W.I.N. Wednesday: For every complex problem there is a simple solution, and it is almost always wrong.

I have been extremely fortunate over the years in that a lot of really smart people have been willing to spend time with me to share their knowledge, insights and wisdom. These conversations continually challenge and expand my worldview and remind me how much I do not know. John Black DBA, is one of those people and I recently spend some time on his website www.aragonnational.com preparing for our Excellence in Training Academy interview to discuss improving the quality of our decisions. There is a lot of great information on the site, but three quotes jumped out at me and I want to share them and some of my thoughts related to the quotes and what is going on in today’s world. 

“For every complex problem there is always a simple solution, and it is almost always wrong.”

HL Mencken.

“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results you are getting.”

Paul Batalden

“When one fails to see the interconnectedness, it ensures a level of failure, either in the moment or the future.”

John Black.

Following my conversation with John I watched five online talks over the weekend on Systems Thinking and ordered five books John recommended to help me better understand the topic of Systems Thinking. 

So, what is the point of all this.  We created a system in North American society where the police became the default response to every problem. The system that you called the police when there was a traffic collision, a crime that had been committed, or there was a crime in progress over time became one where regardless of whether or not it is a police matter, if you didn’t know whom to call, you called the police. Mad at your neighbor; call the police. Upset with the homeless encampment near your home or the homeless person sleeping outside your business; call the police.  Your neighbor’s front yard is full of broken down cars; call the police. There is a naked person in the middle of the street; call the police. Struggling to control your family member or patient who is suffering from a mental illness; call the police. Someone is acting suspicious in your neighborhood; call the police. Someone is not wearing a mask or violating some other COVID related public health order; call the police. Want someone removed from your business: call the police. Need someone to check on the welfare of a loved one: call the police. You think a family member is going to take their own life; call the police. Someone is playing their music too loud; call the police. The pizza place is not honoring their promised delivery time or the pizza is free; call the police. Regardless of the problem; call the police. 

This was a simple solution to a complex problem. 

Because law enforcement professionals and law enforcement agencies want to be of service to their communities they responded to all these calls and did the best they could with the tools, resources and training they had. Everyone was good with the system until there were some highly publicized bad outcomes, and then all of a sudden the police became the problem, not the system. 

Now what we see is some people calling for police reform, and wanting to defund the police. We see politicians passing poorly thought out legislation, not backed by research, to control the police because they are obviously the problem. 

What we do not see is enough people taking a breath, taking a step back and looking at the system(s) that created the problem.  Now we see people trying to put the sole responsibility for the problem on a new group, and when that fails they will blame those people. We see people from a multitude of silos and organizations competing for resources rather than seeking to share resources and use them effectively to solve the issues facing our communities. 

Reflect for a minute on the interconnectedness of the problems, the systems, and systems within the systems. What systems?

·      The Health Care System 

·      The Education System (K-12, college, university, technical Institute)

·      The Mental Health System 

·      The Criminal Justice System (law enforcement, lawyers, judges, corrections, etc.)

·      The Political System 

·      The System of Government (local, provincial / state, federal) 

·      The International Monetary System

·      The System for International Trade

·      The Banking System

·      Non-Governmental Organizations

·      Non Profit Organizations

You get the point and I am sure you can think of a number of other systems to add to the list. 

What if we took a step back and looked at the interconnectedness of the issues plaguing our communities and the systems in place and then made it our mission to break down the silos and create a Team of Teams, a System of Systems.  Team of Teams is the approach General Stanley McChrystal utilized when he was the JSOC Commander for the US Military, which he writes about in his book Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World. System of Systems is a term Dr. Laura Cabrera from Cornell used in one of the Systems Thinking talks I watched on the weekend. The key is to break down the silos and create connections and relationships, create a shared understanding of the issues, and share information and resources while working towards a common goal. 

I do not have a deep understanding of Systems Thinking, but I do know that if we continue to play the blame game and stick with silo thinking competing for and hoarding resources we are never going to make a meaningful impact on the interconnected problems we are currently facing in our communities and our countries. 

What’s Important Now? Take a breath. Take a step back. Look for the connections between and amongst issues and systems. Seek to make meaningful human connections and create a Team of Teams to work towards solving the complex and interconnected problems we are facing. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

www.daretobegreatleadership.com The online Dare to Be Great: Strategies for Creating a Culture of Leading workshop was created to help aspiring leaders and frontline leaders on their leadership journey. Subscribe to the weekly blog while you are there. 

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