 'a way of doing things so that you get the output you want'. Not as tightly structured or tightly coupled as a physiological system, or as formal as, say, the American banking system, it means 'this is how things work'. I like the idea of knowing how things work. I like it so much that it has taken me years to realize that just because I understand the concept of some system does not mean thats how it works in reality. Sometimes I see systems where they don't actually exist.

Take the system of management in a large organization. For years, I've believed that the idea of being a manager means working in a methodical, systemic manner to promote the welfare of your organization. It means that you worry about how your people are doing, that you believe that if they are doing well -- happy in what they are doing, adequately compensated, have a sense of belonging to the organization -- then that means that whatever they produce is being produced as well as it could possibly be. Oh, sure, you could possibly drive them harder, pay them less, hold their opinions in low or no regard, but not for long: they'd leave at the first chance, and then you'd be screwed, you betcha. I believed this. Until finally, one day, I thought: well, Bill, if this is true, how come you never see it? Or, when you do, its so rare as to be remarkable? Doesn't this suggest that it is not, perhaps, as prevalent as you thought? That the system of management is nothing of the sort?

Well, yes.

But I still like systems.