1. Systems Thinking:Improving & Promoting Library ValueAn interactive presentation for librarians and informationprofessionals as part of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Friday Forum Series November 4, 2011 9:30am 3:30pm Sara Tompson, M.S.,Los Angeles, CA (sarat@usc.edu)Lorri Zipperer, M.AAlbuquerque, NM (Lorri@zpm1.com)11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 1

2. Systems Thinking: Improving & Promoting Library Value Part I Getting Grounded 1. Introductions and Details of the Day 2. Systems Thinking (ST) is accessible! 3. Why Systems Thinking? (Whats in it for Me?) 4. Systems Thinking Core Concepts and Terminology 5. When Systems Thinking Tools are Especially Appropriate 6. Systems Thinking: New Paradigm for Library & Info Pros Part II Taking Off 1. Tools, Tricks and Tactics 2. Mental Models and Assumptions 3. Scenarios 4. Revisiting Value 5. Continue the Conversation11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 2 3. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded References for this Workshop Senge Peter M., et al. The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. 1994. Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. 1990. Tompson, Sara R. and Lorri A. Zipperer. "Systems Thinking for Success." Chapter 8 in Best Practices in Corporate Libraries. Porter, Marjorie and Sigrid Kelsey, editors. Santa Barbara: Clio Press, 2011, pp. 129-150. Excerpted in Google Books: http://bit.ly/mQk5Jz Selected Readings handout More detailed bibliography: http://units.sla.org/division/dbio/development/systems/webliogra phy.html11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson3 4. Systems Thinking (ST) Getting GroundedIntroductions Setting the Groundwork Who / what / where One persistent challenge youhave for which you think systemsthinking solutions may be helpful(Will use later) One thing youd like to tell yourleadership you got from this class11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 4 5. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded ST Can be Confusing at First Glance. Library Risk:FacultysEscalation LibrariansResults Results Keep More books Study SpaceDecision-makersget conflictingmessagesInfluenceInfluenceDecision-makers ResultsDecision-makersof AActivityRelative to B Activityby Facultyby Librarian Diagram by Michael Moore; used with permission 11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson5 6. but ST *is* Accessible Kids Get It!Systems Thinking in Education: First Grade ProblemSolving Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWFDivyk7gI11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 6 7. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded Leverage Points A positive word for political and strategicthinking and analysis A method of directing effort with effective action An understanding of how system behavior overtime can uncover leverage points and optimizetheir use to drive sustained change Blame free approach to discussing what doesntwork to enable what COULD work 11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 7 8. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded WIIFM Sense of UrgencyFor every problem there is a solution that issimple, neat and wrong.*(various attributions: Twain/Mencken/Drucker) Illustrative stories: - e.g. BakerMacKenzie Law Library** Fired all librarians / closed library Eventually brought program back Fixes that Fail Systems Thinking Archetype*(Zemke, Ron. Systems Thinking. Training 38:2 (2001): 40-46**News Fronts: USA. American Libraries 26:6 (Jun., 1995), p. 49111/4/11Zipperer & Tompson8 9. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded WIIFM Sense of UrgencyInformation problems are crucial tounderstand why [disaster or crisis] signals areoften ignored.*o Signals are not seen consistent with organizationalmental models/beliefso Groups have partial informationno one has a view ofthe situation as a wholeSolution: A vigilant info culture conversations &reflections *(Choo, Chun Wie. Information Failures & Organizational Disasters. MIT Sloan Management Review 46:3 (2005): 8-10).11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson9 10. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded WIIFM Sense of UrgencySystems thinking concepts can enable librariansto better leverage their expertise andexperience for:o Problem Identification and Mitigationo Process-Improvemento Strategic PlanningDemonstrating both their and their librarys value to the parent organization/community.11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson10 11. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded WIIFM Sense of AccomplishmentOutside the box creative strategies, andST tools can reveal less obvious problems, factors and influencesTo get tosystemic solutions that Lead to.11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson11 12. Systems Thinking Getting GroundedWIIFM Demonstration of ValueImproved, articulated and visible alignmentwith organization/clientele Wider recognition of library/ian skillsand resources by organization(One must sustain the efforts begun withthe systems thinking!)11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson12 13. Systems Thinking Getting GroundedWhat is ST? Seeing the behavior and the interaction of the parts within the context of the whole Building collective thinking for sustained change Learning from failure Working to dismantle the effects of silo-based activity Understanding and respecting how humans can affect the system Solving problems in non-linear fashion11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson13 14. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded Selected ST Core Concepts* Everything is connected to everything else You can never do just one thing Different people in the same structure will produce similar results From either/or to both/and The easiest way out is the fastest way back in Profound changes can take place in ways we cannot foretell*(from Richard Wilkinson, 10 Useful Ideas on Systems Thinking -http://www.futurist.com/articles-archive/business-and-economics/10-useful-ideas-on- systems-thinking/)11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson14 15. