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Systems thinking and decision making in organizations

From The Systems Thinker – Why Few Organizations Adopt Systems Thinking - The Systems Thinker:

  1. Record every decision of importance, whether to do something or not.
    • The Decision Record should include (a) the expected effects of the decision and by when they are expected, (b) the assumptions on which the expectations are based, (c) the inputs to the decision (information, knowledge, and understanding), and (d) how the decision was made and by whom.
  2. Monitor the decisions to detect any deviation of fact from expectations and assumptions.
    • When a deviation is found, determine its cause and take corrective action.
  3. The choice of a corrective action is itself a decision and should be treated in the same way as the original decision.
    • A Decision Record should be prepared for it. In this way, one can learn how to correct mistakes; that is, learn how to learn more rapidly and effectively. Learning how to learn is probably the most important thing an organization or individual can learn.
  4. The decision by an organization not to adopt systems thinking should be treated in this way.
    • Making explicit the assumptions on which such a decision is based and monitoring them can lead to a reversal of the decision in time.