A Global Network of Systems Thinkers, Newsletter #14, by Kent Myers

Ackoff Center developments

ACASA has been developing a community-based process. Persons who have a passion are identified and are asked to write up a 2-page 'value proposition.' This statement is commented on by a small group of volunteers who contribute thoughts on how to build up the proposition. The proposition is revised and sent to a wider circle who critique it and consider applications, alliances, and sponsors. At this point the champion (the person with the passion) has the opportunity to make presentations before prospective sponsors. ACASA has been able to arrange this, and provide travel support as well. In most cases the aim has been to gather multiple sponsors who will constitute a Circle, and to support the champion with sponsorship fees. Several champions and their propositions are currently in the pipeline, and the quality and intensity of interaction has been very gratifying. At every step it has been members of the community, not just ACASA staff, who are taking initiative and making important contributions. ACASA's main role has been to get relationships started, keep the messages flowing, and move propositions along quickly. It's an adventure, not the normal ordeal.

Here’s the current ACASA brochure, though it will be changing: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/systems-all/files/ACASAbrochure.pdf

The purpose statement includes words that are not familiar to us from S3 days. ACASA will address "eSystems, Biological systems, and Ecological systems" as well as social systems. In the recent Board meeting Russ reformulated this intention more precisely: "The main effect of today's meeting, in my opinion, is that it establishes the uniqueness of the Center as covering all four types of systems: deterministic, animate, social, and ecological, and its effort to develop truly general systems theory that bridges all of these. No other center either has this coverage or seeks such a general theory."

Russ also suggested that the name be modified to Ackoff Center for the Advancement of Systems Approaches. Quite a mouthful, but the change would reinforce the themes of generality and creativity.

Notes from Europe (from Peggy Nicholson)

Come to Germany!!! I'm working on an interim basis with Jacob de Smit at the European Business School near Wiesbaden www.ebs.de. (To read about our school in English, click the little British flag). Many of you know I assisted him as he developed the Rotterdam School of Management into one of the top-rated MBA programs in Europe, and certainly the most international in the world. Now he's at it again here at the oldest private business school in Germany.

I know from talking to many of you at our two systems reunions in Philadelphia and elsewhere that we S-cubers and affiliates have permeated many of the top schools all over the world. At EBS we have close to two hundred students who go abroad each year. Are you interested in an exchange? Here are some details:

Here at the EBS, the degrees granted are the Diplom Kaufman (considered European master's level) and the Ph.D. One of the strongest features of the school is the language requirement. All students are required to master at least two languages and most do three. Therefore, all students have to study abroad for one year. Three-quarters of our students go abroad for one semester in English and the others in French, Spanish, or Italian. If a students specializes in Information Systems, he or she can spend the two semesters in English.

We are interested in (1) traditional student-for-student exchange, especially if your students would like to take some courses in German, (2) dual-degree in which your school accepts courses from the EBS as part of their requirements, (3) one-way exchange in which we only send students to you. In the case of the latter two, we would discuss costs or other arrangements.

Of course, there is also the opportunity for faculty exchange after we arrange student exchange. The school is along the Rhine and it is beautiful here even now in the middle of winter. I can only imagine what it will be like in the spring.

We use AACSB accreditation as a minimum measure of quality for all U.S. schools. Other means are used to review and evaluate the quality of schools in other countries.

Please email or call me at the numbers below if you would like to pursue this. (From Tuesday, February 6 to Sunday, February 11, you can reach me at home in the U.S. (717 545-1595). After that, I will be back in Germany.)

Margaret (Peggy) Nicholson
International Affairs
ebs/Schloss Reicharsthausen
65375 Ostrich-Winkel
Germany
Tel: 49 (0)6723 69197
From US 011 49 67 236-9197 
Email: Margaret.Nicholson@...

Invitation to a Community of Practice

An organizational research program is being conducted on behalf of the Navy. The program is exploring the concept of the network-centric organization and how its advantages could be obtained, especially through changes to the Navy's command and control (C2) procedures. Serious effort has been made to keep the research open and systemic, so as not to reduce or misconstrue the very phenomena that are under study. The main investigative procedure is a series of games, and the next two games will be focused on "self-synchronization."

This is heady stuff, and the results may have impact (see below). The program staff know what they are doing, but they also know that the subject matter and investigation procedures are difficult and that they could use some help. Last week they added some staff (me!) to create a "community of practice" that would aid the research program. It is expected that the volunteer members of this CoP would benefit personally in various ways. Participation would be mainly through online interaction, but face-to-face meetings are planned as well. Those of you who are practitioners and who know about network-centric organizations may want to join the CoP, or at least register yourself in a broader "community of interest" and receive an occasional email update. Since the web site isn't set up for full interaction yet, please send an email to me and I will get you started. You can read reports from two preliminary games at: http://cno-n6.hq.navy.mil/n6c/ac2/AC2home.htm

(You are encouraged to spread this invitation within your personal network, but please don't broadcast it anywhere, and ask your friends not to broadcast it. I want this systems community to have first crack, but I also want avoid having a flood of people turned off because the web site isn't ready.)

There are several reasons that this project may have impact. Navy executives are listening who are willing to make changes. Also, the researchers are driving toward recommendations that can be put to use. But perhaps the most important and unusual reason is that the broader military environment is unfreezing.

According to this morning's Post, Andy Marshall will now have his chance. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46423-2001Feb8.html   I met Marshall in 1988 and did a project for his office. At the time he was a revered old man, and now he is 79 years old! He has always been respected for his broader systemic thought, which is considered radical in the military environment. He is responsible for net assessment, whereby a US military component is considered within its environments, principally how the component matches up with prospective opponents. That may seem obvious, but a lot of 'systems' are developed simply in order to increase speed, firepower, or other context-free criteria, and they often make no sense.

A design document

 

Gregg Lichtenstein, Thomas Lyons, “The Entrepreneurial Development System: Transforming Business Talent and Community Economies,” Economic Development Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 1, February 2001 3-20.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/systems-all/files/Lichtenstein.pdf

 

This is a big paper that appears to deliver on some big claims.  Congratulations, Gregg!  Here are some excerpts:

“If our objective is to develop a diverse supply of entrepreneurs capable of building successful companies, we must change the primary focus of enterprise development from providing services to developing entrepreneurs. … Given  that we want to transform the entire business community into a globally competitive force, the client in enterprise development should not only be the individual entrepreneur or particular groups of entrepreneurs, but rather the entire business community.  … The Enterprise Development System is designed to be a farm system for developing entrepreneurs and building the next generation of companies. …  The EDS includes six unique and highly specialized functions that are not found in any enterprise development infrastructure: scouts, diagnosticians, mentors or performance coaches, success team managers, alliance brokers, and a general manager.”

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