The Implications

Below we briefly explore some of the implications of addressing the design of the systems of our society.

Two Primary Themes

There are two primary themes which form the basis of this initiative.

• The need to challenge how we think. Our actions evolve out of how we think. This applies to the individual, the organisation and Society. So the starting point in moving forward is for the individual, the organisation and society to identify the underlying, sometimes subconscious, assumptions and be prepared to challenge them in light of modern research.
• We live in complex interdependent systems. The need to appreciate this complexity and understand how organisations actually work. There are many many undercurrents of values, motivations and aims all combining with structures and processes in the workings of an organisation. This complexity increases when we consider society as a whole. There are no simple answers. We cannot control an organisation nor society - but by inspiring and utilising the spirit of people they can be enabled.

The Vision will Entail

The vision is to create a society that is continually innovating and learning relative to the needs of that society and its place in the world.

The realisation of this vision will entail:

• A fundamental belief in the unique and varied talents of individuals in Scotland.
• The need for both our society and each individual to think differently
• The appreciation that we do live in complex and interdependent systems. The need to think in terms of these complex systems. Furthermore the recognition that as society is complex it cannot be controlled - it has to be enabled. We need societal systems that are capable of learning, managing and developing themselves.
• To move forward we will want to encourage innovative research. We would want to create a pervasive climate of innovation, where we celebrate disciplined experiments and the taking of considered risks.
• To apply the knowledge already available, plus that secured through research, we will need structures to implemented that knowledge.

The need for change

Let us briefly remind ourselves of the evidence of the need to change the way we live:

• Traffic congestion and deterioration in the quality of the atmosphere.
• A post-primary educational system which has lost sight of its main goals – which are to recognise and nurture the diverse talents which different young people possess and, more generally, to nurture the qualities that are required to introduce change: the ability to understand and influence social processes; initiative; and the ability to work with others.
• The substitution of a frenetic scramble for money for activities which contribute little to quality of life on a personal and social basis. (Divorce rates are rising, the numbers of single mothers are on the increase; housing is so expensive both partners need to work; our prison population is the highest in Europe; over stressed working environments are common place; we have a serious drug problem.)
• There is inordinate waste, and a pervasive sense of suffocation of individuality, stemming from bureaucratic regulation and nanny state absurdities.
• There is a widespread fear that, despite the obvious absurdities of the so-called “market” economy, if we do not eliminate many of the things we hold most dear we will be unable to compete in a world economy dominated by trans-national corporations.

The Environment

The environment and how it will affect our children needs urgent consideration. The calculation is that it would require 5 back up planets engaged in nothing but agriculture for everyone alive today to live as we live in the ‘West.’ It cannot be done. But the Chinese and the Indians are determined to try. That will be the end of us all. We need to radically change the way WE live and show that we can have a much higher quality of life whilst consuming fewer resources. Changing our light bulbs is purely cosmetic and will have as little effect as re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

As we see it, the challenge we face is to create something that is best captured by the phrase “A Learning Society”.

What do we mean by “A Learning Society?”

We do not mean the continuous learning of the individual as portrayed by the Lifelong Learning concept.

We define society as being made up of individuals plus the connections between individuals; in other words the systems in our society that combine the actions of individuals. The Education system brings together the work of teachers, pupils administrators etc. The democratic system involves the electorate, the politicians, the media, civil servants etc. The Management system within an organisation involves sales, production, accounts, HR etc. And of course all these systems combine to from an overall societal system.

Systems Thinking

To be a bit more technical we are moving from “Reductionist” thinking to what is now known as “Whole System Thinking.” In the past we managed complex situations by breaking the whole down into parts and managing each part, on the assumptions that if each part was OK then the whole would be OK. In fact this is not the case because each part interacts with the other parts. The analogy we use is that of water; we develop no understanding of water by studying the component parts of water - Hydrogen and Oxygen – it is the interaction that is crucial.

The classic hierarchical organisation chart is a classic example of reductionist thinking. We break the organisation down into departments and manage each department with budgets and targets etc. The complex bit of how all the departments interact is given comparatively little attention.

In society it is even more complex. Each part of society influences and is interdependent of other parts. These influences and interdependencies are not readily identifiable. The science of studying these complex systems goes under the name of “Systems Thinking”

Adam Smith

What we have in mind is perhaps best illustrated by returning to the writings of Adam Smith. (The Wealth of Nations)

Smith observed that there can be no such thing as a wise man or woman. One reason is that, if individual A sets off one set of activities and, unknown to him or her, B sets off another, one cannot tell beforehand what will happen if these two activities come together. The only thing to do is to encourage widespread innovation with evaluation of these innovations by a wide range of people with very different priorities voting separately on all these issues with their pennies. Through this process a huge range of, previously unimaginable, developments that could not have been prescribed by any centralised planning committee came about.

Unfortunately there are many problems with this “market” solution. One is that all sorts of costs are “externalised” … witness the widespread destruction of the soils, the seas, and the atmosphere. Another is that quality of life depends mainly on things that cannot be bought and sold; they depend on community.

The need is, therefore, to evolve an alternative answer to Smith’s question.

