1. Chapter 6: Natures Templates
Senge: Chapter 6
THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE

2. Nature’s Templates: the Archetypes
Structures of which we are unaware hold us prisoner
The swimmer scenario
Certain patterns of structure occur again and again: called ARCHETYPES
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3. We are creating a “language”
reinforcing feedback and balancing feedback are like the nouns and verbs
systems archetypes are the basic sentences
Behavior patterns appear again in all disciplines--biology, psychology, family therapy, economics, political science, ecology and management
Can result in the unification of knowledge across all fields
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4. Recurring behavior patterns
Do we know how to recognize them?
Do we know how to describe them?
Do we know how to prescribe cures for them?
The ARCHETYPES describe these recurring behavior patterns
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5. The ARCHETYPES
Provide leverage points, intervention junctures at which substantial change can be brought about
Put the systems perspective into practice
About a dozen systems ARCHETYPES have been identified
All ARCHETYPES are made up of the systems building blocks: reinforcing processes, balancing processes, delays
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6. Before attacking the ARCHETYPES we need to understand simple structures
The reinforcing feedback loop
The balancing feedback loop
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7. ARCHETYPE 1: LIMITS TO GROWTH
A reinforcing process is set in motion to produce a desired result. It creates a spiral of success but also creates inadvertent secondary effects (manifested in a balancing process) that eventually slow down the success.
All growth will eventually run up against constraints, impediments
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8. Management Principle relative to ARCHETYPE 1
Don’t push growth or success; remove the factors limiting growth
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9. ARCHETYPE 1: LIMITS TO GROWTH
Useful in all situations where growth bumps up against limits
Firms grow for a while, then plateau
Individuals get better for a while, then their personal growth slows.
Falling in love is kind of like this
The love begins to plateau as the couple get to know each other better
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10. Structure growing action state of stock slowing action Balancing
Reinforcing
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11. Understanding the Structure
High-tech orgs grow rapidly because of their ability to introduce new products
This growth plateaus as lead times become too long
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12. How to achieve Leverage
Most managers react to the slowing growth by pushing harder on the reinforcing loop
Unfortunately, the more vigorously you push the familiar levels, the more strongly the balancing process resists, and the more futile your efforts become.
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13. Prepared by James R. Burns
Leverage, Continued
Instead, concentrate on the balancing loop--changing the limiting factor
This is akin to Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints--remove the bottleneck, the impediment
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Prepared by James R. Burns

14. Applications to Quality Circles and JIT
Quality circles work best when there is even-handed emphasis on both balancing and reinforcing loops
JIT has had to focus on recalcitrant suppliers
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MORE LIMITING PROCESSES
When once source of limitation is removed, another will surface
Growth eventually WILL STOP
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15. Create your own LIMITS TO GROWTH story
Identify a limits to growth pattern in your own experience
Diagram it
What is growing
What might be limitations
Example--the COBA and University capital campaigns
NOW, LOOK FOR LEVERAGE
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16. Test your LIMITS TO GROWTH model
Talk to others about your perception
Test your ideas about leverage in small real-life experiments
Run and re-run the simulation model
Approach possible resistance and seek WIN-WIN strategies with them
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17. ARCHETYPE 2: shifting the burden
An underlying problem generates symptoms that demand attention. But the underlying problem is difficult for people to address, either because it is obscure or costly to confront. So people “shift the burden” of their problem to other solutions--well-intentioned, easy fixes that seem extremely efficient.
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18. Shifting the burden scenario, continued
Unfortunately, the easier solutions only ameliorate the symptoms; they leave the underlying problem unaltered. The underlying problem grows worse and the system loses whatever abilities it had to solve the underlying problem.
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Prepared by James R. Burns

19. The Stereotype Structure
Symptiom-Correcting
Process
Addictioin Loop
Problem-Correcting
Process
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20. Special Case: Eroding Goals
Full employment meant 4% unemployment in the 1960s, but 6 to 7% unemployment in the early 1980’s
Gramm-Rudman bill called for reaching a balanced budget by 1991, but this was shifted to 1993 and from 1993 to 1996 and from 1996 to 1998
“If all else fails, lower your goals..”
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21. EXAMPLE
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22. Another Example Raise tuition, add course fees, etc.
Costs of Higher Ed not funded by State or Students
Perceived cost to the student
Enrollments
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23. Still Another Example Symptom-correcting process Addiction Loop
Problem-correcting
Process
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24. Still other Problems What about retention of students
The perceived fix is raise the admission standards
What about drug-related crime
The perceived fix is to remove the drugs from the street
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25. “Shifting the Burden” is an insidious problem
Is has a subtle reinforcing cycle
This increases dependence on the symptomatic solution
But eventually, the system loses the ability to apply the fundamental solution
The system collapses
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26. Senge Says Today’s problems are yesterday’s solutions
We tend to look for solutions where they are easiest to find
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27. HOW TO ACHIEVE LEVERAGE
Must strengthen the fundamental response
Requires a long-term orientation and a shared vision
Must weaken the symptomatic response
Requires a willingness to tell the truth about these “solutions”
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28. Create your own “Shifting the Burden” Story
Is there a problem that is getting gradually worse over the long term?
Is the health of the system gradually worsening?
Is there a growing feeling of helplessness?
Have short-term fixes been applied?
The local Mexican restaurant problem of using coupons to generate business and then can’t get away from using the coupons because their customer base is hooked on coupons
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29. To structure your problem
Identify the problem
Next, identify a fundamental solution
Then, identify one or several symptomatic solutions
Finally, identify the possible negative “side effects” of the symptomatic solution
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30. Review We have now seen two of the basic systems archetypes.
The Limits to Growth Archetype
The Shifting the Burden Archetype
As the archetypes are mastered, they become combined into more elaborate systemic descriptions.
The “sentences” become parts of paragraphs
The simple stories become integrated into more involved stories
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31. Seeing Structures, not just Trees
Helps us focus on what is important and what is not
Helps us determine what variables to focus on and which to play less attention to
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32. Copyright C 2002 by James R. Burns
All rights reserved world-wide. CLEAR Project Steering Committee members have a right to use these slides in their presentations. However, they do not have the right to remove this copyright or to remove the “prepared by….” footnote that appears at the bottom of each slide.
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Prepared by James R. Burns
Prepared by James R. Burns