Number 127 – See the Parts to the Whole

Explain the relationship of “parts to the whole.”

Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic

One of my favorite topex of study is systems theory.  A large part of systems theory is the relationship between parts and to the whole.  These relationships play a key role in the SMPL OpEx framework I use to guide my clients to new levels of performance.  The assumptions that separate the parts from one another and from the whole are the source of performance gaps.  Not everyone can appreciate these relationships and when they are ineffective it goes unnoticed.  We have to learn to see the parts to the whole.

My first taste of systems thinking came from Peter M. Senge’s The Fifth Discipline.  He gave me language for things I knew but could never speak.  From there, I went after everything I could find regarding systems thinking.  Learning the archetypes and seeking them in the workplace became a greater part of my work in OpEx. 

When we think about the organizational structure, we see the breakdown between departments, functions, and processes.  When we attempt to optimize our part, we often wreak havoc on our process partners, and adjoining functions and departments.  Sometimes our process level successes cause deeper organizational failure.  Without recognizing the relationships between parts, we are at great risk of causing more harm than good.

See the Parts to the Whole

Tactically speaking, the SIPOC tool is one of the best means of avoiding moving problems rather than resolving them.  By exploring with the right team, who the suppliers are and who the customers are we begin to define these relationships by simply understanding what is moving between the parts.  Some inputs feed our process and our outputs feed others.  If we do not understand what is needed from us and if we haven’t defined what we need, we have a terrible mess.

Solving our problems without the presence of these organizational process partners will lead to further erosion of performance.  We can move problems into other areas when we think we are making things better.  The change will go unnoticed for a while, and the longer it goes the harder it will hit when it does surface.   Here again, we must slow down to speed up.  Answer all the right questions before you implement and your solutions will deliver greater than expected results. 

Questions For Your Consideration

Where are the relationships between the parts causing performance problems?

How have past solutions shifted problems from one process to another?

Do you have an example when the right people were not part of solving the problem?

Are you familiar with the SIPOC tool?

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