I liked this question.  Thought I might share it with all of you.

Warmly
Sheila Damodaran
Email: dmsl@...
Singapore:  +65-94790526
Botswana:  +267-74780886
LOPN Homepage: http://www.lopn.net
My Homepage: http://www.loatwork.com/aboutme.html

----- Forwarded message from dmsl@... -----
    Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:28:17 +0800
    From: Sheila Damodaran <dmsl@...>
Reply-To: Sheila Damodaran <dmsl@...>
Subject: Re: Hi! Advice on how to start ST
 
   Dear Selena,

   Trust your Lunar New Year went well.

   The trick to move from events to the archetypes (or underlying
systemic structures) is to watch for the patterns (trendlines of those
events over times).  This refers to the behaviour of that event over
time.  E.g. it is one thing to say resignations are high.  It is
another to say, how 'the trend of resignations' has behaved over
time.  Do not just rely on our gut instincts that 'oh come every
year-end, there are more resignations'.  That's not quite it.  We
would need to go back 5-6 years and track the rate of that event over
time.  Yes, it is in watching the BOT graphs it gives us a clue to the
underlying sturctures at play.  Note these links and use them then to 
predict which stucture may be contributing to such a trend line (or
BOT): http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html,
http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html

   This link is helpful in working with archetypes:
http://www.lopn.net/Questions_for_SA.html

   The other is, don't forget the onion:
http://www.lopn.net/The_Onion.html.  If you notice an archetype, we
would need to go back on the archetypes "before" it, that are causing 
them.  Without removing them, do not think we can expect the archetype
we are seeing now to go away.  Remember, everything happens for a
reason.  We need to work with the reason (what's causing it, like for
e.g. MIL not receiving the attention she had hoped to see in DIL) and 
turn it around, irreversibly - changing that frame takes time. Knowing
what the frame (discipline of MM) is, shortens that time:
http://www.lopn.net/Poster_S10_ST1.html

   Hope these help you too: http://www.lopn.net/Poster.html

   I'll be happy, even as it happens remotely, to listen to what
you're observing in this case and help you along, either pointing
towards something or just even exploring questions that you may in
turn explore with them.  You are welcome to explore these case-studies 
if they help you: http://www.lopn.net/ST_CaseStudies.html

On how one may start this work with newbies, share stories of
MIL-DIL and talk about the circles of causality (most resistant
problems have compensating feedbacks (circles) built-in at this stage)
or that cycles are at play, and introduce the two basic structures,
reinforcing and balancing loops and briefly share an examples with FtB
(remember, not enough manpower, and too much workload case studies).
This is essentialy Day 1 of my workshop.  Recap what I'd done,
write-it-down and try it.  I'm sure you'd soon evolve your own versions.

Love to hear reactions from others to this question or response.

Warmly
Sheila Damodaran
Email: dmsl@...
Singapore:  +65-94790526
Botswana:  +267-74780886
LOPN Homepage: http://www.lopn.net
My Homepage: http://www.loatwork.com/aboutme.html

Quoting Selena Oh Puay Hoon:

> Message Classification: Unclassified
>
> Hi Sheila
>
> Gong Xi Fa Chai!
>
> I think I have told you previously on how keen I am to use ST in my
> workshops.  Recently, there seems to be an opportunity to try that
> out but I am not sure where to start.
>
> There are some complex HR issues in the organisation and we would be
> doing a ST workshop on it in late Feb to attempt to understand the
> problem better and hopefully to find some solution that are not
> quick fixes.  Like what you had done, I have planned for some
> interviews to
> understand the problem from the various stakeholders but I am not
> confident that I would be able to put anything coherent in a systems
> thinking diagram, much less archetypes.  Do you have some tips for
> me? > How do you go from the event level (from the interviews) to
> the system
> level?
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
>
> Regards
> Selena

Links:
------
[1] http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html
[2] http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html
[3] http://www.lopn.net/Questions_for_SA.html
[4] http://www.lopn.net/The_Onion.html
[5] http://www.lopn.net/Poster_S10_ST1.html
[6] http://www.lopn.net/Poster.html
[7] http://www.lopn.net/ST_CaseStudies.html

----- End forwarded message -----


----------



Dear Selena,

I was back in Singapore in Sep through mid-December and returned to
Botswana just before Christmas.  The office here is attempting to draw
up a two-year contract and so we are in the midst of those
paperworks.  We are hoping that the work could resume in February.

