Preface

Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could solve problems so they stay solved and don’t create new problems that have to be dealt with? While it’s not possible to absolutely ensure this don’t you think we might be able to get far better at this than we are?

You may have heard the statement that the majority of today’s problems are the direct result of yesterday’s solutions. Situations where attempts to deal with problems result in unexpected consequences that make the situation worse or create new problems that then have to be dealt with.

After decades of seeking to understand why things work they way they do it seemed it might be time to share the learning I have acquired before it gets lost. The hope is that what is offered may enable you a time compression regarding certain trial and learning situations you experience from this point forward.

The work is intended to guide individuals and teams through the development of meaningful approaches for dealing with wicked messy situations. The individual segments present the learning to date related to striving toward a better tomorrow. These resulted from my ongoing quest over the decades as to why things work the way they do and in most cases why their counter-intuitive nature makes their understanding so less than obvious. What we’d really like to do is solve problems so they stay solved and not create new ones in the process, and by improving parts and wholes at the same time. It serves as a meaningful ideal to strive for, though it may seem like an impossibility.

Early on after the establishment of Systems Thinking World on LinkedIn, now Systems Thinking Network, we had numerous discussions about a concept we referred to as Virtual Systemic Inquiry (VSI). VSI being an undertaking where people from different walks of life from around the world come together to contribute their expertise figuring out how to deal with intractable messy situations. Not as permanent members of a team though more as contributors for a time where their expertise could make a contribution to the understanding.

I have come to realize that this work is actually a VSI about the creation of a roadmap for VSI. If it's confusing that's OK for it will become clear as the work evolves.