Brian maskell
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Comment on: Walker v Seddon - the debate goes on
Seems to me that many of the comments in the article and the responses are more heat than light. What is required is reasonable debate. The systems thinking approach is a very different way of working to that of the targets & audit approach. They are not only different, they are contradictory. Someone who is invested in the targets/audit approach will have a lot of difficulty understanding a systems approach. Most systems thinkers have NO difficulty understanding the targets/audit methods because these are the traditional management methods we have all suffered from throughout our careers and are taught in the business schools. From my personal experience, the systems thinking approach produces vastly better results than traditional management, irrespective of the industry. (The "Toyota or Torquay" jibe displays lack of understanding.) The systems thinking approach is difficult to achieve because it requires the leaders within an organization to think and work differently. To make radical change to their management style. The results of systems thinking - when introduced well - is much higher service to the customers (voters, tax-payers, citizens/subjects, etc), much higher customer satisfaction, faster & more nimble organizations, lower costs, and higher work satisfaction of the employees. But this does not happen quickly or by magic. It comes from sound thinking, careful and consistent hard work, tenacity in the application of systems thinking, and ...... I have to say this ....... the elimination or ignoring of top-down targets. Brian Maskell bmaskell@maskell.com
