|  Paying Attention to Mother (Nature)
by Peter VedroThe systems and structures of the human body—working together.Using the living systems model for organizations.Prescription for effectiveness.In my previous column, I used an experiential learning exercise, "Finding North," to demonstrate the challenges at the four levels of leadership (personal, interpersonal, managerial, and organizational) when trying to create "aligned" environments. Participants discovered that "in the absence of clarity"—where is North, anyway?—individual "ways of
being" or "habits" (neither right nor wrong, good nor bad, just "is") surface and drive behavior. The power of the exercise lies in the debriefing, when participants become more familiar with these forces and have opportunities to address their effectiveness—both individually and collectively, in the short and longer term. In an earlier article, I also referred to my bias for Mother Nature—in that I believe she provides a pretty good "model"
for effective organizational structures. As an example, for enhancing interpersonal effectiveness, I suggested looking at the most obvious equipment she provides us with for communication: two eyes, two ears, even two nostrils, and only one mouth. Out of this, I proposed the formula: Talk
half as much as you
look, listen, even smell the roses… In this article, I'd like to "extend" the metaphor and look deeper. Modeling Mother Nature:
The systems and structures of the human body I vaguely remember learning in a biology class that the
human body is a miraculous arrangement of systems and structures, each diligently performing its own task, and at the same time, working harmoniously to keep us—the whole system—functioning in a most effective (and viable) manner. Take a moment and consider these components and their complexity:- Organs—heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, pancreas, etc.
- Systems—circulatory, digestive, nervous, respiratory; reproductive; etc.
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Structures—bones, muscles, cartilage, tissue, etc.
I remember as a child discovering a wonderful old book; I think it was called Inside the Human Body. Each human system and structure was presented on a separate, individually colored vinyl overlay; you could "build" the entire integrated system, layer upon multicolored layer, flipping one overlay onto the next, until presto! the entire package! (You can get the same thing these days in
wonderful software packages, such as ADAM.) And anyone who has ever observed a birth—or even just looked at a newborn's perfectly formed fingernail—cannot help but be moved by the power of these "common miracles." How does the Mother do it? With all of these complexities,
and so many opportunities for things to go wrong, one would expect it to be a miracle that anything right happens. And yet, over and over again, this common miracle unfolds—perfectly. These systems work as they are designed to; we call that "normal" and we're "healthy." When they don't work, neither do we. Because this "viable" living system works so well, this is a model to emulate for organizational effectiveness. Using the living systems model for organizations With the human body as a model, we can look at our business/organization. On the simplest level, can't we imagine the various departments as reflections of the systems and structures of the human body? - Isn't the "org. chart" a "skeletal" representation of how
the pieces fit together?
- Aren't the "computer networks" and "phone/digital system" very much like the circulatory or respiratory systems that allow nutrients—"blood" and "air"—the "information" of business—to flow throughout?
- One could have a lot of fun trying to match each system one-to-one—what might be the "digestive" system! Or better yet, the "reproductive" system, for example?
As we envision these incredible systems doing their "own" thing, we must not forget that as important as each function is individually, they are only "viable" as a whole. Paraphrasing the great poet John Donne: No [function] is an island, entire unto itself; each is part of the main… Can you imagine what would happen if these "functions" of the human body decided to lobby for their independence and compete with each other for recognition, as more often than
not their counterparts in business organizations do! I can hear the negotiation now: Ms. Lung: "Okay, let me understand this correctly. You want 'my' air?! I spend all my time, every moment, day and night, filtering foul and polluted air to the highest 'quality'
standards, and you want me to share that with you? No way! I work hard for this and it's mine!" Mr. Heart: "Wait a minute! I'm not saying what you do is easy, but give me a break! Just try 'pumping' all that blood
throughout this place, with no breaks or letups. I mean, air is air, you know—light stuff! Blood, now we're talkin' heavy if you know what I mean! Fine, you go ahead and keep your air, and I'll just keep my blood! So there!"Incredibly this or something very much like it happens every day in organizations—be they business or family or community. We only see its ridiculousness when we apply it to a different, but even more significant, model! Imagine if the body did
conduct itself this way! It wouldn't take long for the entire system to suffer the consequences—disease at the very least, if not a quick and certain death. Prescription for effectiveness:
Model the mother As "The Mother" demonstrates, "interdependence" is the
only answer! Even as each and every "function" is cherished and acknowledged for its own uniqueness, its success or "viability" is rewarded in terms of the alignment and contribution to the whole (not at its expense). In the body, each function "naturally" shares a commitment to the larger mission of the enterprise—sustaining life! Your business "viability" is no different. Call it success, but do be careful and define success
as an interdependent whole, taking into account all the stakeholders/components of the integrated "process chain" of life—employees, customers, vendors, shareholders, communities, etc. etc. etc. For only if all are recognized and rewarded as an integrated system will your organization stand the test of time. Next article, I'll introduce the work of Dr. Sandra Seagal and David Horne, founders of Human Dynamics International
and authors of the ground-breaking work, Human Dynamics: A New Framework for Understanding People and Realizing the Potential of Our Organizations (Pegasus Communications, 1997). About the author  For the past 15 years, Peter J. Vedro has worked as a "human systems architect," helping design, build, and integrate the four levels of personal, interpersonal, managerial, and organizational functionality. Formerly a founding vice president with Stephen R. Covey, he helped develop and launch the Seven Habits Organizer and The First Things First Program, as well as deliver dozens of three- to five-day executive seminars on
Principle-Centered Leadership and The Seven Habits. He's worked with companies of the Fortune 500, as well as Silicon Valley start-ups, bringing together his insights drawn from the fields of education, psychology, theater, and business.He can be reached via e-mail at: pjvedro@consultant.com
Illustration: Working plans by Jonathan Evans by www.artville.com
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