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded Linear vs. Systems ThinkingLinear Thinkers Systems ThinkersBreak things into component Are concerned with the whole piecesAre concerned with contentAre concerned with processTry and fix the symptomsAre concerned with the underlying dynamicsAre concerned with assigningTry to identify patterns blameBased on: Ollhoff J, Walcheski M. Making the jump to systemsthinking. The Systems Thinker 17:5 (June/July 2006):9-11.11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 15 16. Linear vs. Systems Thinking,continuedLinear Thinkers Systems ThinkersTry to control chaos to createTry to find patterns amid theorder chaosCare only about the content ofCare about content but are morecommunication attentive to interactions andpatterns of communicationsBelieve organizations are Believe organizations arepredicable and orderlyunpredictable in a chaoticenvironment11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson16 17. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded ST Includes Watching for leverage points (remember the 1stgraders!)Recognizing feedback from the system tomitigate failures and build upon successes Using tools that allow one to see interactionsbetween organizational entities such asemployees, departments and processes11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson17 18. Systems Thinking Teens Get It!http://www.youtube.com/user/movieclips#p/search/5/2lVRcI0zsvw11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 18 19. Systems Thinking Getting GroundedWhen is ST Especially Useful? When problems are complex (vs. simple or complicated) When problems reoccur When no one solution is obvious When problem fixes fail When a cause (proximate and/or root) is not obvious Examples from earlier today?11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson19 20. Systems Thinking Getting GroundedNew Paradigm for Our Profession Systems thinking tools can help organizations learn, and continue to learn Effective information pros promote learning for themselves, their patrons and their organizationso (A knowledge management connection too!) SLA Alignment survey (respondents included management): 45% saw a culture of continuous learning as being an important role for information professionals11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 20 21. Systems Thinking Getting GroundedNew Paradigm for Our Profession Systems thinking enables looking beyond the library NECESSARY for survival and success: SLAs CEO Janice Lachance said: people are not viewed as indispensable based on the function they perform but on the value they deliver-- specifically the clearly understood and essential contributions they make to the success of their organization.* *Janice Lachance, What Bad Times Teach Us, Information Outlook 13:8 (Dec-Jan 2008/2009), p. 3)11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 21 22. Systems Thinking Getting Grounded New Paradigm for Our Profession Zipperer and Sykes for SLA Biomedical and Life Sciences Division http://units.sla.org/division/dbio/development/syste ms/index.html Project sought to:o Support personal growtho Collect data from colleagueso Develop a web-based learning community onthe topic of systemsthinking for librarians11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson22 23. Systems Thinking Perspective Project, continued Designed to stimulate reflection on: How we view ourselves in relation to our organization How personal philosophies can enhance our ability to contribute to the overarching goals of the organization How work behaviors play a part in our learning, growth and support of change (Zipperer, Lorri & Sara Tompson. (Cover Story) Systems Thinking: A New Avenue for Involvement and Growth. Information Outlook, 10:11 (2006):16-20)11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 23 24. Systems Thinking Perspective Project, continuedIn general, respondents to the survey felt they hadalready, or could, adopt some systems thinkingpractices: Interconnectedness: (average 56% strongly agree) Partnership and Leverage (average 33% stronglyagree) Personal mastery: (average 43% strongly agree) Discussion and dialogue: (average 55% stronglyagree)11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 24 25. Systems Thinking Getting GroundedExercise 1: Habits Each come up with a library / info center / librarian / info pro example of one of these habits Give an example of a past action that may fit the habit Share with group and discussWaters Foundation. Systems Thinking inSchools:http://www.watersfoundation.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.habits Waters Foundation, 2010.11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson25 26. CONTEMPLATE OVER LUNCH BREAK! We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone. We cant control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them. Donella Meadows, quoted by Vicky Shubert in the LeveragePoints Blog January 5, 2010 -http://blog.pegasuscom.com/Leverage-Points-Blog/bid/29392/No-Simple-SolutionsFootloose!11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson26 27. Return from Lunch: The 5 Whys Tool IllustratedDiscussed by systems thinker Mark Graben and linked at:http://www.leanblog.org/2011/09/a-funny-whys-video/(Also: http://youtu.be/U3w_eIa7Eq0 )11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson27 28. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Tools/Tactics/Tricks 5 Whys Recognizing Mental Models and Assumptions Discussion of archetypes (as a tool)11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 28 29. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Tools/Tactics/Tricks: 5 Whys Simple technique to try to ascertain the rootcause(s) of a problem Ask why several times to progress fromthe symptom in order solve the underlyingproblem Technique could be understood as aprogression of 5 Whys to 1 HowFor Want of a Nail -- http://www.rhymes.org.uk/for_want_of_a_nail.htm11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 29 30. