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Product Description
Product Description
This book is about seeing systems. It is about overcoming system blindness. It is about seeing our part in the context of the whole in ways that enable us to avoid misunderstandings and to interact more productively across organizational lines (Act One). It is about seeing the present in the context of the past, such that we can get a more accurate picture of our current condition (Act One). It is about seeing ourselves in relationship with others and creating satisfying and productive partnerships in these relationships (Act TwoIt is about seeing our systems' processes in ways that enable us to create systems with extraordinary capacities for surviving and developing (Act Three). It is about seeing the uncertainties in our system conditions in ways that enable us to move past the destructive battles of righteous position versus righteous position (Act IV).
About the Author
For over forty years, Barry Oshry has been on a single-minded quest to unlock the mysteries of power and powerlessness in social systems. Throughout his career he has created organizational and societal simulations that have served as both learning environments for participants and research laboratories for himself. He began his work in the 1960s at Boston University, where he developed large-scale organizational simulations for undergraduates in business. Throughout the 1960s, Oshry continued his research at the university and at the National Training Laboratories' Management Work Conferences and Community Laboratories.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The patterns of cultural relationship between the tops, middles and bottoms of organizations
26 Mar 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is not about systems in the sense of process mapping or organization design, but about the functional and dysfunctional cultural systemic patterns that take place within the tops (leaders), middles (management) and bottoms (co-workers).
The book shares powerful, simple and important insights. It is based on many years of experimentation in the form of clinical interventions with teams. The descriptive logic of the pattern will be extremely helpful to many thousands of leaders, consultants and people engaged in organizational life at any level.
Basically, it shows how leadership groups tend to fragment and feel burdened, middle management groups tend to become torn and lower level staff form oppressed group think (and the reasons, characteristics and ways to overcome these patterns). The patterns with customers as well as other related dynamics are also illuminated.
The book also benefits from many simple and useful diagrams as well as a creative approach. The language is clear and helpful - there are dances not covalent interactions, for example. And often there are dialogues, dramatic scenes, case examples and poetic scripts that bring the situations and patterns to life. Useful summaries bring together the patterns.
Where the book falls short is that like many others it writes to try to persuade those not already aware of the core scenarios. They are not the audience for the book. It is the aware who will get the most from it and they need to skim through lots of material to get to the heart and key issues, hence my 4 score. But it is very much worth the skim and using the insights; they are terrific.
The book shares powerful, simple and important insights. It is based on many years of experimentation in the form of clinical interventions with teams. The descriptive logic of the pattern will be extremely helpful to many thousands of leaders, consultants and people engaged in organizational life at any level.
Basically, it shows how leadership groups tend to fragment and feel burdened, middle management groups tend to become torn and lower level staff form oppressed group think (and the reasons, characteristics and ways to overcome these patterns). The patterns with customers as well as other related dynamics are also illuminated.
The book also benefits from many simple and useful diagrams as well as a creative approach. The language is clear and helpful - there are dances not covalent interactions, for example. And often there are dialogues, dramatic scenes, case examples and poetic scripts that bring the situations and patterns to life. Useful summaries bring together the patterns.
Where the book falls short is that like many others it writes to try to persuade those not already aware of the core scenarios. They are not the audience for the book. It is the aware who will get the most from it and they need to skim through lots of material to get to the heart and key issues, hence my 4 score. But it is very much worth the skim and using the insights; they are terrific.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
15 reviews
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Truly points out why organizations are not fully aligned.
9 Jun 1999
Format:Paperback
As a 20 year professional in Organization Development, this book illuminates one of the most frustrating elements of a change agent...the ability to have the client or target experience their own responsibility for the current situation. Without that, one is powerless to effect productive change. One can still effect change, but it will be retaliatory or not understood in the context needed to allow people to see the issue clearly and not as a result of someone elses opinion.
This book clearly illustrates these concepts and more and is a must read for everyone who wants to facilitate change effectively and productively.
Isn't that everyone.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Human Systems are Keys to Partnership and collaboration
26 Mar 2003
Format:Paperback
I first struggled with the concepts because I am a student of organizational systems via Deming and the like. But this is a completely different viewpoint that provides a fantastic complement to the work of Deming, Weisbord and others looking at Open-systems theory.
If you want to see the impact of Human Systems and the dynamics that influence an organizations ability to partner, collaborate, and move beyond the powerful vaccuum of the human behaviors that stall organizational growth, this will provide a whole new way to view the relationships of people, power, and personal leadership within open-systems.
Mr. Cummings is right about the simplicity of the book in his review, it IS cartoon like at places. But let's be reminded how icons have changed the computer world and have worked to connect with people who need to remember things clearly, simply, and practically. People are visual learners and this book takes advantage of that reality. It's not written to be an IQ test - but to be clear and concise in boiling down the intricate and delicate issues, and choices, of human interaction in organizations.
It focuses on helping the reader learn and apply. If that works for you - make it so.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
From system blindness to system sight in four acts
31 Aug 2011
Format:Paperback
In Seeing Systems, Oshry describes how we do not see systems, and what it takes to start seeing them. The book describes in four 'Acts' our blindness to the system in favour of attributing our condition to personal qualities. In the first three acts Oshry relates to our Spatial blindness, Temporal blindness, Relational blindness, and Process blindness. Through examples and case studies from his Power Lab, Oshry reveals what it takes and means to move from blindness to sight. In Act IV Oshry describes seeing uncertainty - we are always in uncertainty, and are compelled to turn it into certainty, compromising along the way our ability to see systems and maintain blindness to systemic situations.
With simple, accessible, examples Oshry successfully describes that we ARE living in complex systems, and that a simplistic view of these systems maintains our blindness. Only by shaking off our tendency to simplify our systems by making up stories can we start the journey to become better persons in our family, organization, community, society, mankind.
Upon completing reading Act I, I said to myself - this is great insight, but now I have gone through less than a quarter of the book - what else can he explain in this respect and using these concepts? Am I going to be bored through the rest of the book? But Oshry surprises, and highlights the all too familiar situations we run into with additional "A-ha!" moments. By the end of Act II, I have realized that I should expect these revelations throughout the book - which I certainly have.
Anyone with mild awareness to systems will easily identify himself in similar situations - as Oshry puts it - not always, not with everyone, but with great regularity.
Having finished reading the book the epilogue left me with great hunger to see more of Seeing Systems. I am certain that the book and the concepts will accompany me for a long while to go, and I do hope that I will engage with the other methods and media that can be found in the book.
Great book, great insight, and a very hard task ahead to improve my sight of system.
With simple, accessible, examples Oshry successfully describes that we ARE living in complex systems, and that a simplistic view of these systems maintains our blindness. Only by shaking off our tendency to simplify our systems by making up stories can we start the journey to become better persons in our family, organization, community, society, mankind.
Upon completing reading Act I, I said to myself - this is great insight, but now I have gone through less than a quarter of the book - what else can he explain in this respect and using these concepts? Am I going to be bored through the rest of the book? But Oshry surprises, and highlights the all too familiar situations we run into with additional "A-ha!" moments. By the end of Act II, I have realized that I should expect these revelations throughout the book - which I certainly have.
Anyone with mild awareness to systems will easily identify himself in similar situations - as Oshry puts it - not always, not with everyone, but with great regularity.
Having finished reading the book the epilogue left me with great hunger to see more of Seeing Systems. I am certain that the book and the concepts will accompany me for a long while to go, and I do hope that I will engage with the other methods and media that can be found in the book.
Great book, great insight, and a very hard task ahead to improve my sight of system.
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