Social Sharing block
I’ve had this conversation countless times—sometimes with a frustrated client, often with a colleague, and occasionally with my own reflection.
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We hear familiar calls for help:
• “We need better communication.”
• “People need to collaborate more.”
• “We’ve lost our culture.”
These observations show up when an organization begins to struggle, and they are certainly valid concerns. Communication, collaboration, and culture are vital. However, after years of working inside and alongside complex organizations, I’ve come to believe they are rarely the fundamental issue.
Instead, what appears on the surface is a symptom pointing to something deeper, less visible, and far more challenging to name. What we call “organizational problems” are, in my view, systemic issues disguised as day-to-day frustrations.
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Comments
Stop Solving the Wrong Problems - Great Article!
Hello Akhilesh:
What a great article! It aligns with my awareness and mindset gained by my studies of Deming and Ackoff. You may really enjoy getting involved with the In2:InThinking Network as the ideas in your article is often discussed and studied.
Thank you, Dirk van Putten
Hello Dirk, Thank you so…
Hello Dirk,
Thank you so much for the kind words about the article! It’s immensely gratifying to hear that it aligns with your mindset, especially one shaped by the insights of Deming and Ackoff. Their systemic approaches and emphasis on defining the right system before trying to fix it have been major influences on my own thinking.
I truly appreciate you bringing the In2:InThinking Network to my attention. Given your recommendation and the fact that they are discussing similar ideas, I will certainly look into getting involved. It sounds like a perfect place to continue this important dialogue.
I hope we can keep the conversation going!
Best regards,
Akhilesh
It's the System!
I agree. The system creates an environment where these issues can manifest.
Fix the system, fix the company.
Hello Jay, You encapsulate…
Hello Jay,
You encapsulate the central idea perfectly. I couldn't agree more: "Fix the system, fix the company."
The key challenge, of course, is that the system itself is often a complex web of interconnected processes, metrics, culture, and incentives—it's not just a set of mechanical parts.
When you talk about "fixing the system," what aspects do you feel are the most critical to address first in a typical organization? Is it the measurement system, the incentive structure, or the communication and collaboration flow?
I appreciate you boiling the concept down to such a powerful, action-oriented statement.
Best regards,
Akhilesh
Real Cause of organization agony
Akhilesh, Hats off to discuss a common problem that hampers many companies from being successful. It takes a look from outside to inside to figure out the real problem which is hiding behind many trivial ones on the surface of the problem.
Thank you, CG! I appreciate…
Thank you, CG! I appreciate your kind words and your excellent way of framing the diagnostic process.
You hit on a crucial point: that looking from the "outside to inside" is what's required to bypass the "many trivial ones on the surface." The trivial problems are usually just symptoms—the visible smoke—while the real problem is the source of the fire, often embedded deep within the organizational structure or process design. You might also recall my article published here 'Thinking on the Edge'; your capturing the thought 'outside to inside' builds on that.
It takes a conscious effort to resist the urge to immediately jump on the first visible symptom and instead ask, "What must be true about our system for this surface problem to exist?" That shift in perspective is often the hardest, but most rewarding, part of the process.
I’m glad we share that view!
Best regards,
Akhilesh
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