An Alternative

There are no simple solutions. There are no readily available answers. Instead we should move our thinking from answers to knowledge, and how we enable our citizens to apply knowledge. How do we encourage the development of the knowledge that underpins the actions of individuals and our society? How do we encourage individuals and groups to try something different? And how, as a society, do we capture the forward thinking ideas of our people?

For example evolving knowledge demands the very experimentation of which Smith spoke and which is precluded by the current preoccupation with a command and control culture both within organisations and, more importantly, in our society. Unconsciously we have evolved a society that is “risk averse” and is uncomfortable with experiment.

Furthermore we have a system that upwardly delegates responsibility for change to “Leaders.” Time and again, recognition of a problem results in calls for leaders to “do something”. Their response is virtually always to issue some commands: to set targets and to make arrangements to check on progress toward them.

Unfortunately, most of these targets fail to encompass the most important social benefits and dis-benefits of the commanded activity, and the checking process is inordinately expensive and stifling of initiative.

Our central question is, therefore, what is an alternative answer to Smith’s question:

“How are we to create a pervasive climate of innovation, experimentation, comprehensive evaluation, learning and evolution?

How do we create a society that is continually learning, addressing the challenges of today’s world and moving forward?

We live in a Managed Environment

A starting point is to recognise that we live in a managed economy not one managed by multiple feedback loops of Smith’s “marketplace.” Approaching 40 % of us are employed in the public sector, and say a further 15% are subcontractors to the public sector and a further % in industries which are, in a way, public concerns, like the Water Boards, the Railway Industry etc. And then you have the Trans-national Corporations (TNCs), such as the Banks and the Oil companies which have economies greater than many countries.  So at the very least 75% of our economy is managed for us. Furthermore that 75% is managed by surprising few people.

Understandably they manage and lead for the benefit of themselves and their organisation. Governments and TNCs have a track record of exploitation on a massive scale.  They do not manage for the benefit of the general public nor for the citizens of the world.  Furthermore people in positions of power, or in the hierarchies created by this power structure, are reluctant to change and release any of that authority.

The democratic deficient is that there are few means by which we can monitor the motivations and actions of these leaders.

Public Servants

The above recognition puts great responsibility on Public Servants. We would not want to diminish that responsibility, only make it more transparent. Public Servants require to be accountable to the public.

Scientific Method

Our knowledge in medicine, engineering etc is underpinned by the disciplined development of scientific theories. In other words a hypothesis is developed into a theory through painstaking research and experiment. This is often referred to as “Scientific Method.” The field of social science and management requires to be equally disciplined in the development of its underpinning theories.

Myths

From a perspective of scientific discipline we want to be challenging many of the myths of our society.

• Are people motivated extrinsically by rewards and punishment or are we predominately motivated by intrinsic considerations such as pride in work?
• Does competition increase efficiency or is cooperation the real driver of progress?
• Are the banks lending only depositor’s money, or are they creating fictitious wealth?
• Is wealth a monetary value?

Leadership/Management

We should be challenging the old hierarchical concept of leadership, where they determine direction and give out instructions that the rest of us should follow. This culture is often referred to as “Command & Control.” Instead we should be asking our leaders to take responsibility for enabling the creativity and commitment of their subordinates. They should create an environment that produces a ferment of innovation and change.

Leadership should also be concerned with developing means of accountability and transparency, so that all of us can appreciate the courses of action being taken.

In the same vein structures are required to harness the expertise that lies in the hearts, heads and hands of millions of our people. Given the failings of the marketplace it is essential to evolve alternative arrangements for doing this.

The development of true democracy is based on broad based public participation.

Upward Delegation

For our part we should cease our present habit of upward delegation of responsibility for change. The majority of our leaders are overloaded and have little space to think deeply about the systems in which we work and of the systems that define our society. 

Education

Which leads us onto the personal competences we will require for the future. Competences such as being able to appreciate multifaceted systems, problem solving in a complex world, ability to work with diverse others, negotiating skills etc. etc. These skills are very different from those that are provided by our present secondary and tertiary education system.

Network

There will be a need for extensive discussions and networking across our whole community. Something modern technology can now enable.

Research

The basis of a “ferment of innovation” is the promotion of research. Not researched controlled by a central body, but research that explores all manner of issues, and is based on sound “scientific method.”

Values

We have an opportunity to re-examine society’s values for the individual, the family, the community and the environment; all in context of quality of life in the long term.

And then, the challenging part, of ensuring that our values are reflected in society’s systems and processes.

Media

We need a media that is not controlled by media moguls, or by advertising revenue but is committed to enhancing the understanding of the society in which it works.  There is a desperate need for an informed, open and challenging press. Modern electronic communication could well have the potential to deliver this goal

Time

To enhance our learning, our scientific research, our investigative journalism, the hearing and implementation of people’s ideas, the application of diversity etc. etc  - all takes time. As a society, we need, as a priority, to set aside time and provide resources for such activity. Our current fixation with what is measurable, and appraisal of individual’s performance against these measures, stands in the way of original and parallel thinking and experimentation.

Recap on Aim

The fundamental aim is to create a society that recognises and values the individual, that addresses and continually improves complex systems and promotes a ferment of research and innovation to underpin our march forward.

Structures in Place

Most of the structures for the above are in place at present – what is required is a new vision of what is possible

Footnote

A lot of the above is closely argued in John Raven’s book - The New Wealth of Nations”

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance