Measurement in self-organizing systems

Journal for Quality and Participation, The, Jan/Feb 1996 by Kober, Kelly, Knowles, Richard

When we look out at the global social, political, technical and economic systems within which our organizations function we see change, turbulence and organizations whose ability to adapt to change are less and less successful.

This inability to deal with rapidly changing systems seems to be tied to our traditional, reductionist approach to systems. That approach was and is based on the belief that, if we know the parts, we will know the whole. This way of working with or understanding systems is becoming more and more inadequate and a real limitation to understanding what is happening or needs to happen in organizations. A living, organic or whole systems view will serve us better than the mechanical view of organizations that worked well in less turbulent environments.

As we look at whole systems it's becoming more apparent that understanding properties such as self-organization and emergence will help our organizations become more adaptable and successful. In our studies during the Berkana Dialogues with Margaret Wheatley and Myron Kelner-Rogers, we have identified three factors essential to the emergence of self-organization: information, relationship, and identity (or self-reference). If we can improve our understanding of how the interplay between these three factors affect self-organization, we should be able to enhance our organization's capacity and ability to self-organize and successfully adapt to rapidly changing systems. Before examining the interaction between these three factors, let's take a quick look at each and its role in organizations.

The role and nature of information in systems - The nature and role of information must change from being restricted and used for power to being openly shared, in abundance, with everyone in the system; it needs to be available to all of us like the air we breathe. In information-rich environments, people learn to handle the open flow without problems of overload. As meaning develops in their work, they know what information they need and actually seek out more as they need it.

Relationships in systems - Our relationships become much more important. Removing barriers so everyone has access to whomever they need is vital. As people bump into one another, new information is created. Trust begins to increase, and the potential for more interdependence grows. Listening skills with a willingness to be influenced become critical. A deep value for the fullness of the richness of diversity grows.

Identity in systems - Our identity, the sense of who we are and how we fit into the organization and its work, is another critical factor. As we begin to see ourselves in the larger picture and feel good about it, our work begins to develop meaning; our creative energies are released.

Interaction between information, relationships and identity... These three areas are present in all organizations all the time and interacting in a dynamic way. The more we do with them, the more their areas of influence grow. The richness of the environment deepens; potential release and the expansion of creativity occurs.

If we come together in our organizations where these conditions for self-organization exist, with commitment, caring, concern, and courage as we work together, meaningfulness, trust and the ability to step out into new areas emerges. The figure above gives us a way of visualizing how information, relationship, and identity interact.(1)

A simple way of assessing our selforganizing capacity

The information factor - At the Du Pont plant in Belle, West Virginia, we had spent a good deal of time and effort in opening up the flow of information:

*Everyone had electronic mail accounts...

*Many people were on the business teams...

*The team environment was widely used and working pretty well...

*We conducted two business information meetings each week in shops, operating areas and offices...

*Each management team person had a goal of spending at least 1-4 hours each day in the plant or community sharing information and building relationships.

Visitors could immediately see the open, abundant flow of information.

The relationship factor - Our relationships were developing and helping people see themselves as an important part of the business as we did work in:

*All the teams...

*Our Almost Heaven AQP Chapter...

*The business meetings...

*The time in the field...

*Making the organization flatter...

*Customer visits.

People could see that what they were doing really made a difference to the customers and the business. Yet there was frustration over all the things that still needed to be changed. We were ready and willing to make the changes, but stuff just seemed to keep getting in our way. One afternoon, the leadership teams, about 30-40 of us, got together and brainstormed all the things that we needed to address to get to the next higher level of performance. A list of 47 items was developed. Here are some of the items:

1. People movement procedures needed to change...

2. We had to work on removing procedural barri-