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Tools/Tactics/Tricks: 5 Whys(Graphic no longerlive online)11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson30 31. Systems Thinking Taking Off: T/T/T:5 Whys Group Exercise: Persistent challenges from this morning Lets apply a 5 Whys and see if we can get to a root cause With systems problems there is rarely only one cause, but this technique does help to dig deeper11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson31 32. Systems Thinking Taking Off: T/T/T: Mental ModelsMental Models are: Deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations oreven pictures that influence how we understandthe world and how we take action We are usually not aware of our mental models orthe effect they have on our behavior A Knowledge Management link make the tacit explicit ST can help us turn the mirror on ourselves surface our internal pictures of the world and holdthem up to rigorous scrutiny11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 32 33. Systems Thinking Taking Off: T/T/T:Archetypes Archetypes = tool to recognize and possibly avoid reoccurring problems and behaviors: Recognized descriptions lend credibility to the message being shared Heads up to behaviors reasserting themselves librarian can bring value by nipping it in the bud/ recognizing early / proactive Reduces waste of time and resources through early problem recognition A way to talk succinctly about a deeper problem11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 33 34. Systems Thinking Taking Off: T/T/T: Archetypes -- DefinitionsUnderlying systemic patterns [Marais et al. Archetypes forOrganisational Safety, Safety Science 44:7 (2006), pp. 562-582]Recurring structures resulting from variouscombinations of Reinforcing and Balancing structures[Loops][Bellinger, Gene. Archetypes: Interaction Structures of theUniverse http://www.systems-thinking.org/arch/arch.htm]11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson34 35. Systems Thinking Taking Off: T/T/T:ArchetypesAccidental AdversariesPeople who ought/want to partner instead endup bitterly opposedAccidental Adversaries characterized by: Communication breakdown Competition over cooperation Short-term over long-term thinkingExamples11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 35 36. Systems Thinking Taking Off: T/T/T:ArchetypesFixes that Fail [or backfire]Useful short-term correction has unforeseenlong-term consequences (remember Footloose)Theme Many decisions carry long- AND short-term consequences (which can be diametricallyopposed)Reinforcing loop (first graders meanwords/hurt feelings/mean words/hurt feelings,etc.) vicious not virtuous circle11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson36 37. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Scenarios Making it RealValue of Scenarios -- StorytellingSystems thinking can reveal unspoken values, mentalmodels and conflicts. Denning: The key to effective use of narrative forcommunicating values lies in narratives that reveal howthe conflicts of values get resolved.* Scenario I Journals Scenario II Shared Directory * Denning, Stephen. Effective storytelling: strategic business narrative techniques. Strategy & Leadership 34:1 (2006): 42-48.11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 37 38. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Scenarios Making it Real: I An engineer complains to the Vice President that the online journal collection is terrible. The VP has been hearing this complaint, as well complaints about the librarys overuse of email, from a variety of people ever since she joined the organization. The VPs husband is a librarian and she has respect for the profession, but is consistently being pressed by her budget office to close down the library and rely on Google and support staff to do the information work.. Continued on handout11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 38 39. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Scenarios Making it Real: I Open brainstorming 5 Whys exploration11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson39 40. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Scenarios Making it Real: II That is it! A Shared Drive will fix everything! The librarian tries to hide his disbelief as once again leadership at his company debate a technology- centric strategy to address the ongoing spiral of inefficiency and rework employees at his 80-person consulting firm wade through to utilize their intellectual capital. Continued on handout11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 40 41. Systems Thinking Taking Off: Scenarios Making it Real: II Small group brainstorming 30 minutes What reoccurring problems are at play? What archetypes are evident? What mental models and assumptions are present? What tactics can reveal them? What solutions are in the librarians tool box? What metrics can demonstrate strategic value to embracing a different direction?11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 41 42. The Value of Systems Thinking: V Validates the role information can play inorganizational effectiveness A Assesses deep problems with a learning, blamefree orientation L Leverages strengths to address info needs and gapsand enhance strengths organization-wide U Uses librarian knowledge effectively to innovateand drive improvement E Elevates the role of the librarian as a strategist11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson 42 43. Systems Thinking Taking OffRevisiting Value Still true! The information professional provides value by helping others. You assist in decision making; you the information professional make others more valuable.** Matarazzo, James M. The Value of the Information Professional. Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana. 10:3 (1989): 117-120.11/4/11Zipperer & Tompson43 44. Systems Thinking: Continue the Conversation Ah Ha moments for you today? What will you tell your staff? What will you tell your peers? What will you tell your leadership? Share your elevator speech on the value of systems thinking What did you learn today that makes you want to dance?!11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson 44 45. Celebrate Systems Thinking Success! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsNpfXwEy011/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson45 46. Systems Thinking:Improving & Promoting Library ValueSara Tompson, M.S.,Los Angeles, CA (sarat@usc.edu) Lorri Zipperer, M.AAlbuquerque, NM (Lorri@zpm1.com)THANK YOU UCLA EIS andDavid Cappoli!11/4/11 Zipperer & Tompson46