| From the global inclusiveness of humanity down to the civilized society we call home to the molecule of air we exhale, all create this massive suprasystem in which we maintain our individual subsystems |
| Jason Sirmon Organizational Communication Reflection Paper # 2 September 28, 2011 |
Using Systems Theory to Understand Chaos
From the global inclusiveness of humanity down to the civilized society we call home to the molecule of air we exhale, all create this massive suprasystem in which we maintain our individual subsystems. Each integral part of the universe contains systems within a system. Systems theory sheds light on the multiple interwoven, interdependent members of civilization.
Open and Closed Systems allows the ongoing ability of communication. The input, output, and throughput are what foster the relationships within growing organizations. Without this continuous movement of interchangeable sections of organizations, it would not be able to maintain an energetic environment and would eventually fade away. For example, my three children (Lillianna 8 yrs old, Martha Craig, 5 yrs old and Mary Shirrel also 5 years old) attend the Awana’s Club at our local church. The coming and going of different children in that program and the changing of volunteers creates a massive amount of interdependency. There are numerous individuals touched by this permeable system – volunteers, children, parents, church members and even the person at the gas station that interacts with the person filling up their car to get to the Sunday night program.
Suprasystems depend on subsystems. Our household is made up of 5 people, my wife (Becke), our 3 girls, and myself. In our own right we are considered to be a suprasytem, but each one of us is our own subsystem that works within the whole. While we are our own suprasystem, we are also a subsystem of our extended families. My wife’s family has ties to the town of Clover, South Carolina dating back to the mid 1700’s. My family has always lived in Florida and Alabama. As time goes by family members (members of our organization) will exit and enter creating a diversion of the previous. In the new environment, members will build new synergy for the group. In 14 years (not that I’m counting or anything) our 5-year-old twin girls will be possibly be moved out of the house, cultivating a new identity and adding new dimensions to the our little subsystem as the years by. Each member of the subsystem can be traced back its core. In this situation (organization), the core would be Adam and Eve.
Depending on where the information originates, the request for change can be met with opposition. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, has maintained a high quality and nurturing environment within the Chick-fil-A culture. While consulting with Chick-fil-A, my role as a contract consultant is to assist them with improving employee relations. After sharing the news of my new consulting contract with a friend, he asked me, “How are you going to make Chick-fil-A better?” They are capable of changing, but if they are not permeable by new members or new information to enter the organization, they would not be able to change as fast or to the extreme they have in this short period of time. This type of deviation is considered a negative feedback loop which is more or less something they are already doing resulting in short strides with their efforts in growth.
According to The National Academy of Academic Leadership, “First-order change is always reversible.” The academy also suggests first order changes are “Adjustments within the existing structure” and “New Learning is not required.” Considering the hours multiple hours spent with the franchise owners plotting out a course for delivery, our actions would seem to fall into the Second-order change category. Second-order change includes changes that are unlike anything they have done before this describes my consulting efforts with them. The restaurant opened about three years and is doing respectively well, but once a person is introduced to a new idea they can never go back to normal. The management staff has reviewed the concepts of DISC (Marston 1928), Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Zaremba), and the Five Love Languages (Chapman, 2010). This new way of seeing things, possibly changing the lens in which they view communication in the future, is irreversible, even to a minimum degree.
Sensemaking is what happens when an individual enters into a new environment (organization). Sensemaking transpires in assorted methods. “Selection involves the imposition the various structures on enacted equivocal displays in an attempt to reduce their equivocally” (Miller, 2005). Therefore, for sensemaking to happen it demands the “placement of items into frameworks, comprehending, redressing surprise, constructing meaning, interacting in pursuit of mutual understanding, and patterning” (Miller, 2010). The problem is with all these memories in our minds we must find a way to disseminate the information. There is a process that takes place allowing us to create understanding of our new organization and provides guidance on how to occupy our new environment.
Retrospective Sensemaking allows us to understand a past event that is played out in our minds. There is a retention process that stores information for later use. Our schemas allow us to store information in our memory organization packets (MOP). These schemas are like file cabinets that we reach back into and pull random bits of information and arrange the past events, allowing us to make sense of what just happened. We can play back the events in time like a film negative in cinematography. There are several types of folders in these “file cabinets” containing past information. Some files are available to be written over and some are permanently store as read only files.
While reviewing Systems Theory, it is important to reflect how it is different from other management theories. Fredrick Taylor’s Scientific Theory (Zaremba 2010) is quite different from Systems Theory. Scientific theory applies science, engineering, and standardization of the work force to the organization. Taylor was not interested in having different quality products produced by different people. His perspective included an accurately, detail-oriented application from a collection of workers. Systems theory on the other hand introduces the concept of an ever changing environment that will create a difference in the quality of product.
No matter which theory you chose to adopt and implement into your management style, it is certain that organizations do not have clear-cut structures. In these ambiguous structures, communication gets messier as each new member enters into the environment.
References
Chapman, G. (2010). The 5 love languages: The secret to love that lasts. Chicago, IL: Northfield Publishing
Miller, Katherine, (2005) Communication Theories, Perspectives, Processes, and Contexts (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing
Marston, W. M. (1928). The emotions of normal people. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company
Zaremba, A. J., (2010). Organizational communication. (3rd ed.). Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press.
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