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Aug 09

True Leadership Avoids Systemic Scapegoating

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Corporate Corruption, Corporations Don't Think, Institutional Learning
It is almost a year ago an individual, Brian Sinclair who was both physically and medically compromised died in the Emergency Room of our largest hospital. He died because for almost three days, he did not receive easily available antibiotics for a common bladder infection. Understandably, the media, public, and opposition parties were outraged and demanded heads. It was a disgusting display of neglect and failure. Despite evidence that Brian had initially approached the triage desk to alert the employees of his need, for close to three days, nobody bothered to treat Mr. Sinclair which led to his death. The government and health officials claimed systemic failure. They did not want to accuse any individuals of misconduct or failure. In one way, this can be seen as admirable as some employers employ scapegoating as a way of deflecting attention from themselves. But when is a “systems failure” simply a cop-out? I would argue that claiming “systemic failure” is just like scapegoating but instead of blaming an individual, a faceless system is blamed, and instead of being punished, it is to be fixed. It is more palatable to do since it is emotionally draining to discipline staff. Not to mention, there […]

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May 09

The Answer to Organizational Failure: Complexity Science

by Chris Billows in Business Beller 0 comments tags: Comprehensive Analysis, Corporations Don't Think, Defining Life, Foolishness, Institutional Learning, Summarizing a Business Organization
I can’t recall how I stumbled onto this concept and websites, but a while ago I found this riveting theory which I believe explains why most modern organizations are so inadequate at times and spend far too much time chasing the wrong priorities. I have touched on parts of this in previous blogs such as Driven to Distraction and Even the Best Systems Fall Victim and A List of Guidance. The reason why this happens is they fail to embrace Complexity Science. Basically, it is because our social institutions continue to operate like machines, believing that events can be tracked in a linear fashion and have measurable inputs that neatly match known outputs. While there is no denying that some institutions do operate like machines (take most factories), the fact that humans end up doing most of the work leaves the model sorely lacking. What is more accurate is to realize that all human based organizations are non-linear and complex. It is common for these systems to exhibit the following characteristics: Small inputs can lead to dramatically large consequences. Very slight differences in initial conditions produce very different outcomes. Global properties flow from aggregate behavior of individuals. Emergence (of order) […]

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Oct 04

Even the Best Systems Fall Victim to Garbage In Garbage Out

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Human Condition, Institutional Learning
Working in health care you work in a collection of systems. There is service delivery, information collection and dissemination, legal adherence, and even more. The administrators of the the health care system are always looking for efficiencies and ways to improve it so it can do a better job. While I cannot disagree with the nobleness behind this, they fail to understand the principle of GIGO or Garbage In Garbage Out. GIGO comes from the world of computer programming. There is a recognition in that industry that computers and programs are fundamentally dumb and they will only do what you tell them to do. If the user puts in garbage, then the user will get garbage back. The best programs cannot think for the user, they are simply tools. This has been lost on administrators and bureaucrats in health care (and likely elsewhere). The greatest system designed will not protect against laziness, incompetence, mistakes, and simple bad luck. This coupled with the gross deficiencies inherent in our socialized health care system, it is little wonder how Garbage In becomes Garbage Out magnified. Good system design has an important role to play, but like any instrument or tool, the user is […]
Jun 12

How Our Educational System Fails and Fools Us

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Comprehensive Analysis, Institutional Learning
After twelve years of schooling, plus two university degrees and a four-year business certificate, I have lots of experience with the Education System. I am not alone as there are lots of people who have lots of letters behind their names to reflect educational attainments. The Education System is vibrant and always expanding. It is now possible to get certificates in everything from being a beautician to being a health care attendant. We have so many options, it can be overwhelming. Variety and choice is a wonderful thing, but do we actually get what we pay for when it comes to Education? My biggest problem with our Educational System, from grade school all the way to doctoral studies and the ever-expanding range of certificate programs and vocational diplomas, is that because it run by institutions who dictate what needs to be learned, but the actual usefulness of the information is questionable. Based on my own experience and the reports from my spouse and all of the professionals I have worked with, the university education we received was not helpful in their ability to do their job. We all came out with an institutional framework that was completely inadequate to working […]
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