Trust your Lunar New Year went well with the new addition in your
family.  Noticed you are back at work.

The trick to move from event to the archetypes (or underlying
systemic structures) is to watch for the patterns (trendlines of those
events over times).  This refers to the behaviour of that event over
time.  E.g. it is one thing to say resignations are high.  It is
another to say, how 'the trend of resignations' has behaved over
time.  Do not just rely on our gut instincts that 'oh come every
year-end, there are more resignations'.  That's not quite it.  We
would need to go back 5-6 years and track the rate of that event over
time.  Yes, it is in watching the BOT graphs it gives us a clue to the
underlying sturctures at play.  Note these links and use them then to
predict which stucture may be contributing to such a trend line (or
BOT): http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html[1],
http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html[2].

This link is helpful in working with archetypes:
http://www.lopn.net/Questions_for_SA.html[3]

The other is, don't forget the onion:
http://www.lopn.net/The_Onion.html[4].  If you notice an archetype, we
would need to go back on the archetypes "before" it, that are causing
them.  Without removing them, do not think we can expect the archetype
we are seeing now to go away.  Remember, everything happens for a
reason.  We need to work with the reason (what's causing it, like for
e.g. MIL not receiving the attention she had hoped to see in DIL) and
turn it around, irreversibly - changing that frame takes time. 
Knowing what the frame (discipline of MM) is, shortens that time:
http://www.lopn.net/Poster_S10_ST1.html[5]

Hope these help you too: http://www.lopn.net/Poster.html[6]

I'll be happy, even as it happens remotely, to listen to what
you're observing in this case and help you along, either pointing
towards something or just even exploring questions that you may in
turn explore with them.  You are welcome to explore these case-studies
if they help you: http://www.lopn.net/ST_CaseStudies.html[7]

Warmly
Sheila Damodaran
Email: dmsl@...
Singapore:  +65-94790526
Botswana:  +267-74780886
LOPN Homepage: http://www.lopn.net
My Homepage: http://www.loatwork.com/aboutme.htmlQuoting Selena Oh Puay Hoon:

> Message Classification: Unclassified
>
> Hi Sheila
>
> Gong Xi Fa Chai! Are you in Botswana still?
>
> I think I have told you previously on how keen I am to use ST in my
> workshops in DSTA.  Recently, there seems to be an opportunity to try
> that out but I am not sure where to start.
>
> There are some complex HR issues in the organisation and we would be
> doing a ST workshop on it in late Feb to attempt to understand the
> problem better and hopefully to find some solution that are not quick
> fixes.  Like what you had done, I have planned for some interviews to
> understand the problem from the various stakeholders but I am not
> confident that I would be able to put anything coherent in a systems
> thinking diagram, much less archetypes.  Do you have some tips for me?
> How do you go from the event level (from the interviews) to the system
> level?
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
>
> Regards
> Selena
>
> This e-mail is intended only for the named addressee(s) and may
> contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the
> named addressee (or have received this e-mail in error), please notify
> the sender immediately. The unauthorised use, disclosure, distribution
> or copying of the contents in this e-mail is prohibited. Thank you.
>



Links:
------
[1] http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html
[2] http://www.lopn.net/ST2_System_Archetypes.html
[3] http://www.lopn.net/Questions_for_SA.html
[4] http://www.lopn.net/The_Onion.html
[5] http://www.lopn.net/Poster_S10_ST1.html
[6] http://www.lopn.net/Poster.html
[7] http://www.lopn.net/ST_CaseStudies